🚀 go-pugleaf

> Message-ID: <72100003@uicsl>
> Date: Wed, 20-Aug-86 14:45:00 EDT
> 
>      I am using LOTUS 1 2 3 with Gemini 10X printer. 
> The printer works fine in text mode. But in graphic mode,
> it keeps inserting extra carriage return(?), therefore the printout 
> is two times as big as it should be and the whole drawing is not
> continuously connected. The switch setting on the printer will
> only affect text mode. Is there any way to have Gemini 10X work 
> with LOTUS 1 2 3 in graphic mode?
> 
>     The second problem arised when I opened the case of the printer
> in order to change the switch settings. I was wondering whether I
> can reprogram the EPROMs inside the printer to make it 100%
> EPSON MX- or FX- series printer compatible....
> 
> 				Hau-Yung Chen
> 				Coordinated Science Lab.
>                                 1101 W. Springfield Ave.
>                                 Urbana, IL 61801
> 
>                                 uicsl!hychen@a.cs.uiuc.edu
> 
Sorry!  There's not a lot you can do, if you have a REAL Gemini 10X
(and not one of the later, Epson-compatible models).  I had the same
problem, and found that I have to look for software that EXPLICITLY
recognizes the Gemini, if it is to work in graphics mode.  The Epson
drivers will give the "venetian-blind" effect on all graphics programs,
not just 1-2-3.

I spoke to tech support at Star Micronix (who make the Gemini).  They
were sympathetic and seemed knowledgeable, and they said that a new ROM
won't solve the problem.  The two printers have a different number of
vertical dots per inch.  Even if they closed up the gaps (the best you
could do with a new ROM), you'd see a vertically scrunched image --
very poor aspect ratio.

I once toyed with the idea of writing a post-filter for printer
output that lives on the BIOS interrupt and intelligently expands two pixel
rows to three, but there are lots of holes in that idea.  Two that come
to mind immediately: Programs that drive the printer port directly
will bypass my filter, and programs that shade printer drawings with
pixel dither may develop a VERY disturbing pattern distortion with
any local expansion algorithm.

Dave Tutelman
Physical - AT&T Information Systems
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