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Dot Matrix : D6.02 RB10.04

edited October 2006 in General
Hi

Anyone got any tips on using dot matrix printers.

One of our application documents will come out on a DOT Matrix printer and
we are getting the creep of the document up the page.

Anyone had experience with these printers? Do I need to send form feeds or
something?

regards
Andrew Wood

Comments

  • edited October 2006
    Hi Andrew,

    Below is an article that gives some tips on printing to a dot-matrix
    printer.

    -----------------------------------------------
    Article: Printing to Dot Matrix Printers
    -----------------------------------------------

    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.

    Tip: When designing the report, use the PrinterSetup property to specify a
    printer that contains 600 dpi. Then set Report.Units to PrinterPixels. Now
    100 pixes = 1/6 of inch when specifying the positions of objects in the
    layout.


    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.

    --
    Regards,

    Nico Cizik
    Digital Metaphors
    http://www.digital-metaphors.com

    Best Regards,

    Nico Cizik
    Digital Metaphors
    http://www.digital-metaphors.com
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