Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

[TedHolt]

I am stumped & I hope someone can help.

I have an RPG program that produces an AFP printer file. I used Word to create two overlay documents, one for each of two printer file records, leaving 1/2 inch margin at the top & bottom & 3/4 inch margin on the sides. The Word documents print perfectly to the little Kyocera Ecosys FS-1320D printer that sits near my desk.

I used the two Word documents to create overlays on the i. I print to the same Kyocera, running in an emulator session. The print comes out fine except for one thing: the margins are wrong. (Top = 11/16, bottom = 5/16, left = 13/16, right = 9/16. Measurements are not exact, but read to the nearest 16th of an inch.)

I've never run into this before, and I would appreciate any help anyone can give me.

Ted Holt

[Scott Klement]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Hiya Ted, nice to see you here.

I've had a lot of problems with overlay positioning on IBM i, and I don't really understand the cause of the problems, but I've found that depending on which printer I send to, I sometimes get different results.

What I try to do is make my overlay so that it's as close to the upper-left corner as possible, and then use the "Offset down" and "Offset across" parameters to position the overlay to the right spot on the page. (these are found on the overlay DDS keyword, and also on the FRONTOVL and BACKOVL parms to OVRPRTF/CRTPRTF).

Since different printers yield different result, I used variables for the offset down/across parameters, and I had a list of printers in a PF with different down/across settings for each. This way, I could tweak the positioning so that it fit properly on each printer that we had.

Not as elegant as I wanted it to be, of course... but it worked.

[TedHolt]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Nothing's simple, is it, Scott? At least, not when it comes to printing.

That sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a whirl.

At my last job, I didn't have time to participate in web fora. Too much paperwork, too many meetings, etc. I'll try not to be a stranger.

[tomliotta]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Hey, Ted! Long time, no... well, never mind.

Any chance you can show the DDS? Also, when you say the "Word documents print perfectly", what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that your Page Setup in Word has specified the margins, or...? (And what version of Word and Windows OS is used?)

Tom

[TedHolt]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Any chance you can show the DDS?

A          R FRONT                                           
A                                      OVERLAY(FRT 0.0 0.0)  
                                                                  
A            AFIRST        16A         POSITION(1.3   0.69)       
A                                      FONT(416 (*POINTSIZE 28.0))
A                                      HIGHLIGHT                  
 ... etc ...
A          R BACK                                          
A                                      OVERLAY(BCK 0.0 0.0)
                                                                
A            ABARB          6A  O      POSITION( 2.25  1.825)   
A                                      BARCODE(CODE3OF9 +       
A                                              3 +              
A                                              *HRZ +           
A                                              *HRITOP +        
A                                              *NOAST +         
A                                              (*WIDTH .015) +  
A                                              (*RATIO 3))      
 ... etc ...

when you say the "Word documents print perfectly", what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that your Page Setup in Word has specified the margins, or...?

I set the margins in Word. Half an inch at top & bottom, three quarters on each side.

what version of Word and Windows OS is used?

I'm working on an old machine. Word 2010, Windows XP Professional, SP 3

[NYCountryGal]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Ted --

Depending on the version of the Word software you are using and the version of the software on the ibm i that could be causing your problem. When we upgraded from V5R4 to V6R1 and after many hours of frustration I finally called IBM for them to tell me that after switching to V6R1 - I needed to create my overlays from Word in a different manner because V6R1 wouldn't recognize them in the same fashion - and yes we were having a problem with the margins and the alignment.

I'm writing myself a note to get back to this later -- have to leave for doctor appointment. If you can't wait -- call IBM -- there are settings in Word when you print to the AFP600 printer that you have to change.

Roxann

[TedHolt]

Re: Margins are wrong on APFDS printer file

Thanks for the info, Roxann. I am using the AFP300 printer, since that's what's been used in this shop before.

I have it working fine at present, using Scott's suggestion to use program fields for the offsets. The fire is out for now. Thanks to everybody for their help.

I will follow up on the information from IBM.