Hi Gary,

>Who's got the real deal on how to handle printer/report control? I can setup reports to specific paper sizes. Output to ascii files. Do all the stuff documented in the manuals and forum messages. The only problem is, the capabilites are still lacking. For example, when I send my non-standard sized form to a printer, the printer is left in the setting activated by the form.
The next regular job is bad. Namely form length, font, and print modes

This is odd, This should not happen if the papersize was only set in the FRX of the report. How do you set your papersize ?

>Another example, I have a form that prints 132 columns to a dot matrix and now want to send it to a laser printer compressed to fit on 8.5 X 11 paper. How?

To my knowledge, this isn't possible in any popular report writer. The best thing you could do is to make two different reports: one for the martix printer, and one for the laser.

Without inventing a lot of new technology in code, how do I easily reset the printer, set special features, etc. without knowing what printer the user is going to select?

This has always been a painfull matter in VFP. You can blank the TAG and TAG2 field and set the printer settings in the EXPR field, but I'm not sure if this will work under each circumstance.

Even if I were to write code, what techniques have others used to solve these issues. One answer my be to use Crystal Reports instead. Does Crystal Reports solve these issues.

I don't know what aspects of a report you want to control, but Crystal Reports definitely has more control over the layout and where and how it is going to be printed. However it won't solve your 'compress' problem. You still have to write two reports.

I'm hoping to stay VFP only for my reports.

>Am I beat or are there techniques I've just not come accross?

How about posting a list of matters that have been bugging you ?

Walter,