Hi Hilmar,

I haven't seen Win9.x in years so all comments below are related to Win2K and later.

>I recently had some printing problems, and now I am trying to understand more about the paper sizes defined in Windows. (Most of the time I had been using text-mode reports, and output to Excel, so I don't have lots of experience with the report designer.)
>
>I understand that the EXPR field in the report includes the paper size, and that the report then uses an associated form number on the target computer.

Correct.

>So, here I include several questions, in a more or less random order.
>
>Is there a range of form numbers defined for standard paper sizes, and another range of numbers for custom paper sizes?

There're no ranges defined but there's a list of standard paper sizes. You can find one in the help for PRTINFO() function http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_foxhelp9/html/c1a55105-ebd6-4cb0-87da-ee7c48d118b1.asp. It's not complete list. Check dmPaperSize at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/gdi/prntspol_8nle.asp?frame=true

>Are the standard paper sizes the same on different computers (same number = same paper size)?

They should be but I cannot vouch for that.

>Is there a way to force a certain size without specifying the paper size - just specifying the size in inches? Word and other programs seem to do precisely that.
>
>Is all this easier with other reporting programs, for example, the new report designer that comes with VFP 9, or Crystal Reports?
>
>I understand that each paper size has an associated "form number", but on the "server properties" in Windows XP I can't find the associated number; I only see a short name, and the paper size. Where do I find this information? And, for creating custom paper sizes, how do I assign a specific form number?

The form # is sequential # of the form in the list (not in the list you see in the Server Properties). See Enumerating printer forms under Windows NT/2K/XP FAQ #22445.
The new form will have the next # after the last existing form. You cannot assign it. See How to add/delete custom printer forms under Windows NT/2K/XP FAQ #21202

>Is this reporting system drastically different between Windows 98 and Windows XP? Is it possible to make reports compatible with both?