Softest Interface

ZX Computing

THAT'S HANDY, TANDY Softest have introduced an interface linking either the Spectrum or ZX81 with the Tandy for colour printer plotter, CGP-115. Priced at £35.00, the interface includes connectors, leads, software on cassette and instructions. The Tandy semi-intelligent printer both prints and plots under program control using four pen colours, red, green, blue and black, giving a good print quality. A wide range of print sizes are available under program control with the added facility of overprinting in different colours. In addition to printing text at 12 characters per second, the printer can also be used for graphic material having an effective plotting range of 96mm on the x-axis divided into 480 steps with no limit on the y-axis. The Softest hardware/software interface comes as a complete package designed to cope with the 'handshake' protocols between micro and the printer, with a set of machine code device drivers to control the movement of the pens. High level packages which are supplied allow listing of BASIC programs between line numbers and use of printer control codes. With this package, you could, for instance, print text, plans, drawings, pcb layouts, graphic presentations, charts and oversize lettering. The screen copy package allows the screen data to be copied onto the printer. More information on this interface package is obtainable from Softest, [redacted].

Sinclair User

PRINTING IN COLOUR Softest has produced an interface to allow you to use the Tandy four-colour printer plotter. Although the Tandy has RS232 and Centronics inputs, an interface box and software arc required to use the printer. Softest provides them in a package costing £35. The printer can be used to LIST programs from the Spectrum using a machine code routine and the three-part program also allows you to draw graphs and print characters in a 40- or 80- column width. Plain paper is used 4in. wide and the four-colour bailpoints in the unit are black, red, blue and green. The paper can also be moved up and down under software control. For more details contact Softest, [redacted].