Small window changes in line printer

[Former Member]

We are using a line printer EPSON FX-980. We are using sapscripts to print.

We are printing in a not so flexible format. We have the formats already pre-printed and we need to make small changes to adjust the output.

Almost everything is alright, except some variables that cross some pre-printed lines.

We only need to move a window aprox. 1mm down to adjust the exit.

However, when we try to make small changes, the windows jumps a whole line, not like laser printer that adjust to fractions.

For example, my problematic windows is in 28 ln. No matter if I change it to 28,01 or 28,5, the widow jumps to 29ln.

I tough it was the printer couldn't print small details, but I drew several lines with small spaces between in ms paint and it prints them fine. So I'm guessing is the driver.

I already used the two drivers for line printers, also changed the device type line lenght and nothing has been resolved.

Is there a way to do this?

[Former Member]

hi,

Modifying the SWIN (SAPWIN) Device Type

The SWIN device type allows you to use any printer or fax that the Microsoft Windows Print Manager can use, regardless of whether the SAP R/3 System has a device type for the corresponding device. In this case, it is actually the Microsoft Windows Print Manager and Windows driver that format a document and make an output-ready data stream out of it.

Modifying SWIN is a little different than working on other device types because SWIN does not deliver an output-ready data stream. Rather, it converts the internal SAP R/3 document format into a special SAP R/3 formatting language. The SAPSprint service understands this formatting language. SAPSprint, in turn, converts the SAP R/3 formatting commands into Microsoft Windows GDI commands, which the Print Manager and the Microsoft Windows device driver can use for preparing print-ready output data.

The upshot: rather than modifying printer commands in actions and print controls, in SWIN you need to work with SAP R/3 formatting commands. The SWIN formatting language is documented in this section.

SWIN Device Format Actions

With SAPscript formats, SWIN does not use the Printer initialization or Reset actions. Enter a comment line -- # Not used -- in these two actions in the SAPscript device formats in your copy of SWIN. This ensures that the actions will be ignored when they are called during output. SWIN list formats do use the Printer initialization and Reset actions.

In your copy of SWIN, insert commands only in the device type format actions that the SAP R/3 standard device type SWIN uses.

Frequently Made Changes to SWIN

● Adjusting the position of output on the paper.

In a SAPscript form definition, positioning information refers to the absolute dimensions of the paper to be used for outputting the form. However, the position information in SAPscript forms is added to the coordinates system of the target output device during execution to determine where the form objects are to appear on the output page.

Since output devices use different origins for their coordinate systems, this means that SAPscript and the spool system must offer a way to adjust form positionings to reflect the coordinate system used by an output device.

You can adapt your forms to the differing coordinate systems of output devices in the device definition, where individual printers and fax machines are made known to the SAP R/3 spool system.

Set the fields: Choose Tools ® CCMS ® Spool ® Spool Administration, change the corresponding output device, and switch to the Output Attributes tab page. There, you can set the horizontal positioning in Horizontal move, the vertical positioning in Vertical shift. Positive values (> 0) move the output down or to the right. Negative values in the format xxx move the output up or to the left. No decimal values are permitted. For fine positioning, use MM (millimeters) or PT (points, 10 points / inch).

If a window in a form definition is to appear 1 cm from the left edge of the paper, the window will actually be printed 1.5 cm from the left edge of the paper on a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer. The LaserJet starts its X-axis coordinate system 0.5 centimeter from the left edge of the paper. On a PostScript printer, on the other hand, the window will start 1 cm from the left edge of the paper, because PostScript uses the physical boundaries of the paper for its coordinate system.

You can adjust the positioning of the output on the HPLJ4 (LaserJet) printer by entering -5 MM in the Horizontal move field in the second screen of the device definition of each HPLJ4 printer.

● Setting Basic List Print Properties: Character pitch, line leading, type size.

To make these adjustments, you need to change the Printer initialization action in the X_ formats in your copy of the SWIN device type.

There, you can adjust the character pitch (character spacing), leading (line spacing), and type size with the following commands:

Property

SWIN Formatting Command to Use

Character pitch

ec is the type size in twips (20 twips = 1 point).

For example: eS200X sets the type size to 10 points (200 twips / 20 = 10 points).

The SWIN data stream protocol is an internal SAP R/3 format that may change without prior notice. SAP intends to make only upwardly compatible changes to the SWIN protocol. That means that you should always be able to use the newest version of SAPSPrint, even if you have not upgraded your SAP R/3 System itself.

SAP guarantees, however, only that the SWIN device type will function correctly with the development level of the SAPSPrint transfer program that is specified for a particular SAP R/3 Release.

SAP Printing Guide (BC-CCM-PRN)

Implementation considerations

The SAP Printing Guide describes the functions of the SAP Spool System. This system was designed to be used on various platforms. SAP provides its own spool service and a spool database so that users do not have to deal with operating system-specific issues.

The platform-independent SAP spool system is responsible for the output of forms and documents. The data to be printed is first temporarily stored (“spooled”), then formatted, and finally transferred to a host spool system to be output. You can control all of your output from the SAP System and do not need to arrange further processing in the host spool system.

The following are among the main tasks of the SAP spool system:

· Processing and managing print requests

· Administering output devices

· Technical mapping of the output devices in the SAP System

Features

Among other things, the SAP Printing Guide describes the following:

· Print Process in General

An introduction for users and administrators, in which the print process from document to printout is explained in general.

The focus of the introductory sections is the Output Controller (transaction SP01), which can be used by both administrators and users to manage print requests.

· Spool Access Authorizations

This sections and its subsections describe the access authorizations required specifically for the spool system.

· Possible Print Architecture and Print Methods

The various print architectures are described in this section and its subsections, that is, the different constellations of hardware and software components with the corresponding access methods: Each architecture also requires a specific print method, such as:

· Local printing: The spool server (application server with a spool work process) and host spool system (operating system spooler) are on the same host.

· Remote printing: The spool server and the host spool system are on different hosts.

· Frontend printing: Print data are to be printed on the default printer of the user’s PC.

· Printing using SAP GUI for HTML

· Output Devices in the SAP Spool System

Output devices must be defined in the SAP System so that they can be addressed from the SAP System.

You do this using device definitions with which the devices are managed in the SAP System.

This link takes you to a description of these device definitions and their printer settings.

· Spool Server

This section explains what a spool server is, how you define it, and what using logical servers and alternative servers involves.

· Device Types for SAP Output Devices

Device types are explained in this section. A device type in the SAP system is the category of printer to be addressed. The information in the device type, such as font selection, page size, and character set selection is used to convert a document from the internal SAP format to a device-specific, printable data stream.

· Connecting to an External Output Management System (OMS)

This section explains how you can connect the SAP spool system to an external Output Management System.

· Maintaining the Spool Database

This link takes you to a section explaining how you maintain your spool database to ensure optimal performance.

· TemSe Database Storage

This section and its subsections explain what TemSe is and how you can manage TemSe objects.

· Analyzing Printing Problems

This link takes you to examples that will provide you with support in identifying and correcting errors

Printing from the SAP System

Features

Using the SAP output system, you can output many types of documents on output devices such as printers or fax machines: purchase orders, invoices, delivery note, payroll documents, e-mails, report lists, and so on.

Process Flow

Unlike most other programs, which forward print requests directly to the printer, the SAP System temporarily stores the print data. If you want to print data in an SAP System (online or in the background) and choose a print function, such as , the SAP output system creates two types of print requests:

...

1. a spool request, which temporarily stores the data to be printed in the system

2. an output request, which sends the data to the desired output device

If you want your document to be printed immediately on your printer without temporary storage, you must have made a setting in the print window for immediate output. In this case, the spool request and output request are generated immediately, and the data is printed.

If you want to temporarily store the data, do not choose print out immediately. You can display the temporarily stored print request (spool request) in the output controller and/or print it at a later time

thanks

karthik