sizing form to letter size paper (1 Viewer)

Zydeceltico

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Hi All -

We have parts drawings that were originally sized to exactly fit to be printed on 8-1/2x11 paper.

In an old, existing db, these drawings were converted to jpegs and pdfs and used as backdrops for inspection forms.

I want to do a similar thing but I need to shrink the drawings a little bit to controls on the right vertical side of the form.

Is there a way to approximate the overall size of a form in design view so that when it is printed it is close too - or slightly smaller - than 8-1/2 x 11? This isn't a report. This is literally printing the inspection form.

I've never dealt with this before and a cohort is asking me to help since I have my nose buried in my QC DB for so long.

Any guidance, insight, is most appreciated.

Thanks!

Tim
 

theDBguy

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Hi Tim. Maybe. But wouldn't it be more accurate if you design a report based on the form, maybe? Just a thought...
 

Zydeceltico

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Hi Tim. Maybe. But wouldn't it be more accurate if you design a report based on the form, maybe? Just a thought...

It probably would be but the fellow who designed this back in 2005 - - let's just put it this way - nah - nevermind....

The image is a the backdrop for the inspection form. The controls for data entry are placed over the top of the jpeg at the various areas of the piece that need dimensionally inspected.

And the auditing company that has scheduled an appointment in two weeks has become used to seeing this printed form this way since 2005.

Eventually - - when I am done with the new QC DB, this old system will be cotton-balled but not in time for this audit.

So instead of yet another learning curve, I'm hoping to just reformat a copy of existing but.... ...... <sigh> :) I need to learn more about reports.....asap.....and embedding graphics into them and floating controls over them - -without a grid.
 

The_Doc_Man

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Do you know how to set the size of a report? It's not hard. Look up the unit TWIPS. It is a windows unit that Access uses for sizing. It should be possible to make the units come out right.

HOWEVER, please be aware that there are interactions with the display and printer drivers when you set page or screen dimensions. The number of dots per inch on the display and on the printer page WILL sometimes bring you to grief because it would be entirely too much to ask that everything comes out even between printer, display, and internal representation. And if you intended to print anything, be aware that you MUST have a default printer selected (because the scaling routines can't scale anything to an unknown printer.)
 

gemma-the-husky

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Letter (8.5 x 11in) is a standard size paper for a report. It's available in a page settings menu.

Set this as the paper size, adjust the margins as you want, and populate the report layout, based on your query. If your layout is too wide, you can adjust the margins. If your layout is too wide for the paper, you will get a warnnig about this (section wider than page width)

I wouldn't try to print a form. Is there not a way to get what you want on a report?
 
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Zydeceltico

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Do you know how to set the size of a report? It's not hard. Look up the unit TWIPS. It is a windows unit that Access uses for sizing. It should be possible to make the units come out right.

HOWEVER, please be aware that there are interactions with the display and printer drivers when you set page or screen dimensions. The number of dots per inch on the display and on the printer page WILL sometimes bring you to grief because it would be entirely too much to ask that everything comes out even between printer, display, and internal representation. And if you intended to print anything, be aware that you MUST have a default printer selected (because the scaling routines can't scale anything to an unknown printer.)

Historically it has and still does print exactly to 8-1/2 x 11. The problem is that there is new revision to the drawing that acts as the backdrop graphic. It is quite a bit different than the original - meaning i need to import the new drawing and make the drawing smaller but retain the form size and rearrange the controls but it doesn’t look like the original developer placed the graphic in a resizable container.
 

theDBguy

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Historically it has and still does print exactly to 8-1/2 x 11. The problem is that there is new revision to the drawing that acts as the backdrop graphic. It is quite a bit different than the original - meaning i need to import the new drawing and make the drawing smaller but retain the form size and rearrange the controls but it doesn’t look like the original developer placed the graphic in a resizable container.
So, just replace it with a new one. Otherwise, how exactly are you trying to resize it? Did you try the Zoom setting (can't remember what it's really called)?
 

Zydeceltico

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So, just replace it with a new one. Otherwise, how exactly are you trying to resize it? Did you try the Zoom setting (can't remember what it's really called)?

I don’t know about the zoom setting. I tried “resizing” by trying to change the size of its control but that doesn’t work. The graphic stays the same size and the control just frames it smaller. Kind of like moving a frame over a larger picture.
 

The_Doc_Man

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As a crazy idea, if the graphic is one you could load to PAINT (and it loads a LOT of formats), it would be possible to read it on one format and save it in a different format. If you can get it into either JPG or WMF, those are "zoomable."
 

Micron

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Aside from printing forms, this sounds like your basic issue:
Kind of like moving a frame over a larger picture.
There are 3 settings for an image control - clip, stretch and zoom. Play with them and see if any of them work. Methinks you need zoom in order to keep the entire image visible in a control that has to be a particular size to completely fill a form area. I'd bet you'll have issues with image type as well, as some types won't resize without a lot of distortion.
 

gemma-the-husky

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The 3 settings Micron just mentioned.

Clip, clips the image within the boundaries of the image box. This together with tile is useful to copy an image over the whole of the form/report, but is best used like a wall paper. for random/repeating patterns

Zoom, expands the image to fill the image box, maintaining the proportions.

Stretch, does the same, but varies the proportions to fill the image box completely.

Rather than using an image box, applying a jpeg to the report as a whole as a background (rather than within an image box) gives a sort of "watermark" effect. Would that give you what you want?

Have you tried anything yet?
 

Zydeceltico

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Zoom, expands the image to fill the image box, maintaining the proportions.

....it also will shrink the image proportionally - I just discovered.

Thanks - - - that got it.

For anyone who may be looking for similar info: The Clip, Stretch, and Zoom are options found in the Size Mode property of the image control.

Thanks everybody
 

Zydeceltico

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Have you tried anything yet?

OK.....so now it is acting weird.

While getting my formatting and layout correct, I must've "tapped" something that Access doesn't like.

I had the form opening correctly size-wise.

Whatever I did - now when I open the form, it opens to about 3/4 of it's total size and I have to grab and drag the right side of the form to see the whole form.

I did not change the size of the form at all......or at least I don't think that I did.

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Tim
 

Zydeceltico

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So, just replace it with a new one. Otherwise, how exactly are you trying to resize it? Did you try the Zoom setting (can't remember what it's really called)?

I did try the zoom setting and it works. I have it all laid out. But now I am getting a funny cropping when I open the form. It prints correctly, functions correctly - but when I open the form it doesn't fully open and needs to have the right side and bottom drug to see the whole form - which it wasn't doing before and I really don't think I changed anything - certainly not about the form size itself.

Thoughts?

I've attached jpegs of the two conditions.

Thanks,

Tim
 

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theDBguy

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I did try the zoom setting and it works. I have it all laid out. But now I am getting a funny cropping when I open the form. It prints correctly, functions correctly - but when I open the form it doesn't fully open and needs to have the right side and bottom drug to see the whole form - which it wasn't doing before and I really don't think I changed anything - certainly not about the form size itself.

Thoughts?

I've attached jpegs of the two conditions.

Thanks,

Tim
Hi Tim. According to your other thread, this is already fixed. Is that correct?
 

Micron

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If you want it to always open maximized, you could try DoCmd.Maximize in the open event, otherwise some form settings will likely have to be modified.
 

theDBguy

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Yes - it is functioning correctly. I am not exactly sure what fixed it other than resizing in Layout view but it is functioning correctly.

Thanks!
Okay, sounds good then. Good luck with your project.
 

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