Description: Applesoft BASIC: Displaying and printing text in 80 columns
Header: Applesoft BASIC: Displaying and printing text in 80 columns

 The Apple II permits input and output to only one device at a time, including
 the 80-Column Text Card in slot 3.

 Here is a BASIC program that will send information to the printer, and then
 to the screen.

 10 D$ = CHR$(4)
 20 PRINT D$;"PR#1" : REM Turn on the printer in slot 1
 30 PRINT "This sentence will be sent to the printer. Make it a long sentence,
 so we can see if the printer uses 80 columns."
 40 PRINT D$;"PR#3" : REM Turn off the printer; return to 80 column screen
 50 PRINT "This sentence will appear on the screen."
 60 END

 If you find that the printer doesn't use 80 columns, then the interface card
 in the Apple IIe is set for 40 columns. Check the manual for that card, and
 change the DIP switches for 80 columns.

 Use these techniques within any Applesoft BASIC program to turn a printer on
 and off, and still maintain disk drive access.

 This short program shows how to print lines longer than 80 characters without
 overprinting. An explanation follows the listing.

 10 D$=CHR$(4)
 20 PRINT D$;"PR#1"
 30 PRINT CHR$(9);"80N"
 40 PRINT CHR$(9);"C"
 50 LIST
 60 S2$ = "We get a lot of calls regarding a problem with the Imagewriter I
 and the Imagewriter II overprinting when using the PRINT command from
 AppleSoft BASIC with lines that are longer than 80 characters. Here is a
 workable solution."
 70 PRINT  D$;"PR#3"

 In the statement PRINT CHR$(9); "80N", (which sends Control-I 80N) the number
 80 sets the printer card so that it sends a carriage return after sending 80
 characters to the printer. The choice of the number, 60, 72, 80, or 132, to
 name a few options, depends on how you want to use the features of the
 printer and its interface card. This works for an Apple Super Serial Card,
 Apple Parallel Interface Card, and other popular interface cards.

 After sending Control-I 80N to set the SSC to end its lines at 80 columns,
 it's still necessary to tell the SSC when that Control-I 80N command should
 work. That's what Control-I C does: it tells the SSC to issue a carriage
 return on column overflow.

 Column overflow occurs when the SSC detects it has reached the end of the
 column as set by switches 2-3 and 2-4 or by Control-I 80N. The addition of a
 line like line 40 should correct similar overstriking problems, especially
 with listings of BASIC programs. If you run this program, it will correctly
 print S2$ on an Imagewriter or an ImageWriter II.

 On an Apple IIGS, the Control-I C would need to be a Control-I CE.



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