Print Registry entry

Specify multimedia print layouts.

Images attached to a record in EMu can be printed in a number of formats. In addition to a default print format, the System Administrator can configure different image print formats, allowing users or groups to select the print format that meets their requirements.

Each print format specifies the:

  • Size that the image will be printed according to the paper size selected.
  • Image layout (alignment, margin space and text placement) according to the paper size selected.
  • Text to be printed together with the image.
  • Format of text to be printed, e.g. size, appearance, language.

Each of these can be configured separately for a given paper size. Thus it is possible to have one layout used for A4, and another for A3. A default layout may also be specified for print requests where a given paper size is not specifically supported.

It is possible to define print overlays on a user or group basis for all modules or for a particular module. For example, it is possible to restrict who can print certified copies of an image to a particular group or even a user.

Usage

This Registry entry can be assigned to users and groups:

Key User User Group Group Group Group
Key 1 User User Group Group Group Group
Key 2 user user group group Default Default
Key 3 Table Table Table Table Table Table
Key 4 table Default table Default table Default
Key 5 Multimedia
Key 6 Print
Key 7 menucommand
Key 8 papersize
Value layout
User user Table table Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout
User user Table Default Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout
Group group Table table Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout
Group group Table Default Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout
Group Default Table table Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout
Group Default Table Default Multimedia Print menucommand papersize layout

where:

menucommand

builds the Print submenu under the Multimedia menu for modules that support multimedia. The Print menu is only available when the current multimedia document is an image. The default Print submenu consists of a single entry: Image:

This default command is used to print the image without any overlays. The image is scaled down if it is larger than the paper size, otherwise it is printed at its original size.

Extra print options are added to the menu by defining Print Registry entries. The text added to the menu is specified by the menucommand part of the Registry entry.

The text may be specified as multi-lingual by adding the language separator (as defined by the Delimiter Registry entry) between different language components. The order of the languages is defined by the (languages) Supported Registry entry. The text added to the Print menu is based on the prompt language selected by the user.

Consider the following Registry entry (where ;:; is the language delimiter):

Group Default Table emultimedia Multimedia Print Certified;:;certifié A4 ...

In English the Print options would display as:

Print

In French the Print options would display as:

Print

Note that menucommand strings that would result in an empty menu command are not displayed. This allows language specific entries to be added by setting an empty language component for Registry entries that are not required for that language. For example the Registry entries:

Group Default Table emultimedia Multimedia Print Certified ...
Group Default Table emultimedia Multimedia Print ;:;certifié ...

will result in the first Registry entry being used when English prompts are displayed. The second entry is only used when French prompts are shown. If the second entry is omitted, the Certified print command is only available for English prompts.

A menucommand of Default may be used to override the Image... menu's built-in setting:

Group Default Table emultimedia Multimedia Print Default ...

Hence it is possible to alter the way default printing should be performed.

There is no limit to the number of menucommand entries that may be added to the Print submenu.

papersize

specifies a paper size. The papersize entry is used to tie a particular layout to a particular paper size. For example, it may be desirable to print an image in a certain way on A4 paper, and differently on A3 paper.

The papersize component of the Registry entry consists of a comma separated list of paper sizes for which the current entry applies. The supported paper sizes are:

Label Paper size
A4 A4 sheet, 210 x 297 mm
A3 A3 sheet, 297 x 420 mm
A5 A5 sheet, 148 x 210 mm
B4 B4 sheet, 250 x 354 mm
B5 B5 sheet, 182 x 257 mm
Quarto Quarto, 215 x 275 mm
Label Paper size
Letter Letter, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
Legal Legal, 8 1/2 x 14 inches
CSheet C Sheet, 17 x 22 inches
DSheet D Sheet, 22 x 34 inches
ESheet E Sheet, 34 x 44 inches
Tabloid Tabloid, 11 x 17 inches
Ledger Ledger, 17 x 11 inches
Statement Statement, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
Executive Executive, 7 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches
Folio Folio, 8 1/2 x 13 inches

Note: The special paper size All may also be used to indicate that the Registry entry applies for all paper sizes where an explicit entry is not defined.

Support for custom paper sizes is also available. To specify a custom paper size the papersize entry is of the form:

widthxheight

where:

width

is the page width in mm.

height

is the page height in mm.

For example a papersize entry of:

A4,160x100

specifies that the Registry entry applies for A4 paper and for paper with a width of 160 mm and a height of 100 mm.

If a user selects a paper size that is not supported by a Registry entry, a message will display after the Print box has been dismissed indicating that the selected paper is not supported.

It is also possible to set an overlay for a specific orientation of the paper. The paper size may be appended with -Portrait or -Landscape to provide orientation specific settings. For example:

Group Default Table emultimedia Multimedia Print Certified (Landscape) A4-Landscape layout

will only apply to landscape printing on an A4 page.

If the user selects a paper size of A3, CSheet, DSheet or ESheet, layout1 will be used; layout2 will be used for all other paper sizes selected:

Key Setting
Key 1 Group
Key 2 Default
Key 3 Table
Key 4 emultimedia
Key 5 Multimedia
Key 6 Print
Key 7 Certified (Large)
Key 8 A3,CSheet,DSheet,ESheet
Value layout1
Key Setting
Key 1 Group
Key 2 Default
Key 3 Table
Key 4 emultimedia
Key 5 Multimedia
Key 6 Print
Key 7 Certified (Large)
Key 8 All
Value layout2
layout

specifies the layout used for printing images as a series of overlays. An overlay details how an image or piece of text is to be displayed on a page. There are two types of overlay supported:

An image overlay entry describes how an image is to be presented on the page. A number of settings are possible which provide control over the size, orientation and positioning of the image. The format of an image overlay entry is:

image:file:left:top:right:bottom:zoom:scale:transparent:rotation:alignment

where:

Property Description

image

indicates that the entry corresponds to an image overlay.

file

is the name of the file to be printed. The file is retrieved from the images directory on the EMu server. If the file entry is left empty, the current multimedia image is used.

left
top
right
bottom

is the offset to the edge of the image from the left, top, right and bottom sides of the page respectively. The value can be expressed in either centimetres or inches. If the measurement type is not specified, centimetres is assumed. If a value is not specified, a default of 0 is assumed.

For example a value of 2cm:3.0:2.25in:: indicates that the image's margins are 2 centimetres on the left, 3.0 centimetres on the top, 2 1/4 inches on the right and zero on the bottom.

zoom

indicates whether the image should be zoomed (true) to fill the available page space as defined by the above margins. An empty value or a setting of false will not zoom the image, thus printing it as its original size. Note that images are always panned if they are larger than the defined print area.

scale

indicates that images which are panned or zoomed should have their aspect ratio maintained (true). A false value causes images to be resized to fill all the available print area, which may lead to image distortion.

transparent

specifies whether the image is to transparently overlay any objects already processed (true). An empty or false value results in the image blocking out the defined printing area (opaque image). The transparent colour is defined by the bottom left pixel of the image.

rotation

takes values of 0, 90, 180, 270 and auto. Numeric values represent the number of degrees to rotate the image before printing. A value of auto indicates that the image will be printed with a 0 or 90 degree rotation, depending on which rotation uses the most of the defined print area. If a rotation is not specified, 0 is assumed.

alignment

specifies left, top, right and bottom to define to which boundaries of the print area the image will be tied. The alignment consists of a comma separated list of values. For example a setting of top,right indicates that the image is tied to the top right hand corner of the print area. If one dimension (either horizontal or vertical) is not defined, the image is centred in that dimension.

For example, an overlay entry of:

image::3:3:3:3:false:true:false:0:top,left

will result in the image being printed in the top left of the page with a 3 cm margin around the paper edge. The image will not be resized (unless it will not fit on the page, in which case it will be scaled):

A text overlay defines text that is to be drawn on the page. The text is converted to an image and then added to the print page in the same way as any other image. As such, many of the properties are the same as for an image overlay. The format of a text overlay entry is:

text:text:format:left:top:right:bottom:zoom:scale:transparent:rotation:alignment

where:

Property Description

text

indicates that the entry corresponds to a text overlay.

text

is the string that is to be printed. Variables may be embedded in the string and are expanded before printing. Variables are of the form ${variable}. If the string contains a ":" it must be represented by its octal string "\072". A new line is represented by "\r\n".

A text overlay string may have variables embedded in it. A variable is in the form ${name} where name specifies the variable to use. A number of predefined variables are available:

Variable Description

${date-format}

The current date printed using the specified format. The format string can be any valid Windows date format specifier.

${time-format}

The current time printed using the specified format. The format string can be any valid Windows time format specifier.

For example a string centred at the top of the page displaying the current date would look like:

...|text:Date Printed\072${date-dd/MM/yyyy}::0:0:0:0:false: false:false:0:top

format

is a list of formatting properties. The current properties are restricted to font values.

A comma separated list of format specifiers may be used to set font characteristics. The allowed characteristics are:

Format Description

font name

Selects the font to be used to print the text string. If not set, the default font for the printer will be used.

bold
underline
italics

Indicates whether bold, underline or italics (or any combination) should be used to print the text string.

xxpt

Selects the font point size to use for the string, where xx defines the size. For example a value of 12pt indicates that a twelve point font should be used.

For example, the following Registry entry could be used to print a copyright footer in Arial 12pt bold font at the bottom of the page on the left hand side:

...|text:© KE Software -2003:Arial,bold,12pt:0:0:0:0:false: false:false:0:bottom,left

left

top

right

bottom

As for image overlays.

zoom

As for image overlays.

scale

As for image overlays.

transparent

As for image overlays.

rotation

As for image overlays.

alignment

As for image overlays.

The layout part of the Print Registry entry consists of:

...|overlay1;overlay2;...

where:

overlay1;overlay2;...

is a semicolon separated list of image or text components.

When printing is performed each overlay is printed in the order specified, with successive overlays overlaying previous ones. Thus overlay1 is performed first and then overlay2 is placed on top of it and so on until all overlays have been processed.

This setting also makes it possible to send a form feed in the middle of a number of overlays. An example of the use of this would be to flip a page when using duplex printing. Rather than being required to create a complete text entry to send a single character, this is achieved through creating an empty overlay string as indicated in the following example between overlays overlay1 and overlay2:

...|overlay1;;overlay2;...

Examples

This entry defines a new print option using an image overlay:

Key Setting Description
Key 1 Group  
Key 2 Manager  
Key 3 Table  
Key 4 emultimedia  
Key 5 Multimedia  
Key 6 Print  
Key 7 Certified (Large) Sub menu name of the new print option
Key 8 A3,CSheet,DSheet,ESheet Available page sizes for this print option
Value image::3:3:3:3:false:true:false:0:top,left Properties of the image overlay to be printed

This entry will result in the multimedia image being printed in the top left of the page with a 3 cm margin around the paper edge. The image would not be resized (unless it would not fit on the page, in which case it will be scaled).

This entry defines a new print format that uses a text overlay:

Key Setting
Key 1 Group
Key 2 Manager
Key 3 Table
Key 4 emultimedia
Key 5 Multimedia
Key 6 Print
Key 7 Certified (Copyright)
Key 8 A3, Letter
Value text:© Axiell-2017:bold,12pt:0:0:0:0: false:false:false:0:bottom,left

This entry specifies that a copyright footer is printed at the bottom of the page on the left hand side.