11. Printing
RISC OS uses a generic printer driver software application which will enable you to connect
to a wide range of makes and models of printer. Essentially, the application comes blank by
default and you then tell it what make and model of printer you are using, since different
users have different printing requirements. A selection of printer definition files is provided
which will allow you to set up your computer to communicate with many of the more
popular printers available.
Load !Printers
The application software !Printers which comes supplied with your RiscStation computer is
version 1.62. This is located via the Apps icon on the Icon Bar. Double-clicking SELECT on
the !Printers application icon will make the printer driver software active. When it is active,
it will sit on the Icon Bar towards the left-hand side. If the Printers application icon on the
Icon Bar is greyed-out and says 'printers' underneath it then it has not been set up yet, or the
settings which might have been implemented have not been saved, so you will need to set it
up for your particular make and model of printer and save the settings for subsequent
occasions.
Once your !Printers application has been configured appropriately, and the configuration
options have been saved, then the Printers icon will appear on the Icon Bar in colour.
Load a printer driver
In order for the printer to understand the information being sent to it, the Printers application
needs to be set up using the information from an appropriate printer definition file. Inside
the 'Printing' directory on the hard disc is a directory named 'Printers' which contains these
printer definition files. Locate the printer definition file which matches your make and
model of printer (if there is not an exact match, your printer supplier should be able to
recommend a suitable printer definition file for you to use), double-click on the selected
printer definition file and those settings will become active. You may use more that one
printer definition at any one time.
In order to keep things simple at this stage, simply loading the appropriate printer definition
file is adequate for the time-being. When you are ready to make further alterations to the
printing configuration, you can consult the online manual (User Guide) on your hard disc.
51