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Duplex PDF Printing Help

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    Duplex PDF Printing Help

    Hi All

    I have a report that needs to be double sided. My problem is that the front side of the report is portrait and the back side of the report is in landscape. I tried doing this all in one report utilizing a sub-report but there is no way that I can see in the properties to change the orientation of the subreport (to be different from the main report). So, I made 2 reports and printed them off to pdf files and then used "pdf append" to bring them together which works great. However the client is wanting the report to come out with no user interaction and I cannot figure out how to do that once I have my file in the combined PDF. I can print the pdf straight away using the sys_print() function but I cannot tell the printer to print in duplex using this method so it comes out on 2 pages. I have messed with the printer override settings but they only appear to work when printing an acutal Alpha report and not a pdf.

    Does anyone have any ideas or have a better method I might try to employ?

    Regards,

    Jeff

    #2
    Re: Duplex PDF Printing Help

    The Alpha layouts are using stored printer commands that are sent with the printout at the same time which you unfortunately don't have the ability to do with the sys_print() command. We used to use a silly trick in the old days (DOS batch files) of setting up the printer codes that we needed in a small text file that would adjust the printer commands to what we needed - in your case setting up the duplex options. Then before printing a document, we would DOS copy the files together, with the command file first, then everything would print out correctly. So if you can find out what the commands are for the printer you are using, then you could do this. I personally haven't been doing this for a long time as I use a utility called FinePrint that allows me to create my own printer drivers with all the options set the way I want them. Then it is just a matter of sending the document to that printer driver and it sends the documents to the printer with all the options you need. This utility is also something that is used everyday for previewing documents and manually making adjustments on the fly before sending it to the printer. Worth your looking at in any case. However, if you can find the printer codes for the printer you are using you can use the first method I outlined.

    Edit: Almost forgot, you have to reset the commands after the print out by appending another printer code file on the end of the job.

    Edit2: Just read another thread where someone was having problems with the PDF driver in v10 and watermarks. But the code that Bob showed for doing his job looked like it might be something else you could look at. Didn't have the time to check it out carefully, but it shows him setting up printer codes before printing out his PDF's. Some variant might work here as well.
    http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...ad.php?t=82769
    Last edited by Doug Page; 11-06-2009, 01:44 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Duplex PDF Printing Help

      Hi Doug,

      MANY TAHNKS for the tip about Fineprint! I have been using PDF Factory Pro from those folks for years and I have several customers using it also...but I had never looked into the FinePrint software. I did not know you could create your own "new printer" using their driver like that...that is VERY slick. Anyhow, I have it working using Fineprint. Thank you very much.

      I will alternatively look at the info in the link you provided as well.

      Thanks again....

      Jeff

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Duplex PDF Printing Help

        Glad it worked for you. I have loved FinePrint for many years. Saved thousands of pages on printouts as we routinely use it here for quickly doing 2 up and 4 up printing, altering margins for increased viewing and adding gutters if we want copies of centered layouts to be put into a binder. The creation of your own printer drivers is a feature that many don't see when they buy it but does it ever make doing specialized printing so easy for an end user. For instance, you can easily set up a printer to print 3 copies for invoices but then it becomes dedicated to just that job. Create a new driver for your invoices that is set to 3 copies and then you can still do regular printing on the same machine. And we're only just starting to touch the tip of the iceberg.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Duplex PDF Printing Help

          The creation of your own printer drivers is a feature that many don't see when they buy it....
          Boy you are so right, it would not have been readily apparent to me unless you had pointed it out. But it sure works awesome..huge flexibility in there.

          Thank you again....I can think of some neat uses for this in the future as well now.

          Regards,

          Jeff

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