LaserPlotter

IBM PC/XT/AT and compatibles users of the popular graphics program Sigma-plot by Jandel Scientific (reviewed in Yale J Biol Med 61:174-175, 1988), who have recently acquired an HP Laserjet printer, may be surprised and disappointed. This program, which has performed so well for so many users of dot matrix printers and plotters, is abysmally slow when using a laser printer (output times in excess of 20 minutes). Jandel Scientific acknowledges the problem and has promised that their next update will tackle it. In the meantime, though, Sigmaplot users should not despair; a limited solution called LaserPlotter has been presented, with the full authorization and cooperation of Jandel. LaserPlotter software prints out your Sigmaplot-generated graph on an HP La-serjet-class printer by making the laser printer emulate an HP plotter. To use the program, you run Sigmaplot with HP plotter drivers and save your graph to a file with an added utility available from Jandel, for a fee, or from North Coast Scientific, free with purchase of the LaserPlotter software. The file is then printed by executing the LaserPlotter program. The output is fairly rapid (three to five minutes) and extraordinarily crisp. In fact, the plotter-emulated laser printer output is generally of a much higher quality than direct laser output. One of the outstanding features of this software is that it allows you to set the plotter-emulated line width according to a standard grey scale. Note that use of the program is somewhat cumbersome: you can only generate one graphics page at a time with Sigmaplot before outputting with LaserPlotter. In addition, you must execute two programs and several DOS commands to print a graph. This sequence is, however, greatly facilitated by writing an automatic batch file yourself or by using the one supplied gratis with LaserPlotter by North Coast Scientific. In the end, the single major limitation of this manipulation is that graphs can only be printed in the landscape mode. Finally, some might balk at the idea of buying a temporary solution to a problem that Jandel will, it is hoped, solve in their next update. LaserPlotter should not, however, be seen as a makeshift juryrig. First, the output with this technique may in fact be of much higher resolution than any other output on an HP Laserjet without expensive increased memory. Second, it is important to realize that LaserPlotter's use is not restricted to Sigmaplot. The program comes with …