[Coco] Printing from HDBDOS

[gene heskett]

On Thursday, April 05, 2012 02:40:58 PM Bill did opine:

> Is there any way to print a document from HDBDOS? I have a printer set
> up to my "CocoPC", but cannot figure out how to sent anything to it
> from the Coco.

Modern printers do NOT accept the coco's ascii output.  They require a data 
image that has already been created on the computer.

I've solved that problem 2 ways, first, before I had DW4 setup, I used the 
bit banger cable into a ser/usb adapter and set nitros9 up to use the bit 
banger version of /p as output.  Then I had written a script on this linux 
box that would capture that data into a file, and when the coco was done as 
evidenced by its not sending any more data for a couple seconds, the script 
here then sent that file through the translations of CUPS (Common Unix 
Printing System), shipping the many megabytes of the resultant image 
ghostscript had rendered, to a cheap Brother laser printer sitting on the 
top shelf of the coco's basement desk setup.  Very high quality B&W output, 
and 22 pages a minute once the drum had warmed up from its standby/idle 
temps.

But today, DW4 has replaced that linkage, effectively doing exactly the 
same thing but over the 115 kilobaud DW4 printer channel.  You have a 
choice in the DW4 config of rendering it to an image that resembles an old 
5x7 dot matrix printer, or in my case, bypass that and send the file thru 
CUPS again and back down the same USB cable it came up to the hub that 
connects the coco's DW cable usb adapter and the printer to this machine.

You may be able to make use of those scripts if you are running linux, they 
have been placed in the Genes-os9-stf link on my web page in the sig.  If 
not, perhaps they might serve as a model to make something similar work on 
winderz.  I can't help with that as I don't allow windows on the premises 
unless made of glass so I can see if the yard needs mowing.  It does 
already FWIW. :(

Cheers, Gene
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