[Coco] M.E.S.S. Printing

[tim lindner]

Brian Hostetler <brianhostetler at purdue.edu> wrote:

> I was just wondering if anyone has figured out how to print graphics in
> MESS.  I have figured out how to print to a file, which works fine for
> text documents.  I want to print several Cocomax drawings on my inkjet
> printer under Windows XP.  I used to have a Star Gemini 10X and Cocomax
> has the driver for this.  When I print to file, it makes the print file
> about 32k in size.  Evidently this is in Gemini 10X printer graphics
> format.  I need to figure out how to convert this file into a bitmap or
> anything useable by windows that can be printed.  The print file data
> does not look that complicated (hexadecimal).  Has anyone written a
> DOS/Windows utility to convert any coco printer graphics formats into a
> standard image type?  (It'd be pretty cool to make the print file's
> pixels round dots on a full page bitmap about the size of a 9-pin
> printer's) Thanks!

I have considered writing such a conversion utility. But not for the
printer you mention.

I came to the conclusion that the GCP-220 would be the best printer to
support:

1. All the dots it produces are the same size.
2. It supports color.
3. It has good support from various CoCo applications.

No progress has been made beyond this.

The output I was considering was PDF. I would paint the graphics on the
page, then put transparent type above it to make the page's text
searchable.

Of course: if the page didn't contain any type, it would just be the
graphics.

-- 
tim lindner
tlindner at ix.netcom.com                                            Bright