Printer Configuration - AMSTRAD cpc 6128 User Instruction

Note that although there are 17 fingers on the upper row of the computer's PRINTER
socket, the lower row of fingers is numbered 19 onwards (rather than 18 onwards).
This is so that every wire used, connects between exactly the SAME NUMBERED
finger of the computer's edge connector as pin ofthe socket on the printer itself.
The computer uses the BUSY signal (pin 11) to synchronise with the printer, and will
wait if the printer is OFF -LINE.
There are no user set-up commands required, and the output is directed to the printer
by specifying stream
#
8 .
Although the CPC6128's PRINTER port is envisaged for use with low cost dot-matrix
printers; with a suitable interface it will support daisywheel printers, graphics
plotters, and multi-colour ink-jet printers. The key to compatibility is the standard
parallel interface.
The customised software in the AMSTRAD DMP2000 and DMP1 printers facilitate
dot-graphics operation, together with the printing of complete screen dumps.
Printer configuration
A facility is provided whereby special characters which may appear on the screen and
which are supported by the AMSTRAD DMP2000 and DMP1, will be printed even
though the character codes for the screen and printer may be different. The majority
of these symbols will only be available when the printer is switched to one of its
foreign language modes. For example:
PRINT CHR$(&A0)
/\
PRINT #8,CHR$(&A0)
/\, is printed on the printer.
This works even though the character code for a circumflex accent on the printer is
& 5 E. In other words, the printer routine has recognised & A
0
as one of the codes held
in a printer translation table, and has translated it to & 5 E so that the same character
appearing on the screen will be printed by the printer. The code & 5
E
will produce a
circumflex accent on a printer no matter which language mode the printer is set to
(this is not true for all the characters in the translation table). The other characters in
the table are as shown in the following table:
Chapter 7 Page 42 For your reference ....