15 Oct
2008
15 Oct
'08
12:36 p.m.
I sure do remember that: as an undergrad, my first
task for an OS
research project was to convert the system troff-style fixed-pitch
text formatter
to support proportional font spacing. Output was to a daisy-wheel
printer (don't
recall the actual printer manuf/model) using that same sort of
micro-spacing feature. >
This would have been late-'79/early-'80, so the same time frame as your task.
I rmeembr a program called ApplePlot which included a routine to dump the
Apple ][ hires display to a Qume Sprint 5 (I think) daisywheel printer.
It used the microspacing features of this printer, and printed the image
using only the full stop (period) character of the printwheel. It was, of
course, slow, noisy, and hard on the printwheel...
This sort of thing must have been fairly common, since I remember (and
may still have somehwere) plastic daisywheels with a metal pin in the
full stop character so that it would last longer if used like this (all
other characfters were the normal moulded plastic ones).
-tony