Configuring Report Page and Margin Properties

As Figure 8.18 illustrates, you can either use specific margin definitions for your reports or select to automatically adjust report margin settings. To set your report margins to meet your exact specifications, follow these steps:

1. From the File menu, click Page Setup, and the Page Setup dialog will appear.

2. Modify the default page margins for your exact requirements.

3. Click OK to save your changes.

Figure 8.18. The Page Setup dialog is used to specify report margin settings.

Each of the margin settings is calculated from the paper edge. Consequently, a left margin of .25 inches will cause the printing of the report page to start exactly one quarter of an inch in from the left edge of the paper.

As an alternative to specifying exact report margins, you can select the Adjust Automatically check box if you want Crystal Reports to adjust the report's margins automatically when the paper size changes. This option maintains the printable area of the report by enlarging or reducing the left/right and top/bottom margins by the same factor. For example, this setting could ensure that a report designed for a printer that can only print within .5 inches of the paper's edge would maintain the same overall size when printed on a printer that could print to within .25 inches of the paper's edge.

If you do decide to select the Use Default Margins options for your reports, there are two common issues to be aware of when printing reports (also described in the Crystal Reports Help files).

• When printing a report in another environment in which the printer's default margins are greater than the report's setting; the report objects on the right side of the report print off the page.

• When printing a report in another environment in which the printer's default margins are smaller (allowing a larger printing area); the entire report moves to the left side of the page.

As a result, it is recommended that you specify your own report margins. It is encouraged that you do not select the Use Default Margins option in the Page Setup dialog to avoid these common problems. It is advisable to set your report margins manually using the Page Setup dialog, even if the margins you want to specify are the same as the default margin settings. This issue becomes especially important when you distribute your reports over the Web and have no idea what type of printer the business user will be using.