Herbert Miller wrote:

> I have been re-reading the discussion in the Digest late last year
> about the problems associated with modern day methods of printing
> words on rolls.  Such problems seem to revolve around maintaining
> accuracy with a computer printer over the length of the roll, as
> well as speed of printing.
>
> But I don't understand how one goes about getting the words in the
> correct position in the first place.  Is there software available that
> allows you to have the rolls up on your screen while you edit words?

Early on with Bam-Bam Music Rolls, I tried to put words on the rolls.
Basically, I would enter the lyrics at the appropriate spot in the MIDI
file.  When you create the roll, a Basic program converts from MIDI ticks
to perforator steps.

I had a second program that converted from MIDI ticks to inches on the
roll and created a file showing at this vertical position from the end of
the roll, you needed to print a particular lyric.  My old dot matrix
printer had a 11.5" paper path and could take software commands to
advance by 1/120ths of an inch.  After unwinding the roll by hand, I
would line the end of the final note up with the print head and print
the lyrics.

As previously reported, the results were disappointing:  It took way to
long to be practical, and the dry wax paper slipped, such that after 25
feet of roll, the words had moved by about 3 inches, effectively moving
them out of site in the spool box.

I could have made some changes in the program to predict the slippage,
but I wasn't ready to spend an average of 15 minutes to unwind the roll,
print the equivalent of 20 pages of paper, and then re-spool the roll.
After you've seen the machine at QRS print the words for an entire roll
in 12 seconds, you get spoiled.

If you are more patient than I, it certainly could be done this way.
George Fawkes of Oleoacre Farms did produce at least one release with
words printed on his dot matrix printer.

Bill Jelen
Akron, Ohio

 [ When one would ask Mr. Fawkes, "Why did you name your farm
 [ 'Oleo Acres',"  he would reply, "Because it's a cheap spread!"
 [  -- Robbie