Global settings of an overlay

 

The global settings of the overlay depends on the type of file set in which the overlay is placed. These are the settings for file sets used for PCL printers and PDF output:

 

 

The data entered on this page describes how the spool file to be merged with this overlay should be manipulated. The attributes (number of lines per inch, font etc.) of the spool entry will be overwritten by these settings.

 

Overlay text:

For your own information

 

Old/New behaviour:

How to handle rotation.

 

Line spacing:        

Is dissolved in n/240 inch. For example 6 lines per inch corresponds to 40/240 inch. You may have been expecting to have to specify line spacing in number of lines per inch. We have chosen this method to give you a higher degree of freedom of choice. This setting can be overwritten by Extended Formatting. By stating *INPUT the value is set according to the attribute of the spool entry.

 

Rotation:        

Informs the system how the contents of the input spool entry should be rotated on the paper. You may specify 000, 090, 180 or 270 degrees  (counter clockwise). The values 180 and 270 can only be used in connection with IBM3812/16. In connection with other printer types these values will be perceived as 000. By stating *INPUT the value is set according to the attribute of the spool entry. The attributes *COR and *AUTO is also inspected.

 

Please note, that you can only rotate the complete design with this value, if you have activated the New behaviour setting on the overlay. If the New behaviour option is disabled, then the rotation will not rotate any element inside the overlay.

 

Extra Left Margin:

Number of character the print should be offset from the left margin. Extra positions defined here will be included in Extended Formatting

 

Max Print pos:        

Maximum Print Position should normally be set to 240. However, in case the spool entry, intended for merging with the overlay, contains unwanted characters to the right, the number of print positions to be truncated can be specified here.

Extra blank lines:

Extra blank lines inserted before line one of the spool entry. This value can be suppressed by Extended Formatting.

 

Font:

This font will be the global font for the entire spool entry unless otherwise specified by Extended Formatting or the overlay definitions Remap Window and Tabulator. By stating *INPUT the value is set according to the attribute of the spooled file.  With *NONE the spooled file will not be included in the output - only the contents, that are remapped or tabulated.

F4=Prompt        Gives a list of available fonts. The standard IBM 3812 font ID’s is predefined. Other fonts can be defined, and they will then be available here.

 

F20=Log

The date of the last change (or update) of the overlay is shown on the top of the screen. Press F20 to display previous change dates.

 

 

 

Extended page def:        

When stating Y in this field you can override the global settings of Line Spacing, Extra blank lines on top and Font. Formatting is done for intervals of lines and is especially convenient if large areas of text should be re-mapped or if you want to format the spool data into columns.

 

Drawer:        

Depends on the printer type. Valid values are:

*INPUT

The drawer specified in the spool entry

*PRINTER

Sets the PCL drawer to 1.

1-255

Printer specific paper source

Name

Paper type (prompt with F4 to list valid types)

The values 1-255 is inserted in the HP PCL command Esc&l#H. For details about how to select drawer by use of paper type (which is recommended) refer to this section.

 

Paper Size:        

Is only visible if you have allowed individual paper sizes for the overlays. If you specify 0 in Paper Size the default value from the administration menu option 2. Configure InterForm 400  will be used for this overlay. You can also specify the custom page size, X. If you do, you will be prompted for the actual size:

 

 

 

This custom paper size is especially relevant if you want to print onto label printers via the WinPrint module. Notice, that the size is measured in inches and pels, so e.g. 1.120 is one and a half inch (as 240 pels equals 1 inch).

 

Pages per side (Multi-up):

Blank or 1 indicates no multi-up functionality. When 2 or more are indicated, the overlay definitions Tabulator and Remap Window  will be able to handle the total number of lines set for the Multi-up.

 

E.g. a spool page has 66 lines and multi-up is set to include 2 spool pages on one laser printed page. A Tabulator will then be able to handle line 1-132 (2 x 66), resulting in both spool pages will have the same tabulator. The same applies for the Remap Window. The spool pages included in the multi-up function could also be formatted in separate ways. I.e. removing of headers and footers of the additional pages included in multi-up print.

 

Copy Management:

Stating N in this field, will enable you to define advanced pagination within the overlay for use with spool entries consisting of different types of contents.

Stating Y will enable you to create several copies of each page. Also design elements can be dedicated to specific copies. This is for instance used when making copies of Invoices where the overlay for the copy should have basically the same elements as the original but should be characterized by the text “COPY” printed across.

 

 

Duplex options

These options are only visible if you have selected duplex print for the actual file-set. If the field Duplex print is filled in with N, only the front of the paper is used. The duplex options are covered in full here.

 

Duplex print:

If you answer S or L in the Duplex print field, both sides of the paper is used, including the answer you have given about the duplex margin being at the long or short edge of the paper. When filling in S or L for Duplex print together with N for Copy Management the Page Control on the Design Overlay screen will be extended to include selection for restricting overlay to odd or even pages (See Page control).

 

WARNING: Combining Duplex with spooled file data on both back and front (i.e. without a back page overlay) with copy management is not supported. If you try the result is not what you might expect..

 

Forced front page:

Controls if the overlay for which the Duplex function has been selected, always should be printed on a front page, when a overlay selector is used. By stating *YES, you will avoid that an intended first page is printed on the duplex side of the previous page.

 

Duplex margin:

This value in the field states the width of the binding margin in n/240 inch.

 

Back page overlay:

This field can be left blank meaning that you want to use the same overlay on both sides of each sheet. If the field is filled in with an overlay name, only the front pages will be used for print and the back pages will contain the back page overlay without any spool data.

It is however, possible to put variable data on both sides of the sheet with different overlays, by leaving this field blank, and using sub-overlays. A simple “main” overlay should be made, that contains two sub-overlays calls only. In the two If..then lines in the main overlay, the field “number of lines to remap”, will indicate the lines the sub-overlay should process. All formatting must be handled by the sequence lines in the sub-overlays.

                         

Entering *VAR in this field will bring up a screen, where the conditions for selecting the overlay must be stated. Note that *VAR can only be used with Code for placement=B (or blank):

 

 

 

Prefix

The first part of the back page overlay name. The overlay which is called by this function consists of this prefix plus the character string found by Line number and Position. For instance if the prefix is INV, and Line Number and Position finds the string 001, the back page overlay should be named INV001.

The Prefix must consists of minimum 1 character, which can not be a number. The Prefix plus the string found with Line Number and Position can not exceed a total of 10 characters.

 

Line Number:

The print line in the spool entry defining the last part of the back page overlay name.

 

Position:

The column interval containing the last part of the overlay name.

 

It is also possible to state *CPYMNG, as the back page overlay when using duplex output. That is for use together with Copy management. If used you are afterwards prompted for the back page overlay for each of the copies, that have been specified for Copy management. Please note, that you must use back page overlays, when you combine duplex and copy management. You define it like so:

 

 

 

With these settings you will be prompted for the back page overlay for each copy defined in copy management:

 

 

Code for Placement:        

The possibility of placing the back page overlay on the front of the physical printed page is a unique feature of the system, which overcomes a common problem for duplex printing on pre-printed forms. Normally a HP printer will print the back page of a duplex print first in order to have it faced down in the output tray. This means pre-printed forms has to be turned upside-down in the input paper tray depending on the print being simplex or duplex. When stating F (front) as code for placement you will not have to do this, as the system will reverse the order before printing.

 

Special considerations for label overlays should be considered.

 

TIP: An easy way of making “short bind” duplex, is to define the front page overlay as normal, but rotate the back page overlay 180 degrees.

 

WARNING: Do not combine duplex with spooled file data on both front and back (without a fixed back page overlay) and copy management. If you combine the two the result is not what you might expect...