ÃÈÏÏÓÉÎÇ Á ÐÒÉÎÔÅÒ ÉÎÔÅÒÆÁÃÅ ÏNCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN A PRINTER FOR YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM, YOU WILL NEED TO SELECT A PRINTER INTERFACE IF YOUR CHOSEN PRINTER REQUIRES ONE. ÔHE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS, THEN, IS TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED AN INTERFACE. ÉF THE PRINTER YOU HAVE CHOSEN HAS A ÃOMMODORE ÓERIAL CONNECTION (A 6-PIN ÄÉÎ CONNECTOR JUST LIKE IS USED WITH THE DISK DRIVE), THEN YOU DON'T NEED AN INTERFACE AND YOU DON'T NEED TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE. ÉF THE PRINTER HAS A ÃENTRONICS (36 PIN ÁMPHENOL) OR ÒÓ-232 (ÄÂ-25) CONNECTION, THEN YOU WILL NEED AN INTERFACE. ÒÓ-232 IS A STANDARD SERIAL INTERFACE AND IS NOT USED FOR PRINTERS MUCH ANY MORE DUE TO SLOWER SPEED THAN WITH ÃENTRONICS. ÒÓ-232 IS STILL USED FOR STANDARD CONNECTION OF MODEMS, HOWEVER. ÔHE ÒÓ-232 CONNECTOR IS NORMALLY A Ä SHAPED CONNECTOR WITH 25 PINS, AND THE INTERFACE NORMALLY PLUGS INTO THE USER (MODEM) PORT (AND CAN'T BE USED AT THE SAME TIME AS A MODEM). ÒÓ-232 PRINTERS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE Ã-64 BECAUSE SO LITTLE SOFTWARE SUPPORTS THEM. ÙOU MAY HAVE COME ACROSS A GOOD DEAL ON ONE (SOMEONE GAVE IT TO YOU, PERHAPS), AND WOULD LIKE TO ATTACH IT TO YOUR Ã-64. ÔHE SELECTION OF ÒÓ-232 INTERFACES IS SMALL, AND THEIR ARE NOT A LOT OF FEATURES TO CHOOSE FROM. Á COUPLE OF THINGS TO LOOK FOR ARE TO GET ONE THAT WILL WORK WITH BOTH A PRINTER AND A MODEM (NOT ALL WILL, BE SURE YOU ASK) AND BE SURE YOU INCLUDE A CABLE (IF NEEDED) IN THE TOTAL COMPARISON PRICE FOR INTERFACES. ÍOST (IF NOT ALL) ÒÓ-232 INTERFACES DO NOT CONVERT THE Ã-64'S NONSTANDARD CHARACTER SET TO STANDARD ÁÓÃÉÉ, SO YOUR SOFTWARE WILL HAVE TO SUPPORT AN ÁÓÃÉÉ PRINTER. ÔHE ÒÓ-232 PORT IS DEVICE 2, SO YOUR SOFTWARE WILL ALSO HAVE TO SUPPORT A PRINTER AS DEVICE 2. ÔHE ÃENTRONICS PARALLEL INTERFACE IS THE DEFACTO STANDARD INTERFACE FOR COMPUTER PRINTERS TODAY. ÔHE ÃENTRONICS CONNECTION IS ALSO Ä SHAPED, BUT IS FORMED DIFFERENTLY THAN THE ÄÂ TYPE CONNECTORS AND HAS 36 PINS (OR MORE PRECISELY, MAIING SURFACES; THEY AREN'T REALLY PINS AT ALL). ÔHE INTERFACE WILL NORMALLY PLUG INTO THE SERIAL CONNECTOR (DAISY-CHAINED BEHIND YOUR DISK DRIVE) AND TO THE CASSETTE PORT (FOR POWER). ÛÎÏÔÅITHAT ÓØ-64 USERS WILL HAVE TO MAKE A MODIFICATION TO GET POWER TO THE INTERFACE SINCE THE ÓØ DOESN'T HAVE A CASSETTE PORT.Ý <ÐÒÅÓÓ Æ7 ÁÎÄ ÓÅÌÅÃÔ "ÇÅÔ ÎÅØÔ ÉÔÅÍ"> -::- ÔHERE ARE A NUMBER OF ÃENTRONICS INTERFACES AVAILABLE, AND YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH FEATURES YOU MOST NEED (AND CAN AFFORD). ÈERE ARE SOME THINGS TO LOOK FOR: ÇRAPHICS CAPABILITY IS A MUST UNLESS YOU ARE USING A DAISY WHEEL PRINTER. ÔHEY ALL SEEM TO HAVE GRAPHICS CAPABILITY NOW. ÙOU WANT THE CAPABILITY TO PRINT BOTH THE ÃÂÍ GRAPHICS CHARACTER SET AND BIT-MAPPED GRAPHICS. ÔRANSLATION OF THE ÃÂÍ CHARACTER SET TO ÁÓÃÉÉ IS ALSO A MUST, BUT THIS TOO IS STANDARD TODAY. ÐRINTER COMPATIBILITY IS ANOTHER THING TO LOOK FOR. ÃHECK THE LIST OF SUPPORTED PRINTERS AND BE SURE YOUR PRINTER IS ON IT. ÉF YOUR DEALER SAYS THAT IT IS COMPATIBLE BUT IT ISN'T LISTED, HAVE HIM SHOW YOU OR GIVE YOU A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. ÔHE PRINTER YOU ARE USING IS USUALLY SELECTED BY SWITCHES ON THE INTERFACE SO BE SURE YOU GET THE SETTINGS FOR YOUR PRINTER FROM THE DEALER IF IT ISN'T LISTED. ÐRINT OPTIONS ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. ÍOST INTERFACES HAVE SEVERAL MODES WHICH SHOULD BE SELECTABLE ÂÏÔÈ THROUGH SOFTWARE AND SWITCHES. ÙOU WILL WANT STANDARD (WITH GRAPHICS), TRANSPARENT, AND 1525 EMULATION MODES AT A MINIMUM. Á MODE WHICH TRANSLATES CONTROL CODES IN ÂÁÓÉÃ LISTINGS FROM THE REVERSE CHARACTERS TO SOMETHING READABLE (LIKE "ÛÃÒÓÒ ÄÎÝ" FOR A CURSOR DOWN) IS ALSO NICE, ESPECIALLY TO A PROGRAMMER. ÓOME INTERFACES HAVE ADDITIONAL MODES LIKE SPECIAL CHARACTER SETS. ×HILE NOT NECESSARY, THESE MODES CAN ADD A LOT TO YOUR PRINTER'S CAPABILITIES AND SHOULD BE WEIGHED AGAINST THEIR INCREASED PRICE. Á BUFFER CAN ALSO BE IMPORTANT. Á BUFFER IS MEMORY WHICH STORES DATA TO BE PRINTED AND THEN SENDS IT TO THE PRINTER. Á BUFFER WILL MAKE PRINTING GO SMOOTHER (ESPECIALLY GRAPHICS) AND WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET FINISHED SENDING DATA TO A PRINTER FROM A PROGRAM (AND GET TO SOMETHING ELSE) WHEN THE DOCUMENT IS STILL ACTUALLY PRINTING. ÔHE BIGGER THE BUFFER, THE MORE THAT IS STORED IN IT, ALLOWING YOU TO GET ON TO SOMETHING ELSE SOONER. ÓOME PRINTERS HAVE A SIZABLE BUFFER IN THEM, WHICH REDUCES THE NEED FOR A BUFFER IN THE INTERFACE. ÉF YOU KEEP THESE THINGS IN MIND, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE AN INTELLIGENT DECISION IN BUYING A PRINTER INTERFACE. ÉF YOU CAN BUY THE INTERFACE YOU WANT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE PRINTER, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SAVE A LITTLE BIT ON THE COMBINATION. <ÐÒÅÓÓ Æ5 ÆÏÒ ÍÅÎÕ>