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geoSpecific - GeoPrint and GeoLabel
by Bruce Thomas

Winter time in Edmonton is one of the best times for computer work as it is generally not nice enough to be outside and, with all of the festivities, it is a time of year that requires a lot of greeting cards. Everyone is most likely familiar with Print Shop, the first publishing program for the C-64 and one whose graphics number in the tens of thousands. This program let the user easily create cards, posters, stationery, banners and graphics to use on any of these items. Next came Printmaster, a virtual clone until the legal system forced Unison World to make changes. PrintMaster Plus improved on the original concept by providing a preview screen so you could examine your creation prior to committing it to paper. These two programs, with all of their limitations, ruled the Commodore world for years. Although I haven't seen Fun Graphics Machine, by Ron Hackley, it sounds like it too is an amazing program for graphics design and publishing. This column, however, is Specifically about what a person can do with programs that utilize the GEOS environment (hence the name change), so .....

When GEOS arrived, it really changed the way a lot of people used their Commodores, with the freedom it provided and its' ease of use. Nothing like Print Shop existed for GEOS, though. Articles were written on how to create cards, stationery and newsletters with 'Paint and 'Write and, when it arrived, 'Publish too. Creating a greeting card with information on all sides and no limit as to the exact placement of text and graphics was wonderful. It did require a lot of careful planning, rotating and time, and you were still limited as to the size of graphic you could rotate. In 1989 Roger Lawhorn and Dale Sidebottom made life a lot easier for GEOS users by creating GeoPrint and Geolabel. I have been using these programs for almost 5 years now and they are great!

The GeoPrint package consists of the main program and three template files. These template files are geoPaint pages that you use to make 1) posters (vertical or horizontal) and banners (up to 12 pages across) 2) greeting cards, and 3) giant posters. The giant poster template is a grid you use to decide how much to blow up any 'Paint image and the portions you want blown up (1/4 posters up to 3' * 3' and giant posters up to 8' tall). To utilize the system you take a copy of one of these templates and load it into geoPaint. The templates have a very easy to follow color scheme - if your text/graphics are on the green areas it will print on your printer. A greeting card is designed on 4 rectangular areas, each a little longer than one screen, representing the four sides of the card (front/back and left/right inside are side by side so you can overlap images also). Since you are using geoPaint, any of its' features can be used - fonts, graphics, pixel edit, etc. When you are done with your design the GeoPrint program is used for the printout. This program takes your four rectangular areas and does the necessary rotating and enlarging so that the card prints out just the way you want (geoPrint Demo is a version that allows you to try the program while creating a horizontal poster).

Wait, you say, if you are using an area slightly larger than a geoPaint window things could fill up in a hurry. True, smaller fonts and graphics are required in this phase of design but, hold on a minute, this is GEOS you're using - solutions exist. One thing we have that works wonders with geoPrint for cards and posters is the Paint Pages print driver from GEOS 2.0 (you will want to get it set up - we'll be using it next issue also). By selecting this driver your card or poster will print to a file on disk called Page 1 and then you can use 'Paint to add any other touches you want. GeoPrint does the work of enlarging and flipping the images and you can add regular fonts with 'Paint (this step is easier with another program we'll look at next issue as half the card in the Page 1 file will be upside down). I recently made a card for my Mothers' 70th birthday that impressed her more than my brothers Print Shop card, in color, from his IBM. This was accomplished with geoPrint, Paint Pages and a handy file by Joe Buckley called Mirror, Mirror. This gem let me take my card and flip it along the vertical axis, down the center of the page, so that Mom had to read it in a mirror to see what it said - she carried the card and a mirror around for hours showing people.

GeoLabel does for labels what geoPrint does for cards. This program, though, is not just for printing but is where you do your layout as well. To use geoLabel you create your file in GeoWrite or GeoFile (as a geoMerge document) and load that into geoLabel. The dox state that geoFile can cause problems with geoLabel so I prefer to setup my info with geoWrite. Labels can be any size up to 5" * 2" and utilize most GEOS fonts (bsw plus nine others), styles and photo scraps. Field items can be placed anywhere on the label with your mouse or the cursor keys. On-screen rulers allow you to make exact placement of the information you have. The print options let you print multiple copies of one or all of the labels in your file. Setup files can be saved so you don't have to layout your labels more than once. The label program prints on even cards vertically (my SG-10 would not print properly on the 15/16" * 3 1/2" labels I have) so finding the right labels for your printer is a concern (intructions are provided on how to go about this). My Roland (Epson FX-80 compatible) prints just fine on these labels and the program gets a lot of use with it. GeoLabel Demo is a 'Paint file that shows the 'Label screen and all the menus with explanations.

I have just ordered and received a new version of GeoPrint from Dale that now supports Color printouts if you own a color printer. There is also a new feature that lets you print out your creations using any geoPaint fill pattern rather than just solid black. I haven't had a chance to really try this upgrade yet but shall pass along whatever I find out if it is drastically different from the earlier version.

The 'Print and 'Label programs are fantastic programs that make full use of the many features of GEOS and every serious user should have them. I have only high praise for both of these programs as they both do what they promise and deliver it with style. Create your cards for all of those special occasions and address the envelopes with creative labels for that extra special touch. There is also nothing quite like a wall size printout of your favorite 'Paint picture or a banner 11 feet long! You'll want to get the programs now so that you have plenty of time to master them before the next winter card season arrives. Send cheques or money orders (U.S. funds) with your order to Dale Sidebottom c/o SoftSide Supply P.O. Box 303 New Albany, IN U.S.A. 47151-0303. GeoPrint is $15 for the Color version. GeoLabel comes in either 64 or 128 versions and are $10 each. If you want to order all 3 programs ('Print, 'Label 64 & 'Label 128) the price is $20. If you are a registered owner of the earlier GeoPrint you can upgrade to Color GeoPrint for $7.50. Both programs come with complete, easily understood, documentation on-disk and customized printer drivers. The custom drivers included double strike ones and no-form-feed drivers. These are handy if you want to put different graphics on different labels. Rather than printing two labels and having the next ten scroll past blank, choose a no-form-feed driver. I created a version to work with the geocable (EPSON GC (no.FF) ) as the supplied ones did not support this setup. Also on the geoLabel disk are the 64 & 128 versions of SuperBox we discussed last time.

Another very easy method of creating posters up to 17" x 22", if you have an Epson FX-80 or compatible, is Irv Cobb's great print drivers PosterPrint and PosterPrintGC. Select one of these prior to printing from 'Paint and you'll be given the choice of printing the Left or Right side of your picture. This will be blown up to two pages in length and you can then print the other half. With a little cutting and pasting you'll have a nice size poster of your masterpiece.

Next time, one more thing that supposedly couldn't be done - sideways printing of GeoCalc Spreadsheets. Until then, enGEOy!!

Send any GEOS questions or comments via e-mail to: rbthomas@edmc.net and don't forget to submit your favorite PD Picks.