APPLICATION NOTE #170
 ADDING 3RD-PARTY FONTS TO AN ADVANCED LASERJET PRINTER
 Rev. 04

Most Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers support downloadable soft fonts 
in addition to the internal fonts supplied with the printer. Soft 
fonts are available from Hewlett-Packard and from other font 
manufacturers. The printer files you received with XyWrite define only 
the Hewlett-Packard soft fonts. If you purchase a compatible soft font 
from a different manufacturer (a third party), you can modify your 
printer file to accommodate it. This application note gives you the 
information you need to make the required changes to the printer files 
for a LaserJet IID, IIP, III, IIID, IIIP, or IIISi printer file.

Before beginning, review the portion of the XyWrite Reference Guide 
that describes printer files.


 CREATE A NEW PRINTER FILE
 When adding a soft font, we recommend that you create a new printer 
file instead of modifying the standard file. There are two ways you 
can handle this task. One is to run a program called XPT, which is 
available from Lodestar Communications, P.O. Box 2870, Canoga Park, 
CA 91306. XPT reads the actual font file and then generates a 
complete XyWrite printer file, including PT (Print Type) tables. 
Alternatively, you can use the NEW command to create a new file, 
merge the contents of the appropriate LaserJet printer file into it, 
and then modify the new version. For example:

  Type: F5new 3hp-new.prn,3iid-sft.prn<CR>

 The following sections describe the areas of the printer file that 
you modify to add a font. These areas include the comments section, 
PT tables, font tables, width tables, and character substitution 
tables.

 When you are adding soft fonts that are fully compatible with 
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet IID, IIP, or III printer, you do not need to 
change the initialization settings (FB<, FE<, LE<, PE<, PG<), 
attribute tables, vertical spacing table, or microjustification 
settings.


 MODIFY THE COMMENTS SECTION
 Every customization file starts with a file label that tells XyWrite 
what type of file it is. The file label for a printer file is ;PR;. 
If this label does not appear on the top line of the file, type it 
in. (Be sure to type it in uppercase.)

 Next, move the cursor to the section that lists the supported fonts. 
The purpose of this optional section is to provide, for quick 
reference, the abbreviation and full name of every font defined in 
the printer file. The first line of each font description starts with 
the manufacturer's font code and font name; subsequent lines contain 
the abbreviation and full name of each type style in the font.

 The abbreviations, which usually incorporate the point size and an 
abridged font name, are used throughout the printer file as the font 
labels. The following is an example of this format.

  ; HP 33412ea SOFT FONTS: Prestige Elite
  ;
  ; 10PE 10-point Prestige Elite
  ; 10PE-BOLD 10-point Prestige Elite bold
  ; 10PE-ITALIC 10-point Prestige Elite Italic
  ; 7PE 7-point Prestige Elite

 Using the same format, type in the number, name, and abbreviations 
for the fonts you are adding. Note that each line starts with a 
semicolon to distinguish it from a XyWrite command. The semicolon 
convention is used for comment lines throughout the printer file.


 CREATE A NEW PT TABLE
 PT (Print Type) tables enable XyWrite to actually use the fonts once 
the proper codes are written into the file. The PT table numbers 
correspond to the value you use with the PT (Print Type) formatting 
command. For example, if you issue the command:

  F5pt 1<CR>

 XyWrite looks at the table labeled PT=1 in the current printer file.

 You must add each font you want to use to a PT (Print Type) table. 
The easiest way to begin is to define an existing PT table and copy 
it to the end of the PT section.

 1. Page down until you see the PT tables.

 2. Define the last PT table. For example, if PT=6 is the last table 
in the
  section:

  Move your cursor to the beginning of the PT=6 line and press F1.

  Move your cursor to the end of the PT table (marked by a semicolon 
and a
  carriage return) and press F1.

  Result: This defines the table PT=6 as a block.

 3. Press: F7 (to copy the block)

 4. Press: F3 (to release the defined block)

 5. In the new table, change the 6 in PT=6 to the next available 
number
  (e.g., PT=7).

 6. Change the font name in the new table. The name can be anything 
you want
  as long as it does not contain any spaces or a plus sign. Once you 
choose
  a name, you must use it everytime you refer to this font in the 
printer
  file.

  We suggest you use the font's point size and an abbreviation of the
  typeface as the font name. For example, if your font is a 9-point
  Helvetica, you could call it 9HELV. If you are actually adding three
  fonts (normal, bold, and italic), add the ÿ2DBOLD extension to one 
name and
  the -ITALIC extension to another. It is not necessary to change 
either
  the modes (MD NM, etc.) or the attributes (underline, etc.) in the 
PT
  table. An example of a completed PT table is shown below.

  PT=7
  MD NM+9HELV
  MD BO+9HELV-BOLD
  MD UL+9HELV+UNDERLINE
  MD RV+9HELV+FORMS
  MD BU+9HELV-BOLD+UNDERLINE
  MD BR+9HELV-ITALIC
  MD SU+9HELV+SUPERSCRIPT
  MD SD+9HELV+SUBSCRIPT
  ;

  If you want a blank line between PT tables, make sure you put a 
semicolon
  on the blank line as shown above.

 7. Save the changes to disk.

  Type: F5save<CR>


 CREATE NEW FONT TABLES
 Font tables translate the names used in the PT tables into font codes 
that the printer understands. Font tables also contain the value of 
the vertical leading associated with the font and references to both 
a substitution table and a width table. You need to create a separate 
font table for each font. For example, 9HELV, 9HELV-BOLD and 
9HELV-ITALIC require separate tables.

 The following example is for a 9-point Helvetica font.

  FO:9HELV
  FO<{esc}(8U{esc}(s1p9h9v0s0b4T
  VL=46
  UW:9helv
  US:Roman8
  ET

 The first line defines the name of the font table. You must use the 
same name that you used in the PT table (e.g., 9HELV for 9-point 
Helvetica or 9HELV-BOLD for 9-point Helvetica Bold).

 The second line contains the control codes that the printer needs to 
process the font you are defining. The escape codes for 
Hewlett-Packard fonts have the following general format (note that 
the character after the ampersand is a lowercase L):

  {esc}(n1{esc}(sn2pn3hn4vn5sn6bn7T

  n1  is the character set (for example, 8U for Roman-8, 0U for ASCII,
      0A for Math-7, 8M for Math-8, 1U for Legal)
  n2  defines whether the font is monospaced (0) or proportional (1)
  n3  defines the horizontal size of the font (use the point size)
  n4  defines the vertical size (use the point size)
  n5  defines the slant of the font (0 for normal, 1 for italic)
  n6  defines the boldness of the font (0 for normal, 3 for bold)
  n7  defines the typeface family (e.g., 0 for line printer, 3 for
      Courier, 4 for Helvetica, 5 for Times Roman, 6 for Letter 
Gothic,
      8 for Prestige, and 11 for Presentation).

 Refer to the LaserJet IID, IIP, or III Printer Operator's Reference 
Manual to determine the Hewlett-Packard control codes that define 
your new font.

 In the sample font table shown above, the font statement defines a 
font that uses the Roman-8 symbol set (8U). The font being defined is 
a proportional one (1p) that is 9 points (9h and 9v). It has a normal 
slant (0s) and a normal weight (0b), and is from the Helvetica family 
(4T).

 Line three contains the VL (Vertical Leading) command, which defines 
the vertical spacing for the font. This is the value XyWrite looks at 
when automatic leading is turned on. The VL setting can be calculated 
using the following formula:

  [(Size + modifier) X VMI]/72 =

 Size refers to the point size of the font. The modifier allows for 
extra white space between lines. We recommend that for point sizes 
between 1 and 8, you use a modifier of 1. For point sizes between 9 
and 14, use 2. Over 14, use a modifier of 3 or more.

 The VMI (vertical motion increment) is the smallest vertical movement 
the printer can make; for LaserJet printers using downloaded soft 
fonts, this value is 300 (1/300th of an inch). The number "72" refers 
to the number of points in an inch. By solving the equation, you can 
determine the VL setting that should be used with the font.

 Let's use the 9-point Helvetica example to calculate the value for 
VL. The point size is 9, which falls within the range of point sizes 
that use a modifier of 2. The minimum vertical unit (or VMI) of the 
LaserJet IID, IIP, and III is 1/300th of an inch. So our equation is:

  [(9+2) X 300]/72 = VL

 You can use XyWrite's math capabilities to solve this equation by 
typing the following command.

  Type: F5((9.00+2.00)*300.00)/72.00=<CR>

 The result of this equation is 45.833333. However, since the VL 
setting must be a whole number, round off the result to 46. If you 
prefer to have your output set more tightly or loosely, you can 
modify this value until you are satisfied with the results.

 On line four (UW:), enter the name of a character width table that 
corresponds to the font. Without this information, the printer file 
will not load successfully.

 Similarly, enter the name of a character substitution table on line 
five (US:) if your font requires this. If your font uses the Roman-8 
or PC-Line symbol sets, enter Roman8 or PCLine. Fonts that use the 
ASCII symbol set do not require a substitution table; for those 
fonts, remove the US: line.

 If your font uses a different symbol set, you need to create a 
substitution table, as described later. Decide on the name you want 
to use for the substitution table and enter it here. You can name 
this new table anything you want, but don't use spaces.

 An ET (End Table) command completes the table.

 Before moving on to the next step, remember to SAVE your file.


 GENERATE NEW WIDTH TABLES
 XyWrite uses character width tables to calculate accurate line 
endings and to produce microjustified text. Several fonts may have 
the same width values and thus use the same width table. For example, 
all 12-pitch monospaced fonts use the same widths, so you don't need 
to create a width table for Prestige, Prestige Bold, and Prestige 
Italic. Even some proportional fonts use the same widths. For 
example, a 10-point Century font may use the same widths as a 
10-point Times font or a 10-point Helvetica font may use the same 
widths as a 10-point Helvetica Oblique font. To save memory, avoid 
including unnecessary width tables; just be sure that the UW (Use 
Width) line in the font table references the correct width table 
name.

 The following is a portion of a width table for a 9-point Helvetica 
font.

  WD:9HELV
  SW=22
  il=9
  '`j=10
  ,.If=11
  .
  .
  .
  W=36
  @=41
  ET
  ;

 The first line of the table contains its name, as referenced in the 
UW: line of the font table. Subsequent lines define the character 
widths. SW (Standard Width) defines the most common character width 
for the font. Exception widths (proportional fonts only) are listed 
after the standard width. If a character is not listed specifically 
XyWrite assigns it the standard width. Character widths are expressed 
in multiples of the minimum horizontal unit. For LaserJet IIDs, IIPs, 
and IIIs, the minimum unit is 1/300th of an inch. If a character's 
width is 25/300ths of an inch, the value entered in the table is 25.

 An ET (End Table) command completes the table.

 There are three ways to determine the character widths:

 * Refer to the information supplied by the font manufacturer. Some
  manufacturers provide width information with their soft fonts.

 * Run CTABLE. CTABLE is a program that reads the actual font file and 
then
  generates a file that contains a XyWrite width table and font 
definition. A
  shareware version is available on Compuserve. A registered version, 
which
  works with font files over 40K, is available for $35.00 from the 
author:
  John Thompson, 3415 Beechwood Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

 * Run PTEST. PTEST is a XyWrite program that was designed for testing 
the
  accuracy of your width tables. You can also use this program to 
determine
  the width of each character. For information on this program, refer 
to
  Application Note 123, Testing Width Tables in XyWrite III and III 
Plus.

 Once you have created the width tables for your new font, compare 
them to the existing width tables to make sure you have not created a 
duplicate.


 CREATE CHARACTER SUBSTITUTION TABLES
 Character substitution tables are used to translate the character 
XyWrite sees into codes the LaserJet IID, IIP, and III use to print 
the character. For example, the substitution table for the line draw 
character set (SU:PCline in the LaserJet IID/IIP or III printer 
files) correlates the graphics characters that are part of the 
extended ASCII character set with the Hewlett-Packard codes necessary 
to get them to print properly.

 Each table begins with SU:label where label is the name of the table 
as defined in a font table. Following the header are the 
substitutions in the form of character=codes. The printer codes used 
in the substitution table vary from character set to character set 
and can be found in the LaserJet documentation or in the instructions 
that came with your font package. An ET ends the table.

 The standard XyWrite LaserJet IID/IIP or III printer files contain 
substitution tables for Roman-8, PC-Line, PC-Symbol, and Legal. You 
can use these tables without modification if your fonts support any 
of these sets. Fonts that use the ASCII symbol set do not require a 
substitution table. If your font uses another symbol set, you must 
create a character substitution table. Remember to use the same name 
you used in the US: line of the corresponding font definition table 
and refer to the documentation supplied with your printer or font for 
substitution information.


 LOAD THE PRINTER FILE
 When all the changes are complete, store and load the printer file. 
For example, for a printer file named
 3HP-NEW.PRN:

  Type: F5store<CR>

  Type: F5load 3hp-new.prn<CR>

 Result: If the file contains no structural errors, XyWrite displays 
Done on the prompt line. If a XyWrite formatting error is present, 
the message on the prompt line is BAD: followed by the offending 
character(s). Note that successfully loading a printer file does not 
mean it is error free. Errors in the LaserJet IID/IIP and III escape 
codes or the wrong values in a width table cannot be detected by 
XyWrite. If the printed output is not what you expect, check your 
printer file and correct the errors.


 TESTING THE PRINTER FILE
 Whenever you modify a printer file, you should verify your changes by 
creating a test file and sending it to the printer. Design the test 
file so that it includes all of the parameters you have just 
modified. For example, if you defined a new PT table, use that table 
and all of the modes in your file to be sure you get the expected 
results; if you changed or added widths, turn on justification so you 
can verify the right-margin alignment; if you added a character 
substitution table, type each of the display characters contained in 
the table to be sure they are translated properly.

 If your test file does not print successfully, return to the 
appropriate section of the printer file and make the necessary 
corrections. Remember, changes to a printer file do not go into 
effect until you load the printer file into memory.

 Note #1 DOS Version. If you are using DOS version 3.2 or 3.3 and are 
connecting the computer to the printer via serial port, then you must 
put the setting NE=1 on the second line of the printer file. This 
setting disables all printer errors.

 Note #2 Memory. To conserve memory, delete any unnecessary 
information from the printer file. For example, if you do not plan to 
use XyWrite's redlining feature, you can comment out the insert and 
delete attributes. To do this, search for the line AT:INSERT and 
insert a semicolon in front of each of the three lines in that table. 
Then do the same thing for the table AT:DELETE. (Refer to Application 
Note 116, Modifying Redlining Modes, for more information.)

 Note #3 Numbering PT Tables. PT tables do not need to be in numerical 
order. You might want to set up a numbering scheme in which the first 
digit of the PT number represents a typeface family and the second 
two digits represent the point size. For example:

  PT=109 9-point Helvetica
  PT=110 10-point Helvetica
  PT=112 12-point Helvetica

  PT=209 9-point Times Roman
  PT=210 10-point Times Roman
  PT=212 12-point Times Roman


 ###