HP Eurosoft soft fonts | Return to main euro page | Home page
These instructions explain how to install and use Hewlett Packard's EuroSign soft fonts with the LaserJet printer drivers found elsewhere on this site. You should only use these instructions if your printer does not suppor the euro symbol in its hardware and you do not want to use one of the other solutions for printing the euro symbol that may be found on this site's euro page.
Use these instructions only after you have read the section on "Euro soft fonts for use with WordPerfect for DOS" on the euro page.
First, create a directory named c:\pclfonts in which you will store the HP euro soft fonts, or confirm that this directory already exists. If you already have a directory in which you store PCL soft fonts, use that directory instead. Remember the name of this directory. You will need it when setting up your printer driver. If you already have such a directory, you can identify it as follows: in WPDOS 5.1, press Shift-F7/Select/Edit, and see if a directory is listed under Path for Downloadable Soft Fonts and Printer Command Files. In WPDOS 6.x, press Shift-F7/Select/Edit and see if a directory is listed under Directory for Soft Fonts.
If you use a LaserJet III or later (including any HP-compatible model that uses the PCL5 printer language, and therefore supports scalable soft fonts), you can use HP scalable euro fonts. Download the fonts from HP's euro font download page, using the link near the top of the page that reads "EuroSign Fonts" (you do not want the "EuroSign Fonts for DOS" at the foot of the page). Unpack the fonts by running the downloaded lj426.exe file; when prompted, tell the Windows-based unpacking program to install the fonts in the directory c:\pclfonts or whichever directory you use for storing downloadable soft fonts. If you have a LaserJet II or other PCL4-compatible printer, use the same download page, but use the link near the foot of the page that reads "EuroSign Fonts for DOS". Copy the lj433.exe to c:\pclfonts and run the program; the fonts will be unpacked into the directory.
Now select one of this site's drivers for your printer. In WPDOS 5.1, with older printer models, use "HP LJ Basic with Euro Soft Fonts", or, if you have any of these printers, HP LaserJet 6L, HP LaserJet 6MP (PCL), HP LaserJet 6P, HP LaserJet 1100, or HP LaserJet 4000 series (PCL). In WPDOS 6.x, with older printer models, use "HP LJ Basic w/Euro Soft Fonts,", or HP LaserJet 1100, HP LaserJet 4000 (PCL) (or other 4000 series PCL models), HP LaserJet 5000 series (PCL), or HP LaserJet 8000 series (PCL).
After installing the driver, you need to tell WordPerfect which soft fonts you want to use, and the directory where they are installed. Use the instructions in the following paragraphs:
In WPDOS 5.1, at the Select Printer: Edit screen (to reach this screen from the main window, press Shift-F7/Select/Edit), choose Cartridges/Fonts/Print Wheels; highlight Soft Fonts, and press Enter; highlight the group of soft fonts that you installed (either HP EuroSign Bitmap Fonts or HP EuroSign Scalable Fonts), and press Enter; place a plus sign (+) next to all the fonts on the list (do not place a star next to the fonts, only a plus sign); press F7 until you are back at the Select Printer: Edit screen. Under Path for Downloadable Soft Fonts and Printer Command Files, enter c:\pclfonts (or whichever directory you use for storing PCL fonts). Press F7 until you are back at the main window.
In WPDOS 6.x, at the Edit Printer Setup screen (to reach this screen from the main window, press Shift-F7/Select/Edit), choose Font Setup; choose Select Cartridges/Fonts/Print Wheels...; highlight Soft Fonts, and press Enter; highlight the group of soft fonts you installed (either HP EuroSign Bitmap Fonts or HP EuroSign Scalable Fonts), and press Enter; place a plus sign (+) next to all the fonts on the list (do not place a star next to the fonts, only a plus sign); if the Directory for Soft Fonts menu appears, enter c:\pclfonts (or whichever directory you use for storing PCL fonts); press F7 until you are back at the Edit Printer Setup screen; make sure that the Directory for Soft Fonts reads c:\pclfonts (or whichever directory you use for storing PCL fonts). Press F7 until you are back at the main window.
You may now print the euro character by choosing WP character 4,72. WPDOS will automatically download the euro soft font in order to print the character. You may use the Shift-F1/Keyboard option to assign character 4,72 to a key, such as Alt-E or Alt-4.