Subject: REVIEW: DocDump, version 3.6
From: [email-masked] (Eyal Teler)
Date: 2 Mar 1994 16:37:34 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	DocDump, version 3.6

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	Print several pages of text on one sheet of paper using small print,
either single sided or as a double-sided booklet.

	This program was provided on the coverdisk of Amiga Computing
Magazine, issue 71, March 1994.  See my review of this magazine elsewhere
in the comp.sys.amiga.reviews archives.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Robert Grob
	Address:	Orange Nassaulaan 6
			4101 JT Culemborg (Gld)
			The Netherlands

LIST PRICE

	Shareware.  Registration is $7 (US).

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		A printer.

	SOFTWARE

		None.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 500, 1MB Chip RAM, 2MB Fast RAM
	Kickstart 1.2, Workbench 1.3, ARP
	Fujitsu 100MB SCSI drive in A590
	Canon BJ-200 printer

INSTALLATION

	The DD_Install file on the disk DOES NOT work.  It needs the file
DocDump.settings, which is not in that directory.

	To install, you need to copy S/DocDump.settings to your S: directory,
and DocDump/req.library to your LIBS: directory, if you don't already have
it.  Note that the req.library supplied with the program is an old version,
1.2.  (Newer versions are available on the Aminet ftp site and elsewhere.)

	You should then copy the program to wherever you want it.

	File names do not completely match those in the documentation, and
the Workbench 1.3 icon files which should be included are not there.  Still,
no important files are missing.

REVIEW

	DocDump allows the printing of ASCII documents in small print,
fitting several printed pages on one physical sheet of paper.  Output
formats are Dump (four pages per sheet), Column (two columns per sheet), and
Booklet, which prints four pages on each side of the sheet, in a form
suitable for making an A5 booklet.  Each page is printed with a suitable
title, and the Booklet form also prints cover pages (front and back).

	The program lets you load a file, specify the needed titles, and
print it.  Printing can (and should) be configured to match the printer.
Page size, tab size, and handling of special characters (such as line feeds)
can be specified from the control window.  You can also call your favourite
editor from the control panel, to view and edit the loaded file.

	The program prints to the PAR: device, rather than the PRT: device.
This is because PRT: has limitations on font sizes.  This means that a
special, program-specific device driver should be made for each specific
printer.  The program comes with four device drivers, and defaults to Epson
compatibility.

	Once I found out how to install the program, I tried to print the
instructions manual using the instructions contained in it.  My BJ-200 is set
to Epson mode, with 66 lines on an A4 page.

	I entered the settings described in the documentation, and started
printing.  Unfortunately it seemed that there were fewer lines on the page
than the program expected, resulting in several lines spilling onto the next
page each time.  I waited for the printing to end, just to see how it looks.
DocDump defaulted to single sheets, even though my preferences said
'fanfold'.

	I tried to reduce the number of lines per page, from 60 to 58.  One
line still spilled to the next page.  Unfortunately I couldn't stop the
printing (see BUGS), so I rebooted.  I then changed the number of lines to
57, and it printed OK.  Five pages were printed (I changed to 'fanfold', of
course), and when prompted, I turned the heap over and reinserted them.  No
hassle.

	Even with the small letters and draft printing I used, the result
was very readable, which is a tribute to the BJ-200, I suppose.  My only
problem was creating a booklet from the printed papers.  My stapler was too
short, even after I tried the tip in the documentation.

DOCUMENTATION

	A short description in the magazine contains some important notes.
DocDump.doc is a high quality documentation file.  When printed as a booklet,
the result is clear and well organised.  It even has an index!

LIKES AND DISLIKES

	The idea is very nice.  The final results are also quite good. If
you're into saving paper, that's the program for you.

	There are two main problems in practice.  First of all, it's not
trivial to find the right setting for your printer.  There are different
page size settings needed for each mode, so it will take some experimenting
to find out the right settings.  This process could be quite slow.  Also see
BUGS.

	The second problem is speed.  I estimate that it takes 4 times longer
than printing the text normally.  This seems to me a problem of the printer,
and not of the program itself, but the magazine mentioned that it printed
slowly, so I suppose that it's common to most printers (scaling the font?).

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	I don't know any other program which can do this.

BUGS

	Want to stop the printing?  Press the Abort button.  But printing
continues anyway.  Put the printer offline.  Will you get a 'printer
trouble' requester after some time?  No way!  To stop the printing I had to
reboot my Amiga.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	The shareware fee does not entitle you to any special support.  You
pay only for the right to use the program, including any future versions.  To
get support, you'll need to send money to the author to cover postage fees
for his answer (he requests this in the manual).

WARRANTY

	Coverdisk replacement by the magazine.

CONCLUSIONS

	This could be a very useful program in some cases.  If you have a
good printer and don't mind the wait, you could get some good results.  It
might be useful for programmers, who want to cram more of their program onto
one sheet (I used to want more lines when I programmed the Amiga).  It is
also useful for those occasions when you want to carry around some printed
documentation without taking too much space.

	It could have been a nice program for draft printing of some texts,
if not for the slow printing speed.  Also, the Abort bug is annoying.

	I'll give DocDump 8 out of 10.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1994 Eyal Teler.  All rights reserved.

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