WILL MY PRINTER WORK WITH SENSIBLE
CINEMA BOX OFFICE PRO
OR SENSIBLE CINEMA BOX OFFICE LITE?
Sensible
Cinema Box Office Pro and Box Office Lite are MS-DOS character based
applications that will run under Windows Operating Systems or MS-DOS.
With Windows applications, Windows TrueType® Fonts are used to
create characters for both your screen and the printed page to enable
a WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) approach in which your
printed output approximates what you see on your monitor screen. With
DOS applications such as Sensible Cinema Box Office Pro, you see
Raster characters on your screen which have no corresponding printer
fonts. In order for you to print from MS-DOS applications, your printer
must have at least one "Resident Font" or built-in print
character set that will be used when printing your page.
Since the release of Windows 95, the public has embraced Windows and the WYSIWYG architecture of its applications, yet many, nearly 60% of vertical market business applications are still character based MS-DOS programs. This is because speed, the cost of software and the cost of upgrading systems to support Windows is high and has drawbacks operationally as well for business. Home users have nearly 100% converted to Windows applications, because the cost of the software is much lower, there is usually only one or two computers and the use is rarely "mission critical."
When purchasing a desktop printer for business applications such as Sensible Cinema Box Office Pro, you must keep in mind that your printer must be compatible with it, yet provide functionality for the other DOS and Windows applications you will be using. If you need color printing, you will probably prefer an inkjet printer. If you need real economy and print quality is not a real issue, a dot-matrix printer is fine. If you want good quality output and black and white is suitable, a laser printer is your best bet for business use.
Printers must state compatibility with MS-DOS 3.1 or Higher on the box. This means the printer supports printing of DOS documents via an internal "resident" font or the Windows driver for the printer supports conversion of true-type fonts to the printed output from a DOS application. This is primarily an issue with Inkjet printers only. Laser Printers and Dot-Matrix printers rarely rely exclusively on Windows for printing from DOS applications. As of this writing, Hewlett Packard has a few models which support MS-DOS printing. Generally Lexmark, Epson, Compaq and others are dropping support on their retail store models because they are primarily purchased for home use. Removal of internal fonts is a cost saving measure.
If you want certain compatibility with DOS, fast printer output and good quality, consider purchasing a laser printer rather than an inkjet for your business. Be sure to read the list of supported operating systems before you purchase.
If you need assistance finding a suitable printer, send us an e-mail for a list of currently available models and links to sites where they may be purchased online.