Some commercial programs perform what is called a screen dump, where whatever is on the screen is sent to the printer and reproduced on paper. If you have a program for a screen dump or software that per- forms this function, all you really need to know about dot graphic mode is how to use the software. If you want to learn more about program- ming graphics in graphic mode or understand how the MPS 1000 han- dles graphics, please read on. Figure 6-1. Software-generated graphic picture Dot Patterns Your MPS 1000 forms pictures the same way that pictures in newspa- pers are printed. If you look closely at pictures in newspapers, you can see they are made up of tiny dots.
The MPS 1000 also forms images with patterns of dots, as many as 120 dot positions per inch horizontally and 72 per inch vertically. This is even greater resolution than that of standard newspaper photographs. Careful planning and placement of dots and creation of a program that gives the proper instructions to the printer will enable your MPS 1000 to produce just about any shape or tmage. The Print Head For each column on a print line, the print head produces the pattern of dots you have specified. In Commodore mode, the cop seven pins on the print head are used for graphic printing.
This pin configuration might make it a little difficult for you to design your own screen dump, but other Commodore printers, such as the VIC 1515/1525 and MPS 801 and MPS 803, have this same seven vertical-dot image so many commercial software programs exist featuring high-resolution graphic screen dumps. If you want to design your own screen dump programs, 74