Printline

Printline is a single line of text, and is the traditional command that is synonymous with the record formatting Layout command. In the formatting of line data and unformatted ASCII, a printline is normally the output generated by one record in the print file. However, printlines and print records are not the same.

PRINTLINE commands in the PPFA page definition define the number and position of printlines on a page. Each record in the print file is written to a single printline on a page. Usually, one print record is written to each printline. However, control information in the print data can specify two or more print records be written to the same printline, providing overprinting. Controls also can specify that print records skip printlines. For example, a print record may skip the remaining printlines on a page and print instead on the first printline of a new page.