* SCCSID = "@(#)aboutus.txt	13.190/08/10"
About the Plotter Driver


The plotter driver supports a number of hardcopy, vector output devices
referred to as plotters.  Depending on the model(s) installed, your
plotter may be capable of handling cut sheet or roll media, with or
without auto feed capabilities, multiple carousels of different types
of pens, and numerous other features.  The plotter driver provides a
means of access to these features.


Details of the features and capabilities of the plotter are
contained in the manual(s) supplied with the plotter.
These should be consulted for more detailed information.


About the Printer Setup Dialog:


The printer setup dialog
provides a means of optimizing the performance of your plotter, enabling
or disabling the use of model specific features.  In addition, there
are certain software performance optimization features available.


The format of the dialog box changes slightly depending upon the
particular plotter in use,  since not all plotters have all the features.


At the bottom of the main dialog box are four large buttons: Enter, Reset,
Help and Cancel.
Enter is used to terminate the dialog and record any changes you have
made,  while Cancel terminates without saving the changes.
The Reset button sets the default values.
The Help button displays this text, and
allows access to other, related information.


Menus:


Four menus are provided for this dialog box: Carousel, PenColor, Type
and Options.  These are discussed more fully in the help topic for Pen
Characteristics.


Carousel:

Selects the Active (in the plotter) or Current (displayed in this
dialog) carousel.


PenColor:

This menu changes one or more selected pens to one of the colors listed.


Type:

Selects the type of pen installed.


Options:

Selects how pens are used.



Paper Feed:


You have a choice of automatic or manual paper feed depending on the
model of plotter.  The Preloaded box, if checked,  makes the driver
assume that the plotter is ready to plot,  and will start without
asking the user to install a sheet of paper.


Orientation:


Selects which way the plot is drawn.  Landscape mode causes the plot
to appear with the longer side being the horizontal (X) direction,
while in Portrait mode,  it will be the shorter side.


Size:


Specifies the size of the plotting media.  Select the size you are using
from the list of available sizes (the list varies with the plotter,
depending upon its abilities).  If the plotter has a roll feed ability,
the media length box may also be selected (otherwise it is grey).
Use the arrows to increase or decrease the length shown
to correspond to the media installed in the plotter.  Alternatively, you
may key in a value, by clicking on the number displayed
in the box, then typing an appropriate value (maximum 500 inches,
12.7 meters).
Note that the driver does not account for how much media has been
consumed by previous plots.


Pens:


At the top right is a group of controls labelled Pens.
This group is used to change various attributes relating to the
carousels/pens installed.  You can, for example, indicate the exact
disposition of pens in each carousel, their color, type, force, use,
acceleration and speed.  The carousel number box at the
top right is used to select the applicable carousel, or you may
select the Carousel menu option.  The Select All
button may be used to indicate that changes are to be applied to
all pens, or as a quick means of selecting the majority of the pens
for mass changes.  In the latter case, or when only few pens are to
be modified, you may use the individual check boxes to indicate your
selections.  An X in the check box indicates that any changes will
apply to the corresponding pen.


For additional information on pens and carousels, refer to the Pen
Characteristics help text.


Plotter:


This box contains one or two check boxes,  depending on the type of plotter.


There will always be a Colorsorting check box.  When Colorsorting
is selected,  the driver minimizes pen selection operations (which
are slow) by doing all the plotting for a particular pen before
selecting the next pen to use,  then doing all its plotting, and so on.
Without Colorsorting,  the plotting is done in the order determined
by the program doing the plotting.  The benefit of colorsorting
is to reduce the number of times the pen is changed;  the disadvantage
is that all the plotting instructions must be issued before any
drawing takes place.  So,  for very simple plots,  it may take longer
to finish plotting.
However,  it is generally faster to use Colorsorting.


You may also see a check box labelled GEC.  This stands for Graphics
Enhancement Cartridge,  and is an option to make some plotters more
capable, such as having more in-built characters.  If you see this
box,  then your plotter supports the option.  Consult the plotter's
manual to determine where the GEC is located,  and whether you have one.
If you specify that a GEC is installed,  but it is not,  the plot
output may be incorrect,  since the driver will try to use features
that the plotter does not have.
