



                                                                  Laser Labels
                                                        Disk Labelling Program
                                                      Unregistered Version 1.0




                                                                  Users Manual



































                                                               June 28th, 1991


                                          (C) Copyright 1991 by David J. Evers
                                                           All Rights Reserved


        Introduction

        Laser Labels is a program written out of necessity.  I find
        that I seldom label my diskettes when I create them; and
        even when I do, the hand-written labels are usually less
        than desirable.  Being fortunate enough to have a laser
        printer at work, I wanted to be able to print out good
        looking disk labels on demand.  Unfortunately, no disk
        labeling utility I found seemed to be what I was looking
        for.  Either they were designed with dot matrix printers in
        mind, or they were too limited.  And, being a recent convert
        to Windows 3.0, I wanted to be able to have a true WinApp at
        my disposal to create a label whenever I felt like it.

        Windows programming being what it is (or at least has been),
        I was far from being able to create the kind of program I
        wanted.  Fortunately, however, Microsoft released Visual
        Basic; which brought Windows programming down to my level.
        Laser Labels, as I had visualized it (no pun intended), was
        a perfect test of the capabilities of Visual Basic; and
        aside from a few minor annoyances, I was able to create a
        working program in about 100 hours of serious effort.  My
        guess is that it would have taken at least 10 times that to
        have done it in the traditional C and SDK Windows
        programming methodology.

        Anyway, Laser Labels is a program designed to create labels
        on a laser printer.  Actually, due to the way Windows
        handles its printing, it is possible to use virtually any
        printer; since the page is composed in memory and then
        printed full page just as a laser printer does internally.
        However, alignment, speed and font issues limit the results
        using dot matrix printers to only acceptable quality (see
        the section "Using Laser Labels with a Dot Matrix Printer"
        later in this document).  Where Laser Labels really shines,
        however, is on a laser printer such as the Hewlett Packard
        LaserJet series and compatibles.

        Laser Labels uses single sheet labels specifically sized for
        diskette use.  These labels are manufactured by Avery, and
        are available at most office supply locations and computer
        stores (I bought mine at Egghead Software).  These labels
        come in two styles: #5196 for 3-12" disks, and #5197 for 5-
        1/4" disks.  These are single sheet labels specially
        designed for use in laser printers and on floppy disks.
        Single sheet label printing has its own set of problems.
        Often, you don't need to print a full sheet of labels.  Many
        times, you want only one or two.  Laser Labels makes it easy
        to print any number of labels due to its visual orientation.
        If you want to print on the first label, simply click on
        that label in Laser Labels' screen.  Only need 3 labels?  No
        problem!  Simply print out the labels you need, then store
        the sheet for future use.  Laser Labels lets you pick where
        you are going to print.

        I find my labelling requirements fall into two categories:
        custom labels and directory labels.  If I am labelling disks
        such as a backup set, I want to be able to specify what text
        is to go on the label.  But if I am just trying to catalog
        the files stored on a disk, I want to have as many of the
        filenames on the disk as possible displayed on the label; so
        that I can hunt down that file I moved off my hard disk to
        recover the space.  Laser Labels supports both kinds of
        labels; even on the same sheet!

        One of the main benefits of laser printers is the high
        quality fonts they provide.  Laser Labels allows you to use
        all the fonts your printer (and the Windows printer driver)
        supports.  You can select a different font, size and style
        for the Disk Title and for the Label Text; including
        boldface and italics.  Virtually any font you can use with
        Windows can be used for your disk labels.



        Legalities

        Laser Labels is a Shareware program.  This means that it is
        not free.  You are allowed a reasonable period to evaluate
        Laser Labels to see if it meets your needs.  If you continue
        to use the program after this evaluation period, you are
        expected to register.

        Registration offers a number of benefits.  First, and
        foremost, it allows the author to continue to support the
        program with additions, corrections, and enhancements.
        Without revenue from registration, the program cannot evolve
        or become more useful.  If you would like to see the program
        grow, your support in the form of registration will help.

        With registration, you get the latest version of Laser
        Labels that offers several enhancements over the
        Unregistered version.  These include the ability to save
        your configuration preferences such as font sizes and
        default label styles to disk so that you don't have to setup
        the program every time you run it; a true cross-referenced
        Windows help file, and a printed and illustrated users
        manual.  In addition, the registered version skips the
        welcome screen that prompts you every time you start up the
        program.

        The Registered version also has a Multi-User Site License
        option.  If your company has more than 10 users of Laser
        Labels, you can get substantial discounts on the per-copy
        program cost.  If you anticipate widespread usage, an
        Unlimited License is also available that will allow you to
        legally serve as your own distribution center.  With the
        proliferation of laser printers in corporate America, this
        should be a welcome opportunity.

        Finally, only registered users will be notified of future
        upgrades and enhancements to Laser Labels as they become
        available.  Special preferential upgrade pricing for these
        updates is another benefit of registration.


        Disclaimer

        This program and its accompanying documentation are provided
        "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or
        implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties
        of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.  In
        no event will the author be liable to you for any damages
        arising out of the use or inability to use this program
        and/or its documentation.



        Prerequisites

        Laser Labels requires Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or
        later.  Windows must be installed correctly on your system
        prior to running Laser Labels; including the installation of
        the appropriate Windows printer driver for your printer.
        See the documentation for Windows for installation
        instructions.

        Laser Labels also requires the presence of a file called
        VBRUN100.DLL in your Windows directory or in a directory
        specified in your PATH.  The Unregistered version of Laser
        Labels is distributed in two forms: one with the
        VBRUN100.DLL file and one without.  (The VBRUN100.DLL file
        is quite large - about 200K - so it was not included in one
        package to save download time for those who already had it).
        If you own Microsoft Visual Basic, you already have this
        file.  If not, and the version you obtained did not include
        the DLL, you can download this file from CompuServe.  The
        VBRUN100.DLL file is located in the Visual Basic section of
        the MSLANG forum library.  The Registered version of Laser
        Labels includes the VBRUN100.DLL file on the distribution
        disk.

        Laser Labels requires the use of Avery #5196 or #5197 Laser
        Printer Disk Labels.  Laser Labels has been customized for
        use with these specific labels; since I am unaware of any
        other manufacturers of similar products. (If there are any
        such manufacturers out there, kindly send me some samples of
        your labels and I would be happy to add support for them.
        Several hundred thousand ought to do it (grin)).

        While Laser Labels is customized for the task of printing
        disk labels on a laser printer, it is not mandatory to own a
        laser printer to use Laser Labels.  An appropriately
        installed dot matrix printer may work if you can control the
        alignment of the Avery sheet labels in the printer;
        especially the top of the page.  This can only be determined
        by experimentation.  See the section "Using Laser Labels
        with a Dot Matrix Printer" for more information.



        Installing Laser Labels

        Laser Labels consists of a single program file:
        LASERLBL.EXE.  This is a Microsoft Windows 3.0 application
        and must be run from the Windows environment.  To facilitate
        this, follow these steps to install Laser Labels on your
        system:

        1.      The Unregistered version of the program is
                compressed using PKWARE's ZIP program.  You
                must use PKUNZIP version 1.01 or later to
                decompress the program and any accompanying
                files.

        2.      Once you have unzipped the program, copy the
                LASERLBL.EXE file (and the VBRUN100.DLL file,
                if included) to your Windows directory.

        3.      Enter Windows by typing WIN

        4.      From the Program Manager, select a Program
                Group where you would like Laser Labels to
                reside.  In a new Windows system, this might
                be the Accessories group; or if you have a
                Printing or Utilities group, this might be an
                appropriate place to install Laser Labels.

        5.      In the Program Manager File Menu, select New,
                then Program Item.

        6.      Type "Laser Labels" as the Program
                Description, and "LASERLBL.EXE" (proceeded by
                a path if you did not install Laser Labels in
                your Windows directory) in the Command Line
                field.

        7.      You should now see the Laser Labels icon (a
                3.5 inch disk) in your Program group.  To
                start Laser Labels, simply double click on
                this icon.


        Using Laser Labels

        You enter the Laser Labels program by either double clicking
        on the Laser Labels icon installed earlier, by selecting
        Run... from the Program Manager File menu and entering
        "LASERLBL", or by typing "WIN LASERLBL" from the DOS command
        line.  In the Unregistered version, you will be greeted by a
        Welcome screen that describes Laser Labels and prompts you
        to register your copy.  Click on the OK button to enter
        Laser Labels.  (Note:  This Welcome screen is removed from
        the Registered version of the program).

        The Laser Labels Screen

        The majority of Laser Labels work is done from the Main
        Screen shown below.  This screen consists of several
        sections, which are identified as follows:

        1       Menu Bar

                This area contains selections for About, which
                describes the program; Help, which provides information
                on the use of Laser Labels, and Quit, which can be used
                to exit the program.  In the Unregistered version of
                Laser Labels, and Order menu item also allows the
                printing of an order form for the Registered version.

        2       Label Type Selection

                This area is used to select the style of labels being
                used.  The radio buttons allow the selection of either
                Avery #5196 labels for 3-1/2" disks, or Avery #5197
                labels for 5-1/4" disks.  Selecting one of these
                choices causes the appropriate representation of the
                label sheet to appear in the Label Display area.

        3       Label Display

                This area shows a graphic representation of a sheet of
                the chosen label styles.  Clicking on one of the labels
                in this area selects it to be the target for the
                printing operation.

        4       Drive Select Box

                This control allows you to select the drive to be used
                for retrieval of filenames for disk directory labels.

        5       Files Display Box

                This box displays the filenames on the drive selected
                by the Drive Select Box.  These filenames (or as many
                as will fit) will be printed on the label unless there
                is text in the Label Text box.

       6       Get Files Button

                This button is used to "refresh" the Files display box
                when a disk is changed.  If you are using the same
                drive to retrieve filenames for directory labels, press
                this button after every disk change to read the new
                disk and display its files.

        7       Title Entry Field

                This field is used to enter a Disk Title to be
                displayed in the title block of the label.  A Disk
                Title can be used for either a text label or a
                directory label.  This label is "persistent"; that is,
                it will continue to be printed for every subsequent
                label until it is either changed or deleted.  The font
                size and style for this field can be chosen from the
                Printer Setup dialog box.

        8       Label Text Entry Field

                This is a multi-line text input area that is used for
                entry of custom text for a text label.  When any text
                is entered in this field, the Files display is
                suppressed and the label will contain only the text
                shown in this box.  When all text is deleted from this
                field, the Files display is enabled.  Laser Labels
                defaults to directory label mode unless any text is
                entered here.  This field is also "persistent"; that
                is, any text entered here will continue to be printed
                on subsequent labels until it is changed or deleted.

        9       Clear Label Text Button

                This button is used to delete all text from the Label
                Text entry field for either re-entry or to enable
                directory label printing.

        10      Printer Setup Button

                This button invokes the Printer Setup dialog box which
                is used for font size and style selection and the entry
                of X and Y offsets for alignment purposes.

        11      Send To Printer Button

                This button is used to print an individual label.  Once
                the information for the label is obtained, pressing
                Send to Printer will print only the label selected in
                the Label Display area.  When the label is printed, the
                selected label is replaced by a disk icon to represent
                a printed label.

        12      Print Button

                This button is used when all desired labels have been
                printed for a given sheet.  A full sheet does not have
                to be used prior to using this button.  Only the labels
                you wish to print need to have been sent to the
                printer.  Pressing this button causes the labels to be
                printed and the sheet ejected from the printer.

        Selecting A Label Type

        Laser Labels currently supports only Avery #5196 and #5197
        labels.  These labels are organized as either 3 rows of 3
        labels (#5196) or as 6 rows of 2 labels (#5197).  The Label
        Type Select radio buttons are used to choose which type of
        labels are to be printed.  When a selection is made, the
        Label Display are is updated to show a graphic
        representation of the appropriate label sheet, to allow you
        to visually pick the label you want to print.

        Selecting a Label

        To pick a label to be used for printing, simply click on the
        desired label with the mouse.  The label will be highlighted.
        You must select a label before you can print one; otherwise
        the program will give you an error message.

        Directory Labels

        Laser Labels defaults to Directory Label mode; that is,
        unless you specify otherwise, the label that is printed will
        be a list of the files on the selected disk drive as
        specified by the Drive Select box.  On entry, this box will
        display the "current drive".  Often, this will be the hard
        drive where Windows resides.  More than likely, you will
        want to print a label of the files on a given floppy disk.
        Therefore, you must select the drive to use with this
        control.  Pressing the drop-down button on the Drive Select
        box will present you with a list of the available disk
        drives for your system.

        When you select a drive, the disk in that drive will be read
        and its files listed in the Files Display box.  If no disk
        is in the drive when you select it, an error will be
        generated and displayed in a message box.

        Once the correct disk has been read, you may elect to have a
        Disk Title printed on the label with the filename list.
        This is done by entering the desired title in the Title
        field.  The maximum number of characters that can be
        displayed on the label depends on the font style and size
        selected for the Disk Title.  You may want to experiment
        with different fonts and styles by printing sample labels on
        plain paper to determine how many characters can be
        successfully printed in the Disk Title area.

        Text Labels

        Many times, you may want to print a label that contains not
        the filenames on the disk but rather custom text that you
        specify.  In this case, you type the text you want to print
        in the Label Text field.  Any text in this field
        automatically suppresses Directory Label mode and causes
        Laser Labels instead to print the custom text.

        The Label Text field automatically "word-wraps" lines that
        are longer than the width of the field.  Because the Label
        Text field uses screen fonts that may not accurately
        represent the actual printed font, you may find that it
        takes more than one line of Label Text on the screen to
        print correctly on one line of the printed label.  You can
        create a "hard line break" by pressing Return during text
        entry in this field.  This will cause a line break at this
        point on the printed label.

        Any text in the Disk Title field will be printed on the
        label; just as for a Directory Label.

        Printing a Single Label

        Once you have selected the disk and files for a Directory
        Label or specified the custom text for a Text Label, you can
        print the label.  This is done by pressing the Send To
        Printer button by clicking on it with the mouse.  When you
        do this, the information for this label is sent to the
        printer at the label position you have specified.  The
        completion of this process is signified by the replacement
        of the label position by a disk icon.

        At this point, you have printed a single label.  If that is
        all you with, simple press the Print button by clicking on
        it with the mouse.  This will cause only this label to be
        printed and the label sheet to be ejected from the printer.
        The balance of the sheet may then be stored with the rest of
        your labels for future printing.

        Printing Multiple Labels

        If you prefer to print multiple labels from a sheet, simply
        select the next label you want to print from the Label
        Display area, retrieve the directory files or enter the
        custom text, and press Send To Printer.  Repeat this process
        for as many labels as you desire or until the sheet is
        filled.  Then press the Print button to print out your
        labels and eject the label sheet.

        Printer Setup

        Pressing the Printer Setup button invokes the Printer Setup
        dialog box.  This form lets you select the font sizes and
        styles for the Disk Title and Label Text for your label.
        You may also specify an X (horizontal) and/or a Y (vertical)
        offset for your printer should you find the default settings
        do not locate correctly on your brand of printer.

        In the Registered version of Laser Labels, the Save As
        Defaults and Reset To Defaults buttons are activated.  These
        buttons allow you to save specific settings to an .INI file
        for automatic retrieval on program startup.  In the
        Unregistered version these settings must be reentered every
        time the program is run.

        Using Laser Labels with a Dot Matrix Printer

        Since Windows handles printing for all printers identically,
        it is feasible for Laser Labels to be used on dot matrix and
        other "graphics" style printers that have Windows 3.0
        printer drivers.  Windows manages the composing of the page
        in memory and then translates that image to the printer;
        whether it is a laser printer or any other type of graphics
        printer (note that this excludes such printers as daisy
        wheels or TTY style printers).

        Although use of dot matrix printers with Laser Labels is
        technically feasible, the practicality of this option is
        debatable.  Laser printers have a primary advantage in that
        their paper handling characteristics allow repeatable
        accurate paper alignment for single sheets.  Few dot matrix
        printers can match the precision that is required to
        automatically advance a single sheet of paper to the exact
        "top of form" position that would allow Laser Labels to
        print correctly on the Avery labels forms.  Thus, use of
        Laser Labels on dot matrix printers should be considered
        "experimental" at this time.

        Should you choose to try Laser Labels on your graphics
        printer, the following suggestions should help you get
        started:

        1.      It is expected that printers with an "Auto
                Sheet Feeder" option would be more suitable
                than one without.  These printers have a
                button or switch that advances a single sheet
                of paper to a fixed position in the printer.
                This may or may not be the correct position
                for use with Laser Labels and the Avery label
                forms, but it is possible that with the use
                of the X and Y offsets in the Setup Printer
                dialog box any differences might be
                correctable.

        2.      If your printer does not include and
                automatic paper positioning feature, you must
                manually insert the paper to a known
                position.  Usually there is some reference
                position that can be used for alignment
                purposes; whether it is a mark on the printer
                mechanism or just some recognizable position.
                (I have often used the top of the print head
                for this purpose).  Use of this manual
                positioning with the X and Y offset
                parameters might provide acceptable results.

        3.      Adjust your printer for "Medium" or "Heavy"
                paper thickness.  The Avery labels are a bit
                thicker than regular paper; and the ribbon
                might smudge the labels if used at the
                regular settings.

        4.      Use of a new ribbon is recommended for label
                printing.

        5.      Printing on a dot matrix printer will be very
                slow!  If you are printing a full page of
                labels, this could take several minutes.

        6.      You may want to experiment with font sizes
                and styles with the Printer Setup dialog box.
                Since many dot matrix printers have poorer
                resolution than laser printers (although some
                have better!), certain fonts and sizes may
                look better than others.

        7.      Do your testing on plain paper to determine
                the suitability of your printer before you
                try the expensive label stock.

        I would be interested in hearing about your success (or lack
        thereof) with using Laser Labels on a variety of printers.
        The Problem Reports form at the end of this document can be
        used to report your progress.  Also, the Registered version
        of Laser Labels includes the Visual Basic source code to the
        program; so that if you are willing to invest a bit of time
        in experimentation and modification of the code, you might
        achieve somewhat better result.  Just one more reason to
        encourage you to register!



        Laser Labels Site License

        Laser Labels is available under a very liberal Site License
        policy.  For a fixed fee based on the number of users within
        a given licensed entity (which may be a particular location
        or even an entire corporation), you may serve as your own
        distribution center for Laser Labels.

        Site Licensees are provided with are provided with one (1)
        Master Disk, one (1)    printed User Manual, a disk version
        of the User Manual in Microsoft Write format, and a Site
        License document for the stated number of users. Licensees
        are responsible for all copying and duplication of both
        program and documentation.


        Site License Pricing

            10 to 24 Users..................................... $ 75
            25 to 49 Users..................................... $150
            50 to 100 Users.................................... $250
            Unlimited License (over 100 users)................. $500




                 L A S E R   L A B E L S   O R D E R   F O R M

        REGISTERED VERSION PRICING

          Single User Registration.............................. $ 10 per copy

          Multi-User Site Licenses
            10 to 24 Users...................................... $ 75
            25 to 49 Users...................................... $150
            50 to 100 Users..................................... $250
            Unlimited License (over 100 users).................. $500

        ORDERING INFORMATION

        Mail this Order Form to............................. Dave Evers
                                                             1260 Park Place
                                                             Quincy, IL   62301
                                                             (217) 224-3615
                                                  Taxpayer ID: 530-52-3088

        Name..................................................................

        Company...............................................................

        Address...............................................................

        ......................................................................

        City............................ State.......... Zip..................


        _____ Single User License _____ copies at $10 per copy .... __________

        _____ Site Licence ______ Users ........................... __________
              (see pricing above)

        _____ Special Shipping: UPS Next Day and Federal Express
                                are available at $20 additional.... __________


        Disk size:  ___ 5-1/4" ___ 3-1/2"                   TOTAL_____________

        PAYMENT

        _____ Personal Check _____ Company Check _____ Company PO #___________
                                                 (established businesses only)

        Sorry, I cannot accept credit card orders at this time.

        Canadian users:  Payment must be made in US funds. Postal Money Orders
                         are best.
        International users:  Payments must be made in US funds drawn against
                              a US bank; or by Postal Money Orders.

        Problem Reports/Feature Suggestions

        Please use this form to describe any problems that you may
        encounter with Laser Labels, and also to suggest any
        features and enhancements that you would like to see
        incorporated into the program.

        Problem.....................................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        System Configuration: CPU Type............. Memory ....... K

                              Display.......... Resolution..........

                              Mode (Standard, Enhanced).............


        Feature Suggestions.........................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        ............................................................

        ============================================================

        Name........................................................

        Company.....................................................

        Address.....................................................

        ............................................................

        City......................... State........ Zip.............

        Phone Number................................................



        Mail to.........................................Dave Evers
                                                        1260 Park Place
                                                        Quincy, IL  62301


        Future Directions

        This version of Laser Labels is the first in what I hope is
        a long line of enhancements that will make this product a
        truly useful Windows utility.  Following is a list of
        planned additions to the product over future versions which
        should give you some idea of where Laser Labels is headed:

        1.      PCX Graphics and Icons on Labels

        2.      Support for reading Disk Size and Free Space
                available for Directory Labels.  Also support
                for reading and/or changing the Volume Label
                of the disk.

        3.      Support for file management of disks prior to
                label printing; such as copying, moving, and
                deleting files.

        4.      Interface with a disk cataloging program via
                Windows DDE so that both cataloging and
                labeling can be accomplished in one step.

        5.      Better support for non-laser printers;
                including support for pin-feed labels for dot
                matrix printers.

        6.      Auto-Serializing for disk sets such as
                backups and other multiple disk collections.

        7.      You tell me!!


        Let me thank you in advance for your support of Laser
        Labels. I sincerely hope you find this program of use.

         ----------------end-of-author's-documentation---------------

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