Dot Matrix printing

rbuser

Sorry if this has been covered before but how well does RB handle printing
to Dot Matrix printers?

Currently I am using a combination of RB for my Laser type reports and
ReportPrinter Pro (from Nevrona) for my Invoicing/Delivery notes on Dot
Matrix. When I originally wrote the reports some 3 years ago I had endless
problems getting them to work but ReportPrinter did the job. Note that i'm
using the coding option not the Report Writer (RAVE) to write the reports! I
much prefer RB for creating my standard reports but am not sure how well it
will cope with the Dot Matrix type ones.

I could really do without the unnecessary overhead of having to reporting
engines within the application and would prefer to have just RB.

Any Comments?

regards

campbell

digitalmetaphors

Dot matrix printers are natively line and character based. Most dot
matrix printers can emulate graphical (i.e. pixel based) printing, but
there is additional overhead which degrades printing speed.

Some options for maximizing performance:

1. Use native printer fonts.

Each dot matrix printer normally has some built-in fonts. You can choose
these fonts when using the ReportBuilder Report Designer. Choose File |
PageSetup and select the dot matrix printer (or optionally use the
object inspector to set Report.Printersetup.PrinterName). The fonts
displayed in Report Designer's font drop down list located on the format
toolbar will display the printer native fonts (indicated by a special
printer icon next to the font name).

2. Vertically position and size objects in 1/6 inch increments.

A standard dot matrix printer can print 66 lines per 11 inch portrait
page. This translates to a line height of 1/6 inch. Therefore the height
of each band should be a multiple of 1/6 as should the size of the
margins, the vertical position of each object etc.

3. Keep the layout simple, avoid using graphics of any kind.

Alternatives to using the dot matrix printer driver:

1. Use the generic text printer driver.

When using the generic text printer you will need to use the courier or
courier new font and apply the layout techniques described above.

2. Use ReportBuilder's ReportTextFile device output format.

This ReportTextFile device can exports the report to a .txt file which
you can then send to the printer. Demo dm0107.pas in the main reports
demo app shows an example of printing a report to a .txt file and
previewing the results.



Cheers,

Jim Bennett
Digital Metaphors