Working With Mailing Labels and Multi-Pane Pages

How to:

Set Up a Report to Print Mailing Labels
Print Mailing Labels or a Multi-Pane Report

Reference:

Attributes for Mailing Labels and Multi-Pane Printing

You can print sheets of laser printer mailing labels by dividing each page into a matrix of sub-pages, each corresponding to a single label. Each page break in the report positions the printer at the top of the next label.

Multi-pane printing places a whole report on a single printed page. You can create columns or rows so that when text overflows on one page, it appears in the next column or row on the same page rather than on the next page.

These features apply to a PDF or PS report.

Reference: Attributes for Mailing Labels and Multi-Pane Printing

In addition to the attributes in the table, you can use standard margin attributes (for example, LEFTMARGIN or TOPMARGIN) to position the entire sheet of labels at once, creating an identical margin for each sheet.

Attribute	Description	Applies to
PAGEMATRIX	Sets the number of columns and rows of labels on a page.	PDF PS
ELEMENT	Sets the width and height of each label, expressed in the unit of measurement specified by the UNITS parameter.	PDF PS
GUTTER	Sets the horizontal and vertical distance between each label, expressed in the unit of measurement specified by the UNITS parameter.	PDF PS
MATRIXORDER	Sets the order in which the labels are printed.	PDF PS
LABELPROMPT	Sets the position of the first label on the mailing label sheet.	PDF PS

Procedure: How to Set Up a Report to Print Mailing Labels

Create the label as a page heading.
Sort the labels but use NOPRINT to suppress sort field display. Only the fields embedded in the page heading will print.
Insert a page break on a sort field to place each new field value on a separate label.
Suppress default page numbers and associated blank lines from the beginning of each page (SET PAGE-NUM=NOPAGE).

Syntax: How to Print Mailing Labels or a Multi-Pane Report

[TYPE=REPORT,] PAGEMATRIX=(c r), ELEMENT=(w h), [GUTTER=(x y),]
  [MATRIXORDER={VERTICAL|HORIZONTAL},]  [LABELPROMPT={OFF|ON},] $

where:

TYPE=REPORT

Applies the settings to the entire report. Not required, as it is the default.

c

Is the number of columns of labels across the page.

Enclose the values c and r in parentheses, and do not include a comma between them.

r

Is the number of rows of labels down the page.

w

Is the width of each label.

Enclose the values w and h in parentheses, and do not include a comma between them.

h

Is the height of each label.

GUTTER

Is the distance between each label.

x

Is the horizontal distance between each label.

Enclose the values x and y in parentheses, and do not include a comma between them.

y

Is the vertical distance between each label.

MATRIXORDER

Is the order in which the labels are printed.

VERTICAL

Prints the labels down the page.

HORIZONTAL

Prints the labels across the page.

LABELPROMPT

Is the position of the first label on the mailing label sheet.

OFF

Starts the report on the first label on the sheet. OFF is the default value.

ON

Prompts you at run time for the row and column number at which to start printing. All remaining labels follow consecutively. This feature allows partially used sheets of labels to be re-used.

Example: Printing Mailing Labels

The following report prints on 81/2 x 11 sheets of address labels.

SET ONLINE-FMT = PDF
TABLE FILE EMPLOYEE
BY LAST_NAME NOPRINT BY FIRST_NAME NOPRINT
ON FIRST_NAME PAGE-BREAK
HEADING
"<FIRST_NAME <LAST_NAME"
"<ADDRESS_LN1"
"<ADDRESS_LN2"
"<ADDRESS_LN3"
ON TABLE SET PAGE-NUM NOPAGE
ON TABLE SET STYLE LABEMP
END

The labels have the following dimensions, defined in the StyleSheet LABEMP:

UNITS=IN, PAGESIZE=LETTER, LEFTMARGIN=0.256, TOPMARGIN=0.5,
PAGEMATRIX=(2 5), ELEMENT=(4 1), GUTTER=(0.188 0), $

The first page of labels prints as follows:

Example: Printing a Multi-Pane Report

This request divides the first report page in two columns so that the second report page appears in the second column of the first page. A PAGE-BREAK creates a multi-page report for the purpose of this example.

SET ONLINE-FMT = PDF
TABLE FILE EMPLOYEE
PRINT LAST_NAME AND CURR_SAL BY

DEPARTMENT
ON DEPARTMENT PAGE-BREAK
HEADING
"PAGE <TABPAGENO"
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
UNITS=IN, PAGESIZE=LETTER, PAGEMATRIX=(2 1), ELEMENT=(3.5 8.0),
MATRIXORDER=VERTICAL, $
TYPE=REPORT, SIZE=8, $
ENDSTYLE
END

The report prints as: