a Slightly difference print out result from two dot matrix printer

rbuser

Hi guys.

Iam use LX 300 to develop and test my report. As soon as I finish it ...
I have made a test on FX 1170 and the result was not good. in LX 300
everything were measure accurately. But on FX 1170 my report where
slightly misplace.

Can somebody give me a guide?


james

nicocizik

Hi James,

Printing to dot matrix is very difficult because ReportBuilder make
measurements in device pixels and microns, where dot matrix printers measure
in lines of text and character position. To make things even more
difficult, each dot matrix printer can be slightly different in their
measurements. See the article below for more information.

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Article: Printing to Dot Matrix Printers
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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.

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