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Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX
Laser Printing System
Forms Creation Guide
April 1998
721P85630
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Xerox Corporation 701 S. Aviation Boulevard El Segundo, CA 90245 ©1998 by Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Copyright protection claimed includes all forms and matters of copyrightable material and information now allowed by statutory or judicial law or hereinafter granted, including without limitation, material generated from the software programs which are displayed on the screen, such as icons, screen displays, looks, etc. Printed in the United States of America. Publication number:
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Related publications The Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System Forms Creation Guide is part of the eight manual reference set for your laser printing system. The entire reference set is listed in the table below. Several other related documents are also listed for your convenience. For a complete list and description of available Xerox documentation, refer to the Xerox Documentation Catalog (Publication number 610P17417) or call the Xerox Documentation and Software Servi
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iv XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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Table of Contents Related publications iii Notice iii Introduction ix About the reference set ix Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System document set x What this guide contains xii Conventions used in this guide xiii 1. Overview 1-1 Laser printing technology 1-2 Paper 1-2 Fonts 1-3 Forms creation 1-3 2. Basic concepts 2-1 Page orientation 2-1 Fonts 2-2 Page frames 2-4 Physical page 2-4 System page 2-5 Virtual page 2-5 Form origin 2-6 Positioning form elements 2-6 Grids 2-8 x and
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Specifying TAB as a form 3-8 LANDSCAPE/PORTRAIT command 3-9 GRID command 3-10 FONT command 3-15 Description commands 3-16 LINE command 3-18 Types of lines 3-20 BOX command 3-23 TEXT commands 3-26 TEXT AT 3-26 Aligning text 3-28 TEXT IN BOX 3-33 TEXT IN BOX command defaults 3-34 LOGO command 3-38 GRAPHIC command 3-39 SECTION commands 3-40 COMMENT command 3-43 END command 3-44 4. Compiling and printing forms 4-1 Form printing processing 4-1 Creating an FSL form 4-1 Communicate th
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Local density and page setup errors 5-6 Summary 5-7 Using boxes 5-8 Text in boxes 5-8 Locating the closest box 5-9 Shading 5-12 Sections 5-13 Rounding measurements 5-14 Converting other unit values to dots 5-14 Rounding variable data 5-15 Suggested coding techniques 5-16 Converting preprinted forms 5-16 Designing new forms 5-16 Recommended coding sequence 5-16 Syntax ambiguities 5-18 6. Coding a complex form 6-1 Getting started 6-1 Writing the setup commands 6-2 Using the COMM
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Index INDEX-1 viii XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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Introduction The DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System Forms Creation Guide is intended for forms designers who have a basic knowledge of the DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System (LPS). You may have received on-site training, or you may have attended a Xerox FDL training course. The forms designer’s tasks consist of writing FDL commands to produce electronic forms. These tasks include entering source code into the LPS to create new electronic forms, as well as upda
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INTRODUCTION Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System document set The Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX LPS document set includes the following: Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX This reference contains the following information: LPS Operator Guide • System overview • Paper facts and procedures • Operating procedures • Maintenance • Problem solving • Supplies • Meter reading and reporting Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX This reference contains the following information: LPS PD
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INTRODUCTION Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX This reference contains the following information: LPS Forms Creation Guide • Basic concepts for creating forms • Coding and compiling for LPS Forms Description Language • Sample form setup command sets • Tips for successful forms creation Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX This reference provides a quick reference of commonly-used LPS Operator Command Summary commands. Card Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX This reference contains the following inf
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INTRODUCTION What this guide contains The DocuPrint 96 Laser Printing System Forms Creation Guide shows how to create electronic forms by describing them in words and numbers. FDL is not complicated; it requires performing a few dimensional measurements and learning some easy-to-follow rules. The guide is divided into six chapters and six appendices as follows: Chapter 1: Overview. Contains an explanation of the general functions and advantages of the Forms Description Language plus an in
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INTRODUCTION Conventions used in this guide This guide uses the following conventions: < > Angle brackets are used for keys on the keyboard. { } Braces indicate that one of the items stacked inside must be entered. ... Ellipses indicate that you can repeat a parameter or list a series of parameters. [ ] Square brackets are used for optional command characters. | Vertical bars are used to separate parameters in a series. The vertical bar stands for ”or.” bold Bold is used for characters you
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INTRODUCTION xiv XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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1. 1Overview The laser printing system (LPS) provides the capability to create electronic forms tailored to meet your individual requirements. You create electronic forms using Forms Description Language (FDL). This simple-to-learn, easy-to-use language enables you to design and alter forms in minutes. FDL eliminates the need for preprinted forms and the expense of forms obsolescence. It also eliminates the delays associated with stocking forms and overlays. FDL-defined forms are input to
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OVERVIEW Laser printing technology Before you learn about the actual forms creation process, an introduction to the printing system will be helpful. Xerox laser printing systems are sophisticated nonimpact printers that use a combination of laser, digital, and xerographic technologies for their imaging and printing processes. These advanced technologies allow the LPS to avoid optical constraints such as form overlays and limited character fonts. All control functions are carried out electr
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OVERVIEW Fonts A set of standard LPS fonts are provided free of charge at installation time. (Font is a publishing term referring to a set of characters with the same type style, type size, and orientation.) Note: Additional fonts, whether standard or custom designed, may be special ordered from the Xerox Font Center or Xerox Limited. You can also order digitized logos and signatures. Refer to your DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX LPS Installation Planning Guide for information on ordering font
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OVERVIEW 1-4 XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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2. 2Basic concepts Certain basic concepts are required to understand the forms creation process on laser printing systems. These involve the size, shape, and location of the overall image on the page of a document, the orientation of the text or graphics on the page, the size and style of the characters to be used, and the type of data to be entered. Page orientation There are two types of page, or text, orientation: • Portrait page • Landscape page In portrait orientation, the vertical side
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BASIC CONCEPTS Fonts Fonts are character sets, each having a unique type style, type size, and orientation. Fixed and proportional spacing Fixed and proportionally spaced fonts are available for use on laser printing systems. Each character occupies an area on the form called a character cell. With fixed fonts, all character cells in the set are the same width. With proportional fonts, character cells vary in width, as shown in figure 2-2. Figure 2-2. Character spacing Because the length o
