CompuServe Messages

Chris: They are not preferences drivers. They are special drivers used to convert the plotter language output (HPL I think) to what ever the particular plotter uses. A straight ASCII dump would really give them fits much less one with cntrl characters (other than CR/LF). Plotters use things like 'P 0,0' for 'position pen to location 0,0' and 'D' for pen down etc. Some use two character commands and many use the Hewlett Packard Plotter Language. Most plotters have a command that allows them to draw circles and even elipse figures. Most also have a command for writing text but it is usually something like 'T T,4CR, T e,4CR, T x,4CR, T t,4CR' where: CR is of course carriage return and the 4 would be the character size. Again other specifications exist including font style. Some units will switch into 'text' mode on command at the current cursor position but others require that the position be specified for each character. 73, bill