I have a library circulation system created in A4v6. It was created to run in DOS only, which means that it was designed to print from DOS on a wide carriage dot matrix printer we had at the time. I have since upgraded the computer from an IBM PS/1 to a Cyrix 5x86 (equivalent to a Pentium II) w/ 16mb of ram (the hard drive is 8 gig), and installed Windows 95. I have also installed a new printer, a LaserJet 5P. It prints on the LJ5P, but there are some columns of the report missing, and it uses the very small print font that comes with the LJ5P. I am interested in upgrading A4v6 to A5v4, but I want to know what kind of work will be involved in changing the print commands from the program in order to use windows printers. I did not write the program, a computer savy friend/programmer did the programming for it, and I have no idea what is involved in changing the print commands in the DOS version, or even if I have to change them. Can anyone advise me, or will I just have to wing it on my own?
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Printing differences from A4v6 to A5v4
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Ronald WaltersTags: None
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Daniel B. Murray
RE: Printing differences from A4v6 to A5v4
Ronald,
I don't know the complete answer to your question, but here's a start.
When converting from A4V6 to A5V4, the only thing that converts is the raw
data (.dbf file). All searches, queries, screens, reports, must be re-created.
All sets and applications must be redone.
That's the bad part. The good part is that because this is a windows
program, If there is a windows printer driver for your printer, you just
make sure that it's properly installed and don't have to mess with it.
WYSIWYG.
Dan
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RE: Printing differences from A4v6 to A5v4
Ronald,
If your A4 application works OK except for the printer issue, you can continue to use it in Win95. You didn't make it clear, but are you printing to letter size paper or to legal size? Legal size, of course, would allow for extra columns, but might involve the added expense of a tray for legal paper.
Another alternative might be to redesign your report (to be safe, a copy of your report) using A4's type-setting mode, which may allow a better font selection and enable you to cram your columns together so they print out on the paper size available. If you need help with printer configuration as well as memory configuration to run A4 in Win95, you might try searching the A4 message board.
Ultimately, you probably will want to switch to A5, but as Daniel points out, converting your application will involve some work.
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RE: Printing differences from A4v6 to A5v4
Ronald,
Did you, in A4, select the driver for your new printer. If not, there is no mystery to your printing problems. You're just using the wrong (old) driver. Probably the LJ5 driver will not appear in the A4 list but merely select the Laser Jet Series II driver and you'll be fine. A4 is not going to be sending out any fancy fonts or formats. My wife has a Series II and I have an HP6 and we sometimes switch so I speak from experience.
Regarding the move to A5, your problem will not be printing because, like all windows programs, A5 prints from windows. So you will set up your printer in windows and that will be that.
However.........., your application really will have to be rewritten for A5. The tables will carry over, but that's about it.
BillBill Hanigsberg
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RE: Printing differences from A4v6 to A5v4
If I read your message correctly, your reports are missing columns, presumably because your reports utilized all of the width available on the wide carriage printer you previously used. With the laser printer, even utilizing the smaller font, the paper doesn't have sufficient width to print the right-most columns. Is that a fair description?
It may be possible to continue using A4 and to alter the printer setup to switch the laser printer into landscape mode and maybe alter the number of lines per inch that print so that you would end up with a fairly decent reproduction of what you were getting from your old printer, only on a smaller scale. You'd need to know the printer codes that would do those things for you so you could try it out.
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