Specifying Page Presentation on Continuous-Forms Printers

This example shows how to specify the page presentation (portrait or landscape) on printers that use continuous-forms paper. The page presentation is specified in the form definition using the PRESENT subcommand in conjunction with the DIRECTION subcommand.

The PRESENT subcommand specifies how your pages will be presented when they are printed and has two valid values: PORTRAIT and LANDSCAPE.

The DIRECTION subcommand specifies the inline direction in which your pages have been formatted by the page definition (see FIELD Command) or by the program formatting the data. The DIRECTION subcommand has two valid values: ACROSS and DOWN.

The conditions in which you should use these subcommands and some conditions in which they are not required are described below. For more information about how these subcommands work with data sent to specific printers, refer to the appropriate printer documentation.

In order to understand the description that follows, you must be aware of the difference between the two types of continuous forms: narrow and wide. Narrow forms are forms that have perforations on the shorter edge of the paper and tractor holes on the longer edge. Wide forms are forms that have perforations on the longer edge of the paper and tractor holes on the shorter edge. The two types of forms are illustrated in Figure Narrow and Wide Continuous Forms.

Narrow and Wide Continuous Forms

Narrow and Wide Continuous Forms

In this section:

  1. When to Use the PRESENT and DIRECTION Subcommands
  2. When the PRESENT and DIRECTION Subcommands Are Not Required
  3. The DOWN Direction for Continuous Forms Printers
    If your data has been formatted in the DOWN print direction for landscape page presentation and is to be printed on wide forms on an continuous forms printer, you must specify LANDSCAPE on the PRESENT subcommand to produce readable output.
Parent topic: Using Form Definition Commands