Report prints too many pages

[JamesWB]

The report called "DraftCJP" in the attached database prints out on loads of pages, many blank, even though in Design View it looks like it is within the margins and it is in Landscape mode. In Print Preview without data it comes to 8 pages, when it should be 2 or 3.

I've tried various things but nothing seems to make sense. It contains subreports - can they be causing this?

Help appreciated.

thanks
James

 

[fat controller]

I am no expert, but I think you are on the right track with your sub-reports; I have had fun and games with them in my current project. In the end, I found it easiest to make the sub reports as small as I possibly could, and then put in page breaks where I wanted them to be. Still a bit of faffing around though.

You seem to have quite a bit of unused space toward the right hand side of the report in places - could that be utilised more to reduce the number of pages?

 

[JamesWB]

I am no expert, but I think you are on the right track with your sub-reports; I have had fun and games with them in my current project. In the end, I found it easiest to make the sub reports as small as I possibly could, and then put in page breaks where I wanted them to be. Still a bit of faffing around though.

You seem to have quite a bit of unused space toward the right hand side of the report in places - could that be utilised more to reduce the number of pages?

How would I utilise it to reduce the number of pages please?

I don't know how to reduce the subreport sizes, they contain a lot of information.

 

[JamesWB]

Looking at it some more, it's almost as if there's an invisible 'something' in the report that's causing print preview to display bits of the right hand margin on new, mainly blank pages. Nothing seems to change it doing that. Bizarre.

 

[fat controller]

There are quite a few textboxes with associated labels that could be snuggled up a bit, just by moving them around in design view.

Your first sub-report has a load of spare space under it, and in fact you could also lose the report header as well I think - if I remember correctly, report headers do not show/print on sub-reports.

To reduce their size, click on the sub-report whilst in design view on the main report, and then drag the handles of the box to make it the size you want.

You could also move stuff around in the main report header too - save you a bit of room?

 

[JamesWB]

There are quite a few textboxes with associated labels that could be snuggled up a bit, just by moving them around in design view.

Your first sub-report has a load of spare space under it, and in fact you could also lose the report header as well I think - if I remember correctly, report headers do not show/print on sub-reports.

To reduce their size, click on the sub-report whilst in design view on the main report, and then drag the handles of the box to make it the size you want.

You could also move stuff around in the main report header too - save you a bit of room?

Thanks for those tips, I appreciate the ideas, but they aren't the key problem. The central problem is that some pages are being printed that just show a thin sliver of right hand margin. This appears to be because it thinks that some pages have elements overflowing the right margin, yet when you look at the report in design view, there aren't any that do this.

 

[fat controller]

Got it down to 4 pages with a bit of mucking about - rough, but it will give you the idea?

 

[fat controller]

Thanks for those tips, I appreciate the ideas, but they aren't the key problem. The central problem is that some pages are being printed that just show a thin sliver of right hand margin. This appears to be because it thinks that some pages have elements overflowing the right margin, yet when you look at the report in design view, there aren't any that do this.

Take a look at the one I have played with - I get four pages on a print preview now, and no blank ones; I reckon the sub-reports are your problem

 

[JamesWB]

Got it down to 4 pages with a bit of mucking about - rough, but it will give you the idea?

Thanks for trying for me! You do seem to have got rid of the surplus right-hand margins, how did you do that?

It still prints on far too many pages (14 when completed), I'm starting to wonder if my basic design is flawed. Perhaps I need to break it up into sections or something.

 

[JamesWB]

Got it down to 4 pages with a bit of mucking about - rough, but it will give you the idea?

Actually, whilst I appreciate your offer of help, that didn't work anyway, as the right-hand sides of the pages are not printing in your version, so it's cutting off the pages.

I think Access should tell people where the margins REALLY are, not some imaginary half-arsed 'margin' that doesn't actually mean anything. What a rubbish product.

 

[fat controller]

I don't think its your margins as such, although I did whip the right hand side of your design up tight to the side of the sub-report - - not sure what it isn't printing for you though, because there is nothing there to print if it allowed me to drag it in like that?

It might be worth creating a new report, then copy the bits you want into it from your existing report - maybe a fresh sheet might be the answer?