.IF DSK1.C3

 .CE 2

     *IMPACT/99*

     by Jack Sughrue

     

     BANNERMAKING	

 
 .IF DSK1.C2

    

     

     Before I begin discussing
 
BETTER BANNERS I must offer an
 apology or two to my non-99er
 friends:  Yes, there is nothing equal
 to 
PRINT SHOP for our computer.*  I
 went out on a limb describing how
 much better off I am to have 
GRAPHX,
 TIARTIST, CSGD, BETTER BANNERS,
 FUNLPLUS!, FONTWRITER, and lesser
 graphic/text programs than those poor
 slobs with Apples, Commodores, IBMs.
 I'm not.  They have 
PRINT SHOP and
 I don't.  
PRINT SHOP by Broderbund
 does everything.  And does it
 wonderfully easy.  And lets you DO
 anything you want.  Quickly,
 efficiently, 
joyfully!

     I only hope that with GENEVE (or
 whatever it is called these days) the
 TI community will finally get
 something as good as (or even almost
 as good as) 
PRINT SHOP.  It and its
 companions deserve to be exactly what
 they are: the most popular utilities
 EVER for home (and now office and
 school) computers.

     Having said all that (with a tear
 or two in my eye for having admitted
 that in ONE area, at least, the Apple
 or Commodore may be better than TI),
 I am hoping, still, that after
 ASGARD's 
COMPANIONS, Chris
 Faherty's 
ARTIST stuff, Dave Rose's
 
CSGD programs, and Peter Hoddie's
 wonderful 
FONTWRITER our world will
 begin to open to us.

     Now 
BETTER BANNERS and 
BANNER
 GRAPHICS. Even as a distinct banner
 program it does not equal that
 miniscule portion of 
PRINT SHOP.
 However, it IS the best banner
 program for the TI, providing you
 make some immediate and large
 modifications.

     Because of TICOMP's massive and
 ridiculous protection scheme, 
BETTER
 BANNERS is initially a chore, rather
 than the reasonably good banner
 program it could be. 

     To get enough different
 graphics it really pays to buy both
 
BETTER BANNERS and 
BETTER
 GRAPHICS.  BB comes with Set 1.  BG
 includes Sets 1, 2, 3, and 4.  Though
 graphics come in two sizes (the small
 size graphics are horribly deformed
 but you wouldn't be apt to use those
 on banners anyway), there is only one
 font style no matter which set you
 use.

     Like all good printer software,
 BB lets you establish your printer
 setup and permanently (or
 temporarily, which is an advantage,
 as you will see) onto your disk.

     I have a Gemini 10X.  Code #35
 remains undefined in this program,
 fortunately, so I change it to 239
 (the solid block) to make it work
 well.  It does, but I also try 173
 (the empty diamond), 175 (the empty
 block), 230 (the double solid block),
 and so on to see what the new designs
 will look like.  Some are better
 suited to certain graphics and some
 make the single font provided look
 different (so does removing the
 default for line spacing).  Thus, I
 was glad the program failed to
 redifine graphics on the Gemini.  It
 gave me lots of flexibility.

     Because I am irresistibly drawn
 into making changes on programs to
 see what will happen, I am taking a
 big risk with BB.  For example, all
 the printer changes must be made
 without the write-protect tab on the
 disk, obviously.

     But you are told often and in no
 uncertain terms not to attempt to
 make a backup as this will "RESULT IN
 THE LOSS OF DATA AND VOID YOUR
 WARRANTY" even though only one disk
 comes with your $20 cost.

     This is one of those programs (as
 many graphics programs have to be)
 that requires getting into and out
 of the disk often.  This one is more
 dangerous and considerably more
 annoying than most because you
 
MUST transfer your graphics sets
 onto the BB disk WHICH DESTROYS THE
 SET ON THE BB DISK!  (Believe it or
 not!)  So you must first be certain
 you have a working data disk.  BUT
 WITH THIS PROGRAM THERE IS NO SUCH
 THING!  (Again, believe it or not!)
 [I told you this was a
 protection-crazy program.] Graphics
 data may only be saved on the BB or
 BG disks themselves.  Each time you
 make a new design you may save it
 only by replacing an existing design
 in the set on the BB disk.  This
 means you should print out the
 lengthy code of the design you are
 replacing and save it on paper for
 future use.  Then you must destroy
 ANOTHER design to retype this coding
 back in.  Very, very cumbersome.

     Although I can't suggest you do
 anything that might destroy your disk
 or void your warranty, I know what I
 would do if I wanted a pretty good
 banner program for the TI.  I'd buy
 both disks and some odd-colored blank
 disks (like yellow Sentinel or Fuji).

     I'd put the protect tab on BB
 and, using TRACKCOPY, make four
 copies of BB.  (Flippying the disks
 will mean only two blanks are
 required.)  Then I'd put the codes I
 want on each one.  It takes less than
 a minute.  Then I'd load up 
BANNER
 GRAPHICS and transfer Sets 2, 3, and
 4 to three of these BB copies.  Set 1
 is already on all copies to start
 with.  As you transfer each set of 15
 graphics to a copy of BB, the set on
 BB will be eliminated.  The process
 takes about an hour and a half!  But
 it's worth it.  Otherwise, I can only
 use the set presently on the untabbed
 BB or take the half hour EACH TIME I
 USE THE PROGRAM FOR EACH DIFFERENT
 GRAPHIC FROM A DIFFERENT SET.  (To
 put five different graphics onto one
 or five banners would take a minimum
 of two-and-a-half hours, even though
 the graphics print out in a few
 seconds.)

     However, with copies I can
 interchange even from different sets
 by reloading (40 seconds) from inside
 the menu, I have a program with
 excellent features and, for the most
 part, reasonably good graphics.  

     I would then put my original BB
 and BG disks safely away in case of
 future problems or warranty
 replacements .  Then I can fiddle
 with the backup disks to my heart's
 content without fear of expensive
 losses.

     Once I have safely transferred my
 graphics sets, I can now explore the
 BB potential.  I put 239 for the
 ASCII prompt.  Then I put 27, 65, 7,
 27, 69 for line spacing (tight) and
 dark print (emphasized).  Then I put
 PIO for my printer.

     It then gives me a menu.  I
 Select large graphics.  Small are
 awful! I am given a list and choose
 number (say 2 for Heart) of graphic.
 I may then write a lengthy banner
 message putting a SHIFT/2 wherever
 you'd like the graphic(s) to appear.
 This is a really nice feature (and
 one that 
PRINT SHOP doesn't have
 yet for the banner part of their
 program; nor does it have the speed
 of printout that BB does).

     I think if I were marketing BB
 and BG, I'd recall them all from
 dealers and put out BB #1 with Set #1
 and Font #1.  Then I'd put out Set #2
 with BB #2 AND Font #2 (another
 
different font).  The same with 3
 and 4 and, hopefully, 5 and so on.
 Each time a new set is developed with
 a new font, then a new disk can be
 made.  Each could sell for $7.95
 (about the cost of BB and BG right
 now for all four sets).  It would be
 in a considerably more convenient
 format, and there would be no need
 for the ridiculous protection that
 presently prevents the BEST features
 of BB from being accessed.

     I'd also write some documentation
 which would include a page of reduced
 illustrations of each graphic.  This
 graphic program comes with NO
 illustrations and NO catalog of the
 sets.  The ONLY way to find out what
 is on the disks is to print out all
 60 illustrations (about 5 hours), as
 there is no screen showing.  Samples
 and listings are essential to the
 continued marketing success of this
 product.

     The documentation is poor (is
 almost not existent beyond protection
 warnings).  This article explains
 both BB and BG better than anything
 that comes with the programs.

     For those of you who already have
 the free banner programs that come
 with 
FUNLPLUS! or the Boston
 Computer Society PD disks, you may
 still want BB and BG.   
BETTER
 BANNERS is different from these.
 The first offers multiple sizes and
 fonts and an easy (though limited)
 graphics maker, the second vertical
 banners.  BB compliments, rather than
 competes with, these programs.

     In spite of the overall
 negativism which seems to pervade
 this article, I would recommend the
 programs based on the understanding
 that modifications really are
 necessary to make them efficient,
 practical, and fun.

                                     

     *NOTE BY AUTHOR - In the months
 and months that have gone by since
 this article was first appeared in a
 few newsletters, nothing has changed
 with BETTER BANNERS.  But a lot has
 changed within our artist software.
 BB is no longer even a good buy in
 its present form.  There are so many
 incredible banner programs on the
 market that accept CSGD or TIARTIST
 or GRAPHX pix and fonts (as well as
 such wonderful programs as Rodger
 Merritt's PICTURE IT, MAX-RLE,
 PICASSO v2, and so many more) that BB
 is no longer in the running.  But our
 TI is drawing ever closer to that
 PRINT SHOP friendliness.

     

     [Jack Sughrue, Box 459,
 E.Douglas, MA 01516]

     

     

     If any newsletter editor prints
 thse articles, please put me on your
 mailing list.  Thanks - Jack

     

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