Thanks Tim for your detailed response, I'm sure it will be very helpful - will print out - study - and try again over the next couple of days and report back
Regards Colin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Rude" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Dataperfect Users Discussion Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, 29 July 2007 15:11 Subject: Re: [Dataperf] DPSpool / Printer Configuration Question > Colin, > > I'm a little confused about what you're describing, so maybe a > generalized description of what the margin settings do and how this > affects DPSpool (and the Windows printer drivers) may help you. > > When your DP report has the print margins configured with the Bottom > Margin at zero (as the DPSpool documentation calls for), DP sends a > Form-Feed code when it's time for a new page. When you look at the > report in the DPSpool viewer, this code looks like a cross with a circle > at the top, also known as the 'Female' sign or the 'ankh' sign. Clicking > the mouse cursor over this character reveals it as <012>. > > When DPSpool encounters this code, it in turn sends a form feed to the > printer, telling it to eject the current page. For sheet fed printers, > this just spits out the current piece of paper. But for dot matrix > printers using continuous form paper, it tells the printer to advance > the paper to the next perforation (or to where the printer thinks the > next perforation is). This means that for a dot matrix printer, it's > crucial that the Windows driver knows exactly what size paper is loaded > into the printer so it knows how far it is between perforations. That's > why I had you create the custom paper size in the Windows Print Server > in an earlier message in this thread. Now you need to be sure to tell > DPSpool (by including the appropriate code in your report) to use this > custom paper size. You can use the Printer Information tool on DPSpool's > printer setup screen to determine what paper size number corresponds to > the custom paper size you created. > > With these settings in place, you should be able to print the entire job > correctly. > > Going back to the DP Report Margins setting, what happens if you ever > specify something other than zero for the Bottom Margin setting? Well, > in this case DP handles page ejects completely differently. Then it > never sends the form-feed code. Instead, it determines for itself what > the paper size is by adding together the Top Margin, Text Lines, and > Bottom Margin amounts. Then it keeps track of how many lines have been > printed on the paper so far, and when a page eject is needed it sends a > number of blank lines (hard returns) to advance the print head down to > the next page. For a dot matrix printer using continuous feed paper, > this might work if your math is correct and (most importantly) if you're > printing directly to the printer (not using DPSpool). But under Windows > and DPSpool, the pages are handled differently. Whether you're printing > on continuous feed paper (i.e. dot matrix) or sheet fed paper (i.e. > laser or inkjet), the Windows printer driver controls what goes to the > paper, and which page it goes to. > > When the Windows printer driver receives more text than will fit on the > current page, it essentially discards anything outside of that specific > page's printable area. It doesn't start a new page until it specifically > receives the Form Feed command. If (because of your setting the Bottom > Margin to something other than zero) your DP report is trying to control > the pagination by hard returns rather than using the form feed code, the > printer driver never realizes that you want to start printing on a > second (or third, or fourth, etc.) page. It says, "I'm still working on > page one so I'm ignoring all of this stuff that stretches on past the > bottom of page one's printable area." It makes sense, and it makes the > drivers behave the same regardless of what type of printer or paper > you're using. > > That's why the DPSpool instructions tell you to always set the Bottom > Margin setting to zero, so DP uses the official Form-Feed code method of > page ejection, rather than faking it with hard returns. Then the printer > driver knows when to start a new page and nothing should get lost into > the ether. :) > > Hopefully this explanation will give you a better understanding of what > you need to do to get your reports working properly with DPSpool. > > Tim Rude > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Colin Roberts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Dataperfect Users Discussion Group" <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 8:28 PM > Subject: Re: [Dataperf] DPSpool / Printer Configuration Question > > > > Sorry Tim, Just re-read my email and I got it completely around the > wrong > > way. All I said in previous email stands except the item 7 bottom > margin > > details is reversed in the two scenarios. > > So.... it prints the whole form without page breaks when the bottom > margin > > is set to zero (and that's how it looks in the viewer) and only prints > the > > 1st page when BM is set to 3 but the output looks ok in DPspool print > viewer > > before its released) > > > > Regards > > > > Colin > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Colin Roberts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Dataperf mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf > > > > _______________________________________________ > Dataperf mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf _______________________________________________ Dataperf mailing list [email protected] http://lists.dataperfect.nl/mailman/listinfo/dataperf
