Differences in Preview Browse and Printing

[smilemaker]

I'm created a layout(form letter). I have text with several fields over the top. When I go to the preview mode, the text in most of the fields disappears. When it is printed the field text is there but not aligned as it is in the browse mode. I don't have any sliding or do not print objects set. This seems very strange. I'm running Filemaker 6 on Windows XP. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[danjacoby]

Windows isn't WYSIWYG.

Many applications have found ways to fix this bug in Windows, but Filemaker hasn't yet. As a result, things look different when switching between modes.

The only solution I have ever heard of is to create separate Browse and Print layouts, then script the printing to go to the Print layout, print, and return to the Browse layout.

Of course, the Print layout will have to be set up so that it prints the way you want it to, which means wasting several sheets of paper.

Sorry not to have a more elegant solution.

[cjaeger]

> Windows isn't WYSIWYG

Well, it is, mostly. But FileMaker's internal graphics format is PICT @ 72 dpi, while Windows uses 96 dpi. This leads to rounding errors and fonts diplayed differently when switching platforms or printing ....

To correct, adjust the header part +/- 1 pixels and/or slide the fields in question 1 pix up or down, or both ....

[smilemaker]

Thank you for the help....I'm slowly becoming wiser.

[Vaughan]

> Windows isn't WYSIWYG

Yesterday I discovered that FMP 6.0v4 on MacOS 9.2.2 printing to an HP Laserjet 4100 PS isn't wisywig either! Preview said one page, but two pages kept coming out. Was I ever annoyed!

Setting the layout margins to zero all around fixed it, but I'm not sure why it happened in the first place. The layout will eventually be used on PCs to non-PS printers so it remains to be seen what will happen.