Sap script (Application form) global print margins

[gabor_halmai]

Hi Abapers,

During my work with Application Form (and therefore with Sap Script), I would have a great problem.

The whole form was calibrated for a printer earlier (all the margins, etc.), but now, I have to change to form settings to another printer.

The problem is, the whole page is shifted by an about 2mm down. I can't use SPAD to corrigate this shift.

Is there any global method, setting to calibrate the whole form without to settings all the windows individually (there are a lot of windows, so I don't prefer to do so...)?

Thank you and regards,

Gabor

[gabor_halmai]

Hi Abapers,

During my work with Application Form (and therefore with Sap Script), I would have a great problem.

The whole form was calibrated for a printer earlier (all the margins, etc.), but now, I have to change to form settings to another printer.

The problem is, the whole page is shifted by an about 2mm down. I can't use SPAD to corrigate this shift.

Is there any global method, setting to calibrate the whole form without to settings all the windows individually (there are a lot of windows, so I don't prefer to do so...)?

Thank you and regards,

Gabor

[Private_Member_7726]

Hi Gabor,

I have not come around any "shortcuts" or utilities when it comes to manipulating layout of Smart/Sapscript Forms outside SAP tools... They are stored for the most part in binary cluster and one would have to go to the same API the Form Editors go to access/modify something - complicated stuff and usually the problem to solve is not worth the time investment.

Why can't the shift be set in SPAD for the new printer - is the adjustment in whole millimeters too coarse? Have you considered calibrating the (new) physical printer itself then? Or is the printer not new and printing other existing forms just fine? Moving things around in forms for printers or otherwise tying layout to specific printer can become vicious cycle fast... I'd even consider adjusting in the SAP Device Type before doing that in an existing Form.

Keeping one reference (étalon) printer with no SPAD adjustments, with stable physical printer setup, drivers, calibration, etc., on which all Form changes are tested, and calibrating in SPAD, on physical printer, in SAP Device Type (in that order of preference) for all other printers/needs is the way to go, in my experience. It's never too late to start doing that, even if you have to go through painstakingly adjusting and retesting some Forms to get to that standard printer now...

good luck,
Janis

[gabor_halmai]

Hi Janis,

Thanx for your mail, yes, the problem is that, I have one new form I made and I have to calibrate it to various types of existed printers in the company. So, if I calibrate manually the parts of the SAP-script form, on one printer it's okay, and on another printer it will be shifted by 1-2mm. Unfortunatelly I have to use the form with an offset paper and calibrate it to existed fields and gaps as well. Despite this it's very hard to calibrate the form to a lot of various types of printers. I can't use SPAD becase the older forms are well during the printing sessions. The SPAD settings are global, so I can't modify it's settings to another values.

We have at least 2 types of different printers (and more I don't know yet...) I have to calibrate this form on that.

Kyocera Ecosys 3920DN, HP LaserJet 1022.

There's no chance to utilize only one type of printer in every field of the company at this time.

Gabor

[Private_Member_7726]

Hi Gabor,

That sounds like something next to impossible to solve to me, if all you have to work with is your new form... Is there any old form, where offsets matter and which already prints fine on both printers? Maybe that form can give an idea how to approach the problem...

Janis

[gabor_halmai]

Hi Janis,

Yes, there is an older form, which was utilized up to this day as it couldn't give an error, because it was used only on type of printer.

The new requirements are to use one form with various types of printers in the company. As I mentioned before I believe that it's impossible in this way... other type of printers with various drivers and various shifting depends on that actual printer, so it sounds not so good...

Gabor

[Private_Member_7726]

Hi Gabor,

I can imagine only one clumsy and not entirely "clean" solution not involving recalibreating forms:

1) defining new Page Formats in addition to the ones used from SAP Standard (ZDIA4 , for example, in addition to DINA4);

2) defining new dummy (logical) Trays in Device Type - done by adding TRYxx Printcontrols in Device Type;

Here have defined the 5th tray, which does not physically exist; the control sequence for TRY05 will have to select some of the physical trays. I'm not sure, how many Trays can be definend for the device type...

3) Assigning Page Formats to Device in SPAD, and assigning them in your Sapscript Form:

4) Copy-pasting Format Actions in Device Type Formats from DINA4 to ZDIA4 and fiddling with them until correct shift is found... Depending on what is used in Device Type, you'd need at least rudimentary understanding of Postscript or PCL-5/6 ...

I'm not sure I have listed all the steps needed to incorporate your own Page Format in Device Type and Device... but I'm reasonably sure it's doable.

Redundant and "dummy" things have proven in my experience to be ultimately unsatisfactory and difficult to maintain solutions... I'd consider this only as interim solution if there is not enough time to recalibrate many forms...

Good luck man, and make a copies of Device Types if you embark on this path

Janis

[SuhaSaha]

During my work with Application Form (and therefore with Sap Script), I would have a great problem.

Hello Gabor,

Any reason you used SAPscript with Application form? I understand that you developed this form from scratch, if so why did you not attach the Application form to a SmartForm/Adobe form?

BR,

Suhas

[gabor_halmai]

Hi Suhas,

The answer is a little bit simple.

I would prefer to use advanced techniques (in this case as well) but my supervisor tell me what and how may I uitilize during my daily routine.

There's no chance to change for instance to Adobe Forms, despite of it would be more advanced compared to the old sap-script techniques because it would be a financial decision in the company and leading techniques like this would cost a high amount of money I think...

So I have to use like sap-script, unfortunatelly.

Gabor