SmallPrint (32-bit, Version 2.15)
==========
Released 23nd July 1999
=======================

SmallPrint is a revolutionary print utility which is available at an
amazingly low price. The concept of SmallPrint is to join many bitmap
'pages' (which are scanned in) into a larger bitmap which is then printed
'to fit' a page. It was designed primarily for newspaper-like 'column'
format printing but also supports the more usual row printing. It
intelligently splits columns and includes an option that can compress the
white space between lines of writing. It features a superior 'autocrop'
option to crop the white edges from the 'internal' pages.
 
You will be amazed to discover that the average 600DPI laser printer can
produce approximately 50-70 legible internal pages onto a single A4 side.
No other program available can do this. The printer ink/toner and paper
saving can be absolutely huge with SmallPrint. Other programs available for
multi-up printing can manage no more than 8 to 16 pages at the very most
(apart from those that handle text files only). Students will benefit from
having many pages of their study notes in a single page. Businesses are now
able to print whole project documents onto single pages for a better
understanding.


Installation
============
There are two ways to install depending on the archive type you have.
Unzip all files contained in 'smlprint32.zip' into a directory of your
choice! If the above instructions are unfamiliar, there is also a
self-extracting archive (smlprnt32.exe) which installs SmallPrint
automatically. Suggested directory: 'c:\smlprint'

The archive must contain the following 6 unmodified files only:

SmlPrint.txt
smlprint.exe
example.bmp
versions.txt
eztw32.dll
printers.txt

To run, double-click 'smlprint.exe' in the installation directory. In
Windows 3.1x, you can use Program Manager's FILE|RUN option specifying the
full path (eg. c:\smlprint\smlprint.exe).


Requirements
============
This is the 32-bit version of SmallPrint. Tested only on Windows 95 but it
should be NT compatible.

As for a printer, I recommend the inexpensive Panasonic KX-P6300 600dpi
Laser printer which can easily print legibly 50 A4 pages of normal 12-point
text onto a single side of A4. All printers which can print graphics and
have a Windows driver are supported. A report on the quality of different
printers is given elsewhere, in 'printers.txt' (not yet available).

Please report on the quality of the output with your particular
printer and driver using the example A4 600DPI bitmap. Send the output to
me if possible and I will acknowledge you in 'printers.txt'.


Notes for Unregistered/Standard Users
=====================================
There used to be just two registration options- Standard or Professional.
With these two options you were registered for all future versions. There
is now a third option which registers you for the current version only.

When unregistered, SmallPrint will deface the output bitmaps so that they
are unusable. It will however give you the knowledge of what to expect if
you pay for registration.

When you register you are given a registration code which will 'unlock'
SmallPrint.

Professional registration is the most expensive at only £40 (US$75).
Standard registration costs just £15 (US$30).
Single version Professional registration costs just £10 (US$20).

These prices are inclusive of all charges. I can accept other currencies,
just send currencies equivalent to the US dollar amount.

It is possible to upgrade to Professional registration from any other for
the difference in cost. The registrations (except the £10 registration)
now include a 'Print to bitmap' printer driver worth US$89.

Standard registration limits the creation of output to no more than 360DPI
at A4 size. This will allow around 16 internal pages as opposed to over 50
pages per sheet in Professional (600+ DPI) printing. For archiving you
will prefer to pay for Professional Registration. It also looks cool!
The example bitmap, when printed, will give you an idea of what to expect
from Professional registration.

See 'ordering' below for ordering information.


example.bmp (included in the SmallPrint distribution archive)
===========
The example bitmap shows what can be done with the Professional registered
version. It uses the default options except that the internal and external
borders are all reduced to 0mm. Compression is NOT used. The pages are A4
scans of a mathematics text. It uses a page size of 8 x 7 (columns x rows).
At A4 size this is equivalent to 838DPI X 644DPI (or around 880 x 660 in
real terms for most A4 printers). This can potentially fit 56 (8*7) pages,
however there are actually 54 pages scanned. High compression usually
compresses the number of lines to just under 80% which means that with High
compression you can fit over 25% more pages with no loss in clarity.
So if you print this example bitmap and find it readable it means that
with High compression you can fit 14 more pages making an incredible 70
altogether. It is perfectly readable with my Panasonic KX-P6300 printer.
The 'stretch to largest width' default option is used so that the columns
are all the same width. In practise this can make the text slightly less
readable than without stretching.

The bitmap is quite an extreme case so I would appreciate it if you could
send me the printed A4 output from your particular printer so I can compare
them. 

IMPORTANT: DON'T use the new 'Thick Print' feature on the 'example.bmp'
file if printing on A4 sized paper or less(!) as the bitmaps it comprises
were scanned in at a dark enough setting.

The official SmallPrint website also has the zipped internal bitmaps used
for this example. Note that they aren't very well scanned, since one page
is slightly clipped and most are a bit skewed. The archive is called
'internal.zip'.


How to Use SmallPrint (assumes some knowledge of Windows applications)
=====================

Here are the basics:
1. Turn on the context-sensitive help (F1) which gives hints for beginners.
2. First select a directory to scan in the bitmaps using the directory list
   box. You may want to create it using the 'File|Select Output
   Directory...' option.
3. Make sure you have entered an appropriate file name (located above the
   OK button).
4. Select the source and then 'File|Acquire...' to scan in the bitmaps. Set
   the scanner driver to Lineart or 1-bit scanning.
5. Scan the bitmaps in order of page number (important). You can decrement
   the counter and rescan if you are not happy with a particular scan or
   you are experimenting with the best scan resolution (see Hints on
   Scanning). The last image scanned is automatically displayed with the
   viewer.
6. Exit the scanner driver.
7. All the bitmaps scanned will be automatically selected. If it wasn't an
   empty directory before you scanned, select just the scanned bitmaps.
8. Select 'Lock Selection'. You may want to select whether you want
   compression enabled (in the option menu) before you 'Lock Selection'.
9. Set the required output format (default is Column) in the option menu.
   Also you may want to change the borders, headers and footers in the
   'Option|Advanced options...' submenu which also has many other options.
10. Make sure you set the correct paper size in printer setup.
11. Select the required compression value.
12. Now adjust the numeric values on the left of the SmallPrint window.
    They are primarily adjusted according to the 'pixels per inch' values
    set prior to checking 'Lock Selection'.

Finally click OK to create the final bitmaps. You may want to select a new
'File|Select Output Directory...' before you click OK.

They can be printed by selecting 'File|Print...'


Hints on Scanning
=================
If, as the program is designed for, you wish to squeeze as much as you can
onto a single page, it is best to minimize the scan size of each page. The
reason for this is that it will speed up the creation and printing of the
resulting bitmaps because they will be smaller in file size. It is also
important if you haven't paid for Professional registration that you don't
'waste' your allowed resolution.

For normal sized text on A4 you get readable scans at around 150dpi. It is
best in my opinion however to scan at twice the required resolution
(300dpi in the above case) and then scale down the bitmap so that you
achieve as much detail as possible at the lower resolution. Scaling can
usually be selected in the scanner driver so that it is done automatically.
So generally you should experiment with scan resolutions by scanning at a
high resolution and scaling the result down until too much detail is lost
for accurate reading. This lowest readable resolution is required but you
should scan at twice the resolution and scale it down by half if possible.

If you require a higher quality output you should increase the scanning
resolution accordingly. Also, the default option to 'stretch to largest
width' will often slightly degrade the final quality of the external
bitmaps since it causes slight bleeding and pixelisation.

If you find details are lost in a printed external bitmap the main reason
(as long as you are not wildly exceeding the printer resolution) is that
the bitmap was scanned at too light a setting. You should scan at a really
dark setting to make the print bolder. Also, you can now use the 'Thick
Print' option in the options menu (new to version 2.12).
                     

License Agreement
=================
SmallPrint is Copyright (c)1998 Albino Manso. I hold the copyright for all
routines and design techniques used in this program. Intellectual theft of
my work may be subject to prosecution. Disassembling, reverse engineering,
patching, hacking, or cracking of this program, as well as distribution of
any material that encourages or assists in any of these activities is
strictly prohibited. Any violation against this rule constitutes copyright
fraud and may be subject to prosecution under international copyright law.
The User Licence granted by registering SmallPrint gives the user the right
to use the registered version of SmallPrint on one machine. No other person
can use the registered version and it can not be used on more than one
machine at a time without purchasing additional licenses. You can only use
the registered version if the registration code was obtained by you from
Albino Manso. If you didn't obtain the registration code from Albino Manso,
then you do not have the right to use the registered version.


IT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY THIS LICENSE TO DISTRIBUTE (OR MAKE AVAILABLE
TO A THIRD PARTY) THE REGISTRATION CODE.

SmallPrint is freely distributable as long as it is packaged in the
following way:

'smlprint32.zip' or the 'smlprnt32.exe' self-extracting archive.

The archive must contain the following 6 unmodified files only:

SmlPrint.txt
smlprint.exe
example.bmp
versions.txt
eztw32.dll
printers.txt

SmallPrint is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express
or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall
Albino Manso be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct,
indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special
damages arising out of the use or inability to use SmallPrint, even if
Albino Manso has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Note that if any part of the license agreement is deemed invalid in law
then this does not invalidate the rest of the agreement.

The license agreement shall be governed by the laws of England.


Ordering
========

REGNET allows easy worldwide single user registration for those with a
credit card and Internet access. The URL is www.reg.net.

SmallPrint - Standard Registration (RegNet #2809)
http://secure.reg.net/product.asp?ID=2809

SmallPrint - Professional Registration (RegNet #2808)
http://secure.reg.net/product.asp?ID=2808

SmallPrint - Non-upgradeable Professional Registration (RegNet #3637)
http://secure.reg.net/product.asp?ID=3637

Also you can order with a credit/debit card by calling REGNET on:

      1 800 WWW2REG (1 800 999-2734) or (805) 288-1827

Otherwise register by sending an envelope with your name and 'version code'
to:

 SMALLPRINT,
 8 COMMAND ROAD,
 EASTBOURNE,
 EAST SUSSEX,
 BN20 8RA,
 ENGLAND            with cash or cheque payable to Albino Manso.


To find the version code, click the 'Licensed to..' option to bring up the
registration dialog.

I can send the registration code by email or post. I can also send the free
'Print to bitmap' printer driver by either method.

The difference between Standard and Professional is given above in 'Notes
for Unregistered/Standard Users'.

For efficiency, it's probably advisable to email your order details prior to
sending payment. There is no need to if you are ordering via RegNet.

  Email orders to:                 orders@smallprint.iwarp.com
   
  Email tech support
  and other messages to:           support@smallprint.iwarp.com

  Web Page (Official):             http://welcome.to/smallprint

The registration code will be sent to you on receipt of payment (or on
notification by REGNET if applicable).

Please email me for details if you require multiple or network licenses.

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE TO FIND OUT HOW TO CLAIM THE STANDARD
REGISTRATION CODE FOR FREE. You will NOT receive the 'Print to bitmap'
printer driver this way and the code is only valid for this version.



Registration Upgrades
=====================
The Standard version can be upgraded to Professional by sending the
difference in payment together with your current 'registration code',
'name' and 'version code'.


Version Upgrades
================
There will be free version upgrades on the web site. The registration code
will be kept the same for existing registered users unless otherwise
mentioned. If the registration code is changed you can get the new one free
in the same way as for 'Registration Upgrades' (but without paying
anything). You can email the details to: support@smallprint.iwarp.com

THE REGISTRATION CODE WILL CHANGE FOR THE NEXT VERSION.


Current Limitations
===================
Doesn't save long filenames.

No De-skew option when scanning. Some scanner drivers can do this
automatically.

There are problems in the current release with using scans of pages with
ruled margins (as is often the case with note paper). It will limit the
formatting possibilites due to the way the formatting works. THERE WILL BE
AN OPTION TO DEAL WITH RULED MARGINS IN A LATER RELEASE WHICH WILL SOLVE
THIS PROBLEM TOTALLY.

The current release is quite slow in the compression (both for stats and
processing) and the autocropping. This will be vastly improved in a later
release. The larger the internal bitmaps the slower the processing so this
is another reason to minimize the scan size.


Troubleshooting
===============
There may be problems with some scanners. If you find that your computer
crashes when you try to scan, then please use the 16-bit version of
SmallPrint for now and email support@smallprint.iwarp.com with your scanner
model and software driver version please.

Make sure you have enough memory to run SmallPrint. Your available virtual
memory (Win386.swp) should exceed 80MB to be on the safe side. Smallprint
must use large amounts of memory to manipulate extremely big bitmaps. The
amount of RAM is not too important however, just the hard disk space.

If you find the bitmap viewer too slow on your computer, then reducing the
desktop colour depth should improve the speed. Many graphics cards have
poor performance at 24-bit colour for example.

Make sure you select a 32-bit TWAIN source before scanning. Some bad system
configurations will let you select a 16-bit source. SmallPrint will crash
if you select a 16-bit source.

If you get a 'retry' dialog when creating bitmaps this means that the disk
space is low. You should free significantly more disk space than the dialog
suggests if your Windows swap file is on the same drive. Otherwise you may
get a misleading 'maybe you have a bad disk' error. If this error occurs
then the most likely reason is that not enough disk space for virtual memory
is available which results in a failure to write the file to disk.  If you
are low on disk space do not assume this error means you have a bad disk.

The Print Preview may sometimes show corruption for large bitmaps. This
doesn't affect the printed output so please ignore this problem. Scrolling
the bitmap off the screen to the right and back to the left again will
correct the display. The corruption can reappear when scrolling vertically.


Disclaimer
==========
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation

All trademarks are acknowledged and belong to their respective owners.

SmallPrint is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express
or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall
Albino Manso be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct,
indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special
damages arising out of the use or inability to use SmallPrint, even if
Albino Manso has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

{v5}