Exploring The Wild FONTier
by David Richardson
AC Staff Columnist
by David Richardson
AC Staff Columnist
If you recall from my last article, I was explaining more of the DD3 formatting commands. Let's pick up where we left off, starting with the new page command.
Starting Anew
DD3 allows you to start a new page by using the command \N. This command is like a page advance. This command is legal in a new line after a hard RETURN, before the first character to be printed as text on that line. Any text after this command will be on the next page.
The commands for the top and bottom margins are pretty simple. The command for the top margin is \XTnnn, and the command for the bottom margin is \XBnnn. In both cases, the "nnn" is a three digit number between 0 and 255. The value of "nnn" will give you a margin of nnn/72 inches. Both of these commands are legal in the first line of a file, before any characters to be printed on that line, or in any line containing the \N command, after the \N command, but before any characters to be printed on that line.
I Need My Space
To adjust your line spacing, use the vertical spacing command \XVnn, where the "nn" is a value from 0 to 33, and it sets the value of the line spacing to nn/72 inches. This command is legal in a new line after a hard RETURN, or in the first line of a file, before the first character to be printed as text on that line. In order to print graphics, such as the picture of Ulinston Churchill in a previous article, I set the line spacing and character spacing (also mentioned in a previous article) both to zero. After the graphic is printed, I reset both the character spacing and line spacing back to their original values.
Here is an example of a graphic printed with the default spacing:
Here is the same graphic the way it is supposed to look, with vertical spacing and character spacing set at zero:
The graphic above was created using the font BIKINI.NLQ which I created using some of the utilities that are available for DD3.
From Head to Foot
DD3 allows you to have headers and footers. The command for defining the header is in the format:
\Hnntexttexttext[RETURN]
The command for the footer is:
\Hnntexttexttext[RETURN]
The [RETURN] at the end of the header or footer is part of the command and does not begin a new line in the document. The header will print nn/72 inches below the top of the page. The footer will be printed nn/72 inches below the top of the bottom margin. The text for the header and footer can be up to 80 characters. The header or footer text should include formatting commands for any feature that is changed somewhere in your document. Here is an excerpt from the DD3 documentation:
"For example, if character
spacing is never changed within a
document, there is no reason to
include a resetting command in your
header or footer. But, for example,
if the left margin varies throughout
your document, make sure that the
header or footer text begins with a
command to set the left margin. To
turn off a header or footer, follow
the nn with a [RETURN] only. A
header or footer will only print if
it will fit within the top or bottom
margin.
Both commands are legal in the first line of a file before any characters to be printed on that line, or in any line containing a \N after the \N but before any characters to be printed on that line.
Turning Over A New Leaf
The next command is the new page number command, \X#nnn, which gives a new page number to the current page. All subsequent pages are numbered based on this number. nnn can range from 1 to 255. This command is legal in the first line of a file, before any characters to be printed on that line, or in any line containing the command, after the \N command but before any characters to be printed on that line.
To go along with the new page command is the insert page command, \#. This command inserts the current page number into the header or footer. This command is legal inside the text of a header or a footer. The next command is the append file command, \A[filename.ext], which is legal anywhere. You can put this command anywhere in a document to instruct DD3 to print the specified file after printing the current document. This feature allows you to split a large document into several files.
The final command is the comment command, \*. It is legal anywhere. It acts like a REM statement. Any text after this command until the next [RETURN] will be ignored by DD3. Use this command for including comments within a document. That wraps it up for the commands of DD3. I hope that this gives you an idea as to how versatile it is. Now, let's move on to other things, such as more fonts.
The above picture was created with a font called LAUGH.NLQ. I first saw this picture in a local newspaper ad, and I thought it looked pretty neat. I created it by first using a digitizer called Computer Eyes, which digitizes only in black and white or shades of grey. I then loaded the picture into Micro-Painter to touch it up a bit and to add color. When I made it, I hadn't thought of making a font out of it, so when I decided to do so, I uses a utility called GR8TODD3, which converts picture files to DD3 fonts.
Here is another made in the same manner:
The above was derived by digitizing a Farside cartoon, which is done by Gary Larson. The font is HENNYDOG.NLQ.
One thing most people may not know is that Print Shop icons can be converted to be compatible with DD3. Here are some examples:
This font is called HORO2.NLQ, and was created using a Print Shop conversion utility called PS20D3. Each icon consists of three characters. I will get into how to do icons in the next column.
Until next time, keep on exploring the wild fontier.