APPLICATION NOTE #162
 CREATING A PT (PRINT TYPE) TABLE TO DEFINE ADDITIONAL FONTS
 Rev. 01


 XyWrite uses PT (Print Type) tables for easy switching between two or 
more fonts. Due to space limitations on our master disks, standard 
XyWrite printer files are not set up to access all the fonts or 
attributes that are available with your printer. Instead, the printer 
files define the attributes and fonts, and provide sample PT tables. 
 Generally, PT=1 is Pica, PT=2 is Elite, and PT=3 is Proportional 
(providing your printer is capable of this output). You can use these 
samples to create additional PT tables.


 FONTS AND ATTRIBUTES
 In order to get the most from your printer, you need to add PT tables 
for the other available fonts and attributes. The first section of 
each printer file lists all fonts and attributes available.

 For XyWrite purposes, a font is a type style such as Pica, Elite, 
Helvetica, or Times.  An attribute is a printer effect that is added 
to a font to modify its appearance.   Common attributes are 
Underline, Bold, NLQ (Near Letter Quality), Superscript, and 
Subscript.

 Fonts and attributes vary from printer to printer. In fact, what's 
defined as an attribute in one printer file may be a font in another 
printer file.  For example, in many laser printers Bold is an actual 
font or type style (e.g., HELVETICA-BOLD), while in dot matrix 
printers Bold is an attribute produced by having the printer 
overprint each character (e.g., PICA+BOLD). Notice that font names 
use hyphens between words, while attributes are separated from the 
font name by a plus sign. When you are modifying printer files, the 
distinction between fonts and attributes is an important one.


 ADDING A PT (PRINT TYPE) TABLE
 You can use the PT tables already in your printer file as building 
blocks to create tables for other fonts. For example, if you use the 
printer file 3EPSONFX.PRN and you want to create a PT table to access 
the compressed font, first call your printer file to the screen.

   Type:  F5ca 3epsonfx.prn<CR>

 Note the font names listed at the beginning of the file. You must use 
these exact names. To create a print type table for compressed in 
this printer file, you would use the font name COMPRESSED.

 The easiest way to create a new PT table is to define and copy an old 
PT table and substitute the new font name.

 Locate the line PT=3 and place your cursor on the letter P. Press F1 
to define the beginning of the table. Move the cursor past the mode 
statements and the comment line (;{ESC-27}) and press F1 again to 
close the defined block. Now press F7 to copy the table and press F3 
to restore the defined text. (Make sure after you copy the table that 
the lines before and after are preceded by a semicolon.)

 Renumber the new PT table. You can use any available number between 1 
and 255 (with the exception of PT=32). We recommend that you use the 
next available number (in this case, PT=4).

 Next, change the font name from PROPORTIONAL to COMPRESSED. The new 
PT table should look like the one shown below.

   ;
   PT=4
   MD NM+COMPRESSED
   MD BO+COMPRESSED+EMPHASIZED+DOUBLE
   MD UL+COMPRESSED+UNDERLINE
   MD RV+COMPRESSED+FORMS
   MD BU+COMPRESSED+EMPHASIZED+DOUBLE+UNDERLINE
   MD BR+COMPRESSED+ITALIC
   MD SU+COMPRESSED+SUPERSCRIPT
   MD SD+COMPRESSED+SUBSCRIPT
   MD MM+MICRO

 It is not necessary to change any of the mode statements or 
attributes, although you can modify them if you wish. You can also 
delete unnecessary mode statements, as long as you have a definition 
for normal mode (MD NM) in every PT table. (If there is an MD MM 
statement in the PT table, you must retain that statement as well.)

 When you have completed the changes, store and load the edited 
printer file. If you get an error message, the most likely cause is a 
misspelled font or attribute name. Be sure the names you used in the 
new PT tables are exactly as listed at the beginning of the file.  
Make any necessary changes and reload the file.

 When you want to access this font in your text file:

   Type: F5pt 4<CR>