I am porting an application from dBase 3 to VFP 5.0a (still leaving the code as is for now). There are several programs that print reports by setting the DEVICE TO PRINTER and issuing @...SAYs to print the report.

Some of the reports need to be condensed. Some of the programs that print those reports try to set the printer to 17cpi by issuing a CHR(15) command before printing. On a Dot-Matrix, this works fine, but the client is now using an HP8000 printer which has trouble accepting these codes. Instead of changing the pitch, the printer prints garbage characters where the CHR(15) calls take place.

I have tried setting the printer to RAW MODE, but all that does is print a blank page prior to the job. If the printer is set to 17cpi manually AND there are print code within the program, then the report will print at 17cpi. But, some reports mix pitch (meaning that the header is 10cpi and the data is at 17cpi). If the printer is set to 10cpi manually, then it will only print at 10cpi and not accept any print codes.

Can someone please tell me how to set any printer (HP) to condensed mode programatically. If not, please lead me in the right direction that I may find a solution short of re-writing the report.

Thanks In Advance,

Jeff Elmore