Terminals and Printers Handbook 1983-84

Production Notes

Producing an online version of this book took long enough that I had to make notes about decisions I had taken so that I could ensure consistency from one chapter to the next. They are reproduced here so I don’t lose them, rather than in the hope that they are fun to read!

Original Book Format

The original book size is 133mm × 202mm (5¼″ × 8″). All chapters begin on a recto page, with a full-page black and white photograph on the verso page of that spread. The glossary and appendices don’t have photographs.

Scanning

All photographs are scanned at 150dpi and descreened at 120lpi. Because the photographs are large, I’ve resampled them down to a width of 200 pixels for placement on the main page of each chapter. That thumbnail is then linked to a full-size version of the photograph.

The line drawings are scanned at 150dpi with some density thresholding to stop show-through of text from the other side (because the paper is very thin). There is an upper threshold as well to blacken thin lines in the diagram. Density numbers on my Agfa Snapscan 310 range from 0.050 to 2.000. I scanned the line drawings with a low setting of 0.200 and a high setting of 0.605.

The diagrams in Appendix J have been recreated using Paint Shop Pro.

Online Format

Because the diagrams and photographs have been scanned at 150 dpi, this online version has a natural minimum width of 600 pixels without sideways scrolling. Some of the diagrams were originally in landscape format, so they are wider. However, the text itself has not been squeezed into tables to effect some simulation of the original layout, so it should fit any width screen.

Chasing the Copyright

I have contacted Digital several times to try to get information about copyrights on old terminal and printer documentation. I used the Email Directory at www.digital.com to find a contact point. The closest matches I could find were the Software Licensing and Printers divisions. There is no Terminals division any more. Software Licensing replied to tell me that the terminals business had been sold to Boundless Technologies (who make the VT500 Series terminals).

Boundless told me that they did not purchase the copyrights to old terminal information. They also told me that the printers business was sold to Genicom.

I phoned Digital UK and was told much the same thing -- the terminals and printers businesses were sold off. They could direct me to some companies who might be able to sell me documentation, but not to anyone who owned the copyright.

I returned to Digital’s Email Directory and emailed postmaster@digital.com to get the address of the Educational Services Department, who seemed to be responsible for producing documentation. I have had no response to my email of 17 October 1998.

I’ve decided to take the hint the no one is interested in the legal status of these kinds of books and manuals any more, so I’ve published it anyway.