I want to create a data entry FORM (not a report) that when printed will fill a standard 8.5 X 11 page. Please tell me there is some simple way to do this that has escaped me. I have done numerous trial and errors of adjusting the screen size in designer mode and have gotten close to what I want - PLEASE - there has to be a simpler way !  Why can't we have pop-up rulers in design mode (calibrated in inches). Surely I'm not the only one that wants to do this.

Gene.   

Ray
Appreciate the help - actually 500 X 647 will give you a printout approximately proportional to an 8.5 X 11 page but it won't fill it. I finally worked out and tested that a designer screen size of 770 X 1025 will give you an 8.5 X 11 page with a half inch border all around - which is as big as you can go even though my printer will actually print with only a 1/4" border.

This is still a ridiculous way to have to accomplish the setup. A scaled ruler is what's needed - like word processors and page layout and drawing, and most every other software has.

Gene.

putermann,

     When I needed to design my forms for 8.5*11 I had lots of trouble, finally I contacted tech-support and received the following response it solved all my problems.

Sesame prints a form differently to how Q&A does.  It *SCALES* the form to the page.  If you take a form which is not large, and is page-shaped - like the CUSTOMERS.DB form in the samples - and print it, it will print to fill the printed page. If you then re-design that form by EITHER making it twice the length, or twice the width, and then print it again, the detail area of the form will be much much smaller.  The WHOLE page is scaled to fit.  So, it seems that your Sesame form is considerably bigger than the area that contains the layout elements. It might be too long, or too wide, or both.  If you open it in designer and make the form smaller I think you may find it will print much more to your liking.

To resize the form, click in an empty area and press Shift + arrow keys. If you find you can't make it any smaller, there may be a layout element which is not properly visible, like a self-coloured one or an empty static. Rubber-band the area and it might show up. If that doesn't work, right-click on the form and select "delete Q&A line draw characters" if that option appears. You sometimes get this even if there is no Q&A line-draw visible. You won't have to do this more than once.

You can safely use the font of your choice : you don't need to keep the Q&A fixed-pitch font (which was used for maximum compatibility).

                                              Good Luck

Mark Lasersohn

"We will be adding more desktop publishing features in close correspondence to market demands. These may well include a ruler, object grouping, grids, and layers."

Mark
I appreciate the hope and obviously I would love to see as many of these types of features as possible however it may be more feasible in the short term to just add some real basics like calibrated rulers and perhaps grids if possible. If that's not possible in the short term, perhaps there could be a "page setup" choice added to the menu in Designer. Anything that would help would be greatly appreciated.

You all have done a GREAT job - keep on.

Gene.