Files: 7f59fc06d2300c374b6d0ee81788ce84dd588c69 / README
2768 bytesRaw
1 | FreeCheck v0.21 August 12, 2000 |
2 | Eric Sandeen, <eric_sandeen@bigfoot.com> |
3 | |
4 | ----------------------------------------------- |
5 | | READ THE "WARNING" FILE BEFORE YOU PROCEED! | |
6 | ----------------------------------------------- |
7 | |
8 | WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS? |
9 | ----------------------- |
10 | MIPS/VersaCheck ticked me off with their (IMHO) shoddy check-printing |
11 | application, and their dismal customer service. So here you go. |
12 | |
13 | REQUIREMENTS |
14 | ------------ |
15 | The first thing that you MUST have to be able to use FreeCheck is a |
16 | good Type 1 MICR font. I have created one, called "GnuMICR" that I think |
17 | is pretty excellent - but it has not been tested. :) There are also |
18 | commercial fonts you can buy, if that floats your boat. See |
19 | www.bizfonts.com, for example. |
20 | |
21 | You must also have either a PostScript printer, or a recent version |
22 | of GhostScript. FreeCheck generates the check as a PostScript file. |
23 | |
24 | Technically, you must also use MICR toner. At a minimum, use a real |
25 | laster printer. |
26 | |
27 | Also, you should use security blank check stock, not just plain |
28 | paper. |
29 | |
30 | CONFIGURATION |
31 | ------------- |
32 | Edit the file freecheck.cfg to add your account information, and define |
33 | any new check blanks or styles you want. Take a look at the [Global] |
34 | section, too, to set things up for your system. |
35 | |
36 | USAGE |
37 | ----- |
38 | FreeCheck just prints a PostScript file to STDOUT. That means that you |
39 | must either redirect it to a file, a printer, or a viewer (ggv accepts |
40 | a file on STDIN - I don't think gv does). |
41 | |
42 | So, to print (assuming a PostScript printer, or GhostView filter): |
43 | freecheck.pl <options> | lpr |
44 | |
45 | To view: |
46 | freecheck.pl <options> | ggv |
47 | |
48 | To save a file: |
49 | freecheck.pl <options> > mycheckfile.ps |
50 | |
51 | OPTIONS |
52 | ------- |
53 | freecheck doesn't require any options, unless you want it to do something |
54 | useful. By itself, it will print a couple sheets of standard checks |
55 | with a dummy account. |
56 | |
57 | Type "freecheck --help" to see what options are available |
58 | |
59 | For now, if you get tired of typing all those command line options, just |
60 | edit the defaults at the top of the main script. |
61 | |
62 | HOW DOES IT WORK? |
63 | ----------------- |
64 | FreeCheck is a Frankenstein-like combination of PostScript and Perl, |
65 | at this point. The guts of the check layout are in PostScript, which |
66 | is embedded at the end of the Perl script. This PostScript depends on |
67 | lots of variable definitions to decide what it should actually print. |
68 | That's where the Perl comes in - reading a config file, and generating |
69 | lots of lines of the type |
70 | /foo {bar} def |
71 | which define what's shown on the page. |
72 | |
73 | The file "example_check.ps" is a fairly well commented example of the |
74 | PostScript that is output by freecheck. If you want to add something |
75 | to the layout, it may be easier to work with that file, get it going, |
76 | and then add the changes to the perl script. And send them to me, |
77 | of course! :-) |
78 | |
79 |
Built with git-ssb-web