Vertical Ruler and Preprinted Forms
Printed From: Crystal Reports Book
Category: Crystal Reports 9 through 2022
Forum Name: Report Design
Forum Discription: The best way to design a report and problems you have encountered
URL: http://www.crystalreportsbook.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6414
Printed Date: 02 Apr 2025 at 3:13pm
Topic: Vertical Ruler and Preprinted Forms
Posted By: DilbertIsMyHero
Subject: Vertical Ruler and Preprinted Forms
Date Posted: 20 May 2009 at 10:14am
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I am creating a Bill of Lading in CR2008 which must be printed on a preprinted form on a dot matrix printer.
There are boxes which have to have information in them. I can measure on the form from the top and left where the data needs to go, but when looking at Crystal, it is hard to tell how the vertical ruler works.
In the Report Header, I have a 1 showing, then there is another 1 in the Page Header, another 1 in the Details.
How can you accurately measure from the top edge of the page down using the vertical ruler? Am I making this too complicated?
Thanks,
Gilley Estes
Welton USA ------------- Gilley Ann Estes Senior Technical Writer Welton USA |
Replies:
Posted By: DBlank
Date Posted: 20 May 2009 at 11:17am
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That is a difficult question. YOu would have to use preview to see this ruler.
This is because depending on how you set up your report items move up and down on the page either due to setting items to "can grow" or the total number of groups and/or detail rows.
If you have more than one detail row that appears the footer will shift accordingly.
Does this make sense?
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Posted By: lockwelle
Date Posted: 21 May 2009 at 6:32am
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I would think that for a bill of lading most of the items that would be in boxes in a preprinted form would not grow as they are probably short terms, and they are usually at the top.
You could keep adding up the numbers for the different sections as you go down, but the 'easier' way is probably trial and error using the ruler as a rough guide. Might end up killing alot of trees to get the perfect fit. To save some, you might try holding the form up to the screen WYSIWYG.
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Posted By: DilbertIsMyHero
Date Posted: 21 May 2009 at 7:03am
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I am trying to be too 'technical' I guess. Trying to avoid all that 'trial and error' stuff.
Someone else suggested using a lines per inch approach. I am thinking about doing this for the initial layout then 'tweeking' as needed to make everything line up perfectly.
That is another problem for me. I am too particular and picky about printed lines lining up perfectly with the preprinted words. I may have to let go a bit on this form
 Thanks again everyone.
Gilley ------------- Gilley Ann Estes Senior Technical Writer Welton USA |
Posted By: DBlank
Date Posted: 21 May 2009 at 7:18am
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You can also use the x-y placement of any field if you know what it is suppose to be on your printed form.
Right click on a field and select the "Size and Position" option and you can manage this from there.
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Posted By: lockwelle
Date Posted: 21 May 2009 at 7:26am
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you won't be perfect...if the form is not set correctly (it is dot matrix and the setting can vary and even a 1/32 of inch will drive you crazy, but can't be helped) then nothing will align with the printed word. If it was laser, I would say print everything from Crystal...but that isn't the case.
The position is not exact either, as you enter one number and Crystal shifts by a bit when you hit enter...I don't know, maybe it is trying to align it to a grid...either way it is not exact either.
No matter how you do it, the 'tweeking' is the trial and error part. You can get close, but I've seen how operators load the printers...they get close, real close, but there is no guarantee that they will be dead on 100% of the time.
Good luck...don't worry too much about vertical alignment, you will get close and all of your text will align with each other...the horizontal should be dead on though.
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