The last routine in this category is ZX-PRINTER (load zx-printer).

This is a set of commands requiring extra memory, but it can be loaded on top of COPY, LPRINT and INVERT to produce a very useful suite of facilities within 19K of RAM. Once loaded, you can check the dictionary (VLIST) to see several new words, some of which will be dealt with in the third category. The more straightforward commands are BLOCKPRINT, WIDEPRINT, TALLPRINT, THINPRINT and ITALIC.

As their names suggest these are all special styles of printing. In all cases you just enter the command (eg. enter: BLOCKPRINT) and the current screen display is printed in the appropriate style.

BLOCKPRINT produces a 16 column printout with each character constructed from chunky square blocks.

WIDEPRINT is also a 16 column printout but the characters are simply stretched.

TALLPRINT is a standard 32 column printout but with all the characters twice the normal height.

THINPRINT is a special 42 column printout using new characters formed From a 6x8 dot matrix.

ITALIC is a 32 column sloping text but it has one limitation. Because each character occupies part of its neighbour's column, the last (32nd) column cannot he properly printed. In fact the overspill appears wrapped around into the first column! This problem is obviously avoided if you keep the last column empty.

In any of these printing modes you can stop the printer by BREAK (SHIFTed SPACE) after completion of any line.