Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

Hi:

I have a Bill of Lading template from the printer that I saved as a BMP.
I created a new report and in the report's picture property told it
the BMP file name. It brought the image in just fine. I then placed
the fields in the report. Then I previewed the report. The picture
resized or something and all of my nice fields were no longer in the
same position. It didn't make any difference if I selected Crop, Zoom,
or Stretch....the image would resize or something and all of the fields
went somewhere else.

I was able to correct it by putting an image control in the DETAIL band
section and sending it to the background and sending the fields to the
front. And it works fine...except for emailing it.

But I have a problem. My next report needs to use an image for a
packing list. The image is 8.5x11. In it I will have a form/subreport.
The BOL was a piece of cake since it only used the detail band. But
with the packing list I'll want to have 2 or 3 bands as it is a 1-many
report.

Is there anything I can do to "anchor" the image so it doesn't float all
over the place and I can be assured that my fields remain in the same
position?

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

Salad: If I had been in your position, I would have tried the report's
picture property first too. One would certainly think that best. Did
you have picture tiling turned off? Too bad you had to go with an
image control. I think it would be more difficult to manage.

Tell me what you think the best way to save an 8.5x11 pdf to a
bitmap or other file format might be. Try the one here as an
experiment:
http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/forms/licen...load/LT260.pdf
Access 97 cannot display PDF images. I need to convert it to some-
thing A97 likes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx

[color=blue]
>Hi:
>
>I have a Bill of Lading template from the printer that I saved as a BMP.
> I created a new report and in the report's picture property told it
>the BMP file name. It brought the image in just fine. I then placed
>the fields in the report. Then I previewed the report. The picture
>resized or something and all of my nice fields were no longer in the
>same position. It didn't make any difference if I selected Crop, Zoom,
>or Stretch....the image would resize or something and all of the fields
>went somewhere else.
>
>I was able to correct it by putting an image control in the DETAIL band
>section and sending it to the background and sending the fields to the
>front. And it works fine...except for emailing it.
>
>But I have a problem. My next report needs to use an image for a
>packing list. The image is 8.5x11. In it I will have a form/subreport.
> The BOL was a piece of cake since it only used the detail band. But
>with the packing list I'll want to have 2 or 3 bands as it is a 1-many
>report.
>
>Is there anything I can do to "anchor" the image so it doesn't float all
>over the place and I can be assured that my fields remain in the same
>position?
>[/color]

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

Salad, why do you suppose it is that the initial problem you mentioned
is a problem at all? I tried it and you are exactly correct in your
details on the problem. I think it has much to do with printer margin
settings, actual image size, etc.

<censored>

It brought the image in just fine. I then placed[color=blue]
>the fields in the report. Then I previewed the report. The picture
>resized or something and all of my nice fields were no longer in the
>same position. It didn't make any difference if I selected Crop, Zoom,
>or Stretch....the image would resize or something and all of the fields
>went somewhere else.
>
>I was able to correct it by putting an image control in the DETAIL band
>section and sending it to the background and sending the fields to the
>front. And it works fine...except for emailing it.[/color]
Too bad it came to this. Image controls are much more difficult to
work with, IMO. I'm sure someone has found a way to precisely
size a BMP image file, use it in the picture property of a report and
display the report and superimposed textbox controls. Lets poll the
group and find out who's overcome this difficulty.

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

Salad, try this...

Go to the
http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/forms/licen...load/LT260.pdf
link. You'll see a PDF image of an NCDMV form. Print it out. Measure
the area
occupied by text. You'll see that the text occupies an area measuring
close
to 7" wide by 9" tall. Measure the LRTB margins closely. You'll see
that they
are .75" and the bottom is 1.25".

My PDF reader has an image select tool that works fine (Adobe PDF
reader).


Select ONLY that 9x7 area. Everything outside your selection box
should be clear white space. Rite
clik inside your selection box and choose "copy". Open up MS Paint and
paste it in there. Save it as
a jpeg. Now, to Access. I'm using A97. Dunno what you are using. Would
be nice if you could do it
in A97 just for giggles.

Open a new report. Click File, Page Setup and set all margins to .75"
except the bottom. Set it to 1.25"
Get rid of the report header/footer. Size the Detail section to 7"
wide and 9" high. Enter the file you
saved for the report's Picture property setting. Picture Type:
Embedded, Picture Size Mode: Stretch.

Does it appear to you that the top .25" or so of the image is cut off?
I'm talking about in design mode.
It does for me. When I print preview or actually print, all is
visible. Its as if, in design mode, the picture
shifted up about 1/4". If I place my fields on the image as I see it
in design mode, when I print the
report, they are all too high - and yes, they are about 1/4" too high.
I think if I drop them all down
about 1/4", the data will appear in the desired positions in the
actual printout. It was a bear getting
it all that close. This is not the most elegant solution, but it does
offer consistency of printed output.
You may have to adjust the position of a few controls in design view
to 'massage' them into place.
But once done, its done for good. In design view, the controls will
appear out of place. But they'll
fall exactly where you want them on your printouts.

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

MLH wrote:[color=blue]
> Salad, try this...
>
> Go to the
> http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/forms/licen...load/LT260.pdf
> link. You'll see a PDF image of an NCDMV form. Print it out. Measure
> the area
> occupied by text. You'll see that the text occupies an area measuring
> close
> to 7" wide by 9" tall. Measure the LRTB margins closely. You'll see
> that they
> are .75" and the bottom is 1.25".
>
> My PDF reader has an image select tool that works fine (Adobe PDF
> reader).
>
>
> Select ONLY that 9x7 area. Everything outside your selection box
> should be clear white space. Rite
> clik inside your selection box and choose "copy". Open up MS Paint and
> paste it in there. Save it as
> a jpeg. Now, to Access. I'm using A97. Dunno what you are using. Would
> be nice if you could do it
> in A97 just for giggles.
>
> Open a new report. Click File, Page Setup and set all margins to .75"
> except the bottom. Set it to 1.25"
> Get rid of the report header/footer. Size the Detail section to 7"
> wide and 9" high. Enter the file you
> saved for the report's Picture property setting. Picture Type:
> Embedded, Picture Size Mode: Stretch.
>
> Does it appear to you that the top .25" or so of the image is cut off?
> I'm talking about in design mode.
> It does for me. When I print preview or actually print, all is
> visible. Its as if, in design mode, the picture
> shifted up about 1/4". If I place my fields on the image as I see it
> in design mode, when I print the
> report, they are all too high - and yes, they are about 1/4" too high.
> I think if I drop them all down
> about 1/4", the data will appear in the desired positions in the
> actual printout. It was a bear getting
> it all that close. This is not the most elegant solution, but it does
> offer consistency of printed output.
> You may have to adjust the position of a few controls in design view
> to 'massage' them into place.
> But once done, its done for good. In design view, the controls will
> appear out of place. But they'll
> fall exactly where you want them on your printouts.[/color]

Thanks. I will check out your suggestions. Yes, this all may be due to
the margins of the printer, etc. It's funny that MS offers a picture,
(back in Access 2.0 was out there was a story about using an IRS 1040
form as the input background on a form in Access Advisor) and not have
the print match the field locations. Maybe they'll have "anchored" the
pictures in the the new upcoming Access 12.

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

<snip>
I'm serious. I mean, do they have a suggestion box or something.
It could be that anchoring, having been overlooked for a decade
may never have been suggested or thought of. Maybe the MVP's
in this forum could make the suggestion.
[color=blue]
>
>Thanks. I will check out your suggestions. Yes, this all may be due to
>the margins of the printer, etc. It's funny that MS offers a picture,
>(back in Access 2.0 was out there was a story about using an IRS 1040
>form as the input background on a form in Access Advisor) and not have
>the print match the field locations. Maybe they'll have "anchored" the
>pictures in the the new upcoming Access 12.[/color]

re: Using a picture (Form Template) as background in a report?

MLH wrote:[color=blue]
> <snip>
> I'm serious. I mean, do they have a suggestion box or something.
> It could be that anchoring, having been overlooked for a decade
> may never have been suggested or thought of. Maybe the MVP's
> in this forum could make the suggestion.
>[/color]
I am of the opinion that MS does not pay attention to the developers.
If you are a corporate bigwig at a major corporation that orders 10000
copies of office or if you are a talking head that doesn't write
applications but instead figures out esoteric solutions to something you
will get heard...but day-to-day developers?...nah, they aren't important.

I think MS has a wish-list link that is probably used to let developers
rant...a great place to circular file people...not a place to get
suggestions.

I would think that if MS had someone monitoring the newsgroups they'd
determine areas they are deficient in and could make things better, but
doing something like that would be too easy. Better to listen to
talking heads and IT managers that don't develop applications.
[color=blue]
>[color=green]
>>Thanks. I will check out your suggestions. Yes, this all may be due to
>>the margins of the printer, etc. It's funny that MS offers a picture,
>>(back in Access 2.0 was out there was a story about using an IRS 1040
>>form as the input background on a form in Access Advisor) and not have
>>the print match the field locations. Maybe they'll have "anchored" the
>>pictures in the the new upcoming Access 12.[/color]
>
>[/color]