Editing uiprint.txt File

Printing on UNIX with Oracle Reports 10-7 ■ TK_PRINTER PRINTER ■ TK_PRINTER ■ TK_PRINT_STATUS ■ REPORTS_NO_DUMMY_PRINTER ■ TK_HPD and ORACLE_HPD ■ TK_PPD and ORACLE_PPD ■ TK_TFM and ORACLE_TFM ■ TK_AFM and ORACLE_AFM

10.3.3 Print Property Dialog Boxes

On UNIX, Oracle Reports Builder provides several dialog boxes for printer-related operations.

10.3.3.1 Page Setup dialog box

The Page Setup dialog box enables you to specify how the printed page appears. The available options depend on the type of printer driver being used. The internal printer drivers use this dialog box to get all the information necessary, for example, scale, rotation, width, and height for formatting a page on a printer.

10.3.3.2 Print Job dialog box

Each print job has unique characteristics depending on the printer driver being used. The Print Job dialog box displays just prior to print job execution and prompts you for the print job information required to send the job to the printer.

10.4 Printer-Related Files

This section explains the different printing related files. It gives an overview of these files and also provides information for editing these files for common printing needs. ■ Overview of Files ■ PPD Files ■ HPD Files ■ Font Metrics Files ■ uifont.ali ■ uiprint.txt ■ Editing the Printer-Related Files

10.4.1 Overview of Files

Table 10–2 lists files used by Oracle Reports for printing on UNIX. See Also: Appendix B, Environment Variables for more information on the environment variables that can be set in Oracle Reports. 10-8 Publishing Reports to the Web with Oracle Reports Services

10.4.2 PPD Files

PostScript is Adobes page description programming language. PPD files define what capabilities a printer has for applications like Oracle Reports. For example, a PPD file might define which paper tray to use, what paper sizes are available, what is the physical dimension of the paper, and what font is available. Currently, Oracle Reports reads the paper sizes and fonts available on the printer as well as its default resolution from this file. In the future, more information may be used, such as memory for proper image partitioning. The only reason to modify the PPD file is to allow Oracle Reports to recognize newly added fonts or memory. You can also change the DefaultPageSize to your preferred page size. When you select a printer that is not listed in uiprint.txt or change the type of printer to a PostScript type in the Choose Printer dialog box, you are prompted for the PPD file for the printer. You must choose the PPD file for a printer that most closely resembles the printer being used. PPD file names typically bear some resemblance to the printer model name. In uiprint.txt, a PPD file must be specified for each printer. If an invalid PPD file is specified for the current printer for example, no PPD file is found or the PPD file format is wrong, Oracle Reports will use default.ppd for that printer. You should make default.ppd a copy of another PPD file that better reflects the most likely default, local printer. Oracle Reports includes a common set of PPD files, but sometimes you may need to get specific PPD files for your printers from the vendor. Table 10–3 shows some examples of PPD files that are shipped with Oracle Reports: Table 10–2 Printer-Related Files Overview File NameExtension Description .ppd PostScript Printer Definition file .hpd HP glue file .afm Adobe font metrics file .tfm PCL font metrics file uifont.ali font aliasing file uiprint.txt printer configuration file Note: Page sizes, like all PPD entries, are case sensitive. Other entries in the PPD file should generally be left undisturbed. Table 10–3 Common PPD Files Shipped with Oracle Reports PPD File Name Corresponding Printer appl230.ppd Apple LaserWriter v23.0 datap462.ppd Dataproducts LZR-2665 declps32.ppd Digital PrintServer 40 default.ppd Default Level 1 PostScript Printer hpljet41.ppd HP LaserJet 44M PostScript 600DPI Printing on UNIX with Oracle Reports 10-9 If you need a PPD file that is not among those shipped with Oracle Reports, you must do one of the following in order of preference: ■ Ask the printer vendor for the PPD file. ■ Download the PPD file from Adobes Web site. ■ Copy an existing PPD file and edit it. ■ Ask Adobe for the PPD specs and write the PPD file. The PostScript file only has the font information not the font metrics. Oracle Reports refers to the AFM file installed for the font metrics information. The font vendors provide these AFM files. Oracle Reports ships AFM files for some of the most commonly used fonts. The printer must have the required font installed in order to correctly print the PostScript file generated by Oracle Reports.

10.4.2.1 Local Customization of PPD files

A PPD file is a static representation of the features of a printer. It contains default factory settings. Once a printer is installed, features such as additional memory, paper trays, and fonts may be added to the device. The task of managing a device is a dynamic issue that requires keeping track of fonts downloaded to disk, error handlers, RAM-based fonts and procedure sets, default device setup, and so forth. This kind of device management is beyond the scope of PPD files. However, there are some provisions for customizing the information contained in PPD files to adapt them to local instances of printers or to specific applications when necessary. Instead of modifying the original PPD file, another approach would be having a new file having the local customization of certain parameters and refer to the primary file for the remaining information. The local customization file must contain a reference to the primary PPD file in this format: Include: filename where filename is the name of the primary PPD file. This referencing allows a system administrator to later replace the primary PPD file without forcing users to edit their local customization files. A file referenced by the Include keyword is treated as though it were in the including local customization file. For example, suppose that the default.ppd file is defined as: PPD-Adobe: 4.0 Include: datap462.ppd Page definitions DefaultPageSize: Letter ………………………… DefaultPageRegion: Letter lwntx470.ppd Apple LaserWriter II NTX nccps801.ppd NEC Colormate PS80 tkphzr33.ppd Tektronix Phaser III PXi v2011.108 l530_523.ppd Linotronic 530 screenprinter.ppd Default PPD file to be used when a printer is not available on UNIX. Table 10–3 Cont. Common PPD Files Shipped with Oracle Reports PPD File Name Corresponding Printer