What is SmallPrint about? Can't I use other shareware such as Clickbook or Fineprint?
   

There are quite a few programs that can print many logical pages on one physical page but SmallPrint is unique in a number of ways. SmallPrint was primarily designed for scanned pages and to squeeze as many as legibly possible on each printed page.

If you want to print scanned documents (even handwritten) then SmallPrint is ideal. It can also use a 'print to bitmap' printer driver to work with all files (no need to print and scan). Details of how to obtain this free driver are given with registration. All printable files can be used with SmallPrint because the 'print to bitmap' driver effectively creates the image files that SmallPrint requires.

• It is also the only program available that truly saves space by removing excess space between lines of writing. This compression feature is called ultracondensation.

• SmallPrint can make the internal pages bolder so they are readable when printed so small. This is also a unique feature.

• SmallPrint is designed for newspaper style column format printing. Although it's possible to add borders, headers and footers for each of the internal pages, it is designed primarily so that the internal pages are continuous with no break apart from at the end of each column (internal pages are split when necessary). Other programs don't do this layout. It also has options for the more usual row format printing.

SmallPrint is the only software actually capable of printing more than about 30 pages on one side.

Although Clickbook claims to be able to print a huge amount in many of it's variable layouts, it tends to crash if anything very ambitious is attempted! The reason is that, even for grey-scale printing, the amount of memory needed is immense. It takes quite a bit of processing to arrange the pages and it simply isn't designed for so many 'internal' pages and it crashes due to the amount of data it is trying to organise. Clickbook is a great program but even for lower amounts of pages, it freezes up a lot quite unnecessarily by seemingly processing the preview too much.

Clickbook and Fineprint are good programs and you should check them out for your less extreme requirements. A google search should find them easily.

The example bitmap looks rubbish!

The internal pages were scanned at 100DPI. This is more than usually required (although 150DPI is slightly more versatile because you aren't limited to very small print to maintain quality). Some are slightly skewed or clipped which means that it doesn't look very good but it's not meant to be great. When printed, the text looks quite crisp and easy to read.

The columns don't all start at the very top of the page!
   

The formatting is probably confusing due to all the advanced options. Here, I shall try to explain a few of the confusing and  non-obvious points. Only read the following if you've tried SmallPrint already.

You may notice that the second column in example.bmp doesn't start at the very top of the page. This is due to the design of the column splitting. If ultracondensationtm (compression) was used, then this wouldn't be a problem.

You should compress the pages using at least low compression if you require all the columns to be flush at the top. If no compression is used, SmallPrint just cuts off the previous column at the appropriate point and then moves the rest to the next column. If compression is used, any empty white space is removed at the start of the new column. If this was also done when compression isn't used, then the number of printed pages required for the layout  may not be very accurately shown if a lot of white space is in the scans. When compression is selected, the white space is limited so it isn't a problem.

It isn't recommended that you use top or bottom internal borders if you use compression, because the internal borders are compressed too. You may still want to combine these options if you require headers and/or footers to separate the internal pages so you can see where each page starts and ends.

Another way to make sure each page is distinguishable is to place the internal pages in their own fixed space. To do this, don't use the compression and set the advanced options to 'fix the internal page size to the longest height'.

This option means that the internal pages are all within a fixed length, as you might normally expect with other such programs. SmallPrint assumes that the bitmaps are not exactly the same resolution and length. If they are, then the option doesn't make a difference because they are already fixed in height and width, making it easier to differentiate each separate internal page (if that's what you want). The option above just makes every bitmap take up the same length by fixing the space of all of them to be the same as the height of the longest (therefore none have to be reduced in resolution to fix the length of the internal pages). There is the option to stretch the bitmaps to fill this fixed length too.

With 'row' format printing this 'height fix' option is obviously mandatory (think about it). With the default 'column' format, the width (rather than length) is always fixed for the same reason.

Remember, internal borders don't prevent the internal pages from being split up in column format printing (a page can still be split at the end of one column and continue at start of the next). To prevent this, you must 'fix the height' of the internal pages in the advanced options menu and also set the external column length to be a multiple of this (using the 'in pages' box). You can also set the 'justification' of the internal pages within this fixed length (top, middle or bottom) or simply stretch the internal pages to fill the length (another option in the advanced menu). If your scans are cropped to the exact same size, then the height and width is effectively already fixed and these options have no effect. The (PS) in the 'pixels/ inch' box in SmallPrint means Page Size (the default SmallPrint 'printed size').

This uses the actual printable resolution currently set for your printer. Most printers can't print the full area of a page and the 'page size' is the fullest possible area. The information is take from the printer driver. If you want your external page to be proportional to the originals you must turn off all stretching for a start and also try to keep the 'pixels/inch' values equal so that X is as close to Y as possible.

I can't read the example.bmp I printed!
   

It is an extreme case but it is readable with a good inkjet or laser printer. Some people may require a magnifying glass though! If you are at all nearsighted then it is easy to read. Reading glasses can be used too and they have the benefit of also magnifying slightly. I have had no problems focussing close enough to read it with or without glasses but I'm -4.5 in each eye! It isn't so small that you have to get really close, but you need to get quite a bit closer than normal.

Isn't this small print bad for you vision?
   

Some people believe that you are likely to get more nearsighted if you read too much or do too much close work. It makes sense to look in the distance every now and then. If you use the eye muscles or focussing muscles a lot by reading too much or too closely, then it may make you more nearsighted but it isn't something that is widely accepted as fact. In the last eight years, my prescription hasn't changed.