NoOp wrote:
...
I reckon that someone should file a bug. Search in the bug database
shows some issues back in 2003, but nothing recent that I can find.
A search of Writer issues with 'label page size' in the summary gave
these (and a few other similar ones):
Avery Letter Size 5160 Label Results in Wrong Page Dimensions
http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=96856
Incorrect page size for A4 Avery labels.
http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=91587
Label documents don't support page sizes
http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=53718
However, I don't think this is exactly a bug--as in an error that needs
to be corrected--as much as it is something that needs a new design.
The problem is that the 'synchronize contents' function is based on
making each label after the first a /section/ that links back to the
first label. This means you get the sync function for free: it's exactly
the same as Tools > Update > Links, but it also means that every label
on the page has to be absolutely identical, and without using any other
layout elements, e.g. tables, or even line breaks. The whole page is
just a string of identical labels; you can think of them as a line of
text, with each label being one character. They break into rows the same
way a long paragraph breaks into lines: because of the page margins.
The text for each label is contained in a frame. The gaps between the
columns of labels are created by setting the "wrap" properties of the
frame. If the label layout calls for 0.5" between the columns, then the
wrap property is set to require a space on the right of the frame of
0.5". The space between rows is the same: it's the wrap/bottom spacing.
Fine so far, but what about the last column of labels? They don't need
the extra spacing--the page break makes it unnecessary--but they still
have it because every label has to be identical. Nothing will ever print
in that space, it's guaranteed to be empty, but the page has to be wide
enough to allow the label, and the space, to fit within the page margins.
So, OOo just calculates a page size that allows the necessary number of
labels, each with it's spacing, to fit across the page. If the total
width of the labels is 8.55", and the page size is set to "Letter", the
line-breaking algorithm finds that it won't fit. But we know better: the
last column includes 0.13" of guaranteed-empty space, so the actual
content will not overflow an 8.50" piece of paper. The simplest solution
is to just make the page width wide enough to allow the labels, with the
extra space, to fit.
This all works very well for a relatively simple design: it makes it
easy to create a page layout on the fly from the label layout
parameters, and avoids needing a full template document for hundreds of
label types.
However, the design also causes problems because of the custom page
sizes, and the strange page layout makes it confusing and difficult for
users to tweak. And, if there are printers (or software) that refuse to
ignore the custom paper size, then I'd say that's a killer for this design.
I have no better solution to propose; maybe the Format > Page > Columns
workaround could somehow be used to avoid the need for custom page sizes.
I've made my own table-layout labels, but having to sync them by
cut/paste is a nuisance. I'm sure that could be automated easily, but
needing a separate template document for each label type would be a
bigger problem. Maybe the templates could be downloaded--most people
won't need more than a few.
<Joe
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