Xerox DocuPrint 96MX User manual

Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX
Laser Printing System
Forms Creation Guide
April 1998
721P85630

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: 721P85630
Xerox® and all Xerox products mentioned in this publication are
trademarks of Xerox Corporation. Products and trademarks of other
companies are also acknowledged.
Changes are periodically made tothis document. Changes, technical
inaccuracies, and typographic errors will be corrected in subsequent
editions.
This document was created on a PC using Frame software. The
typeface used is Helvetica.

XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE iii
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 Services (XDSS) at 1-800-327-9753.
Notice
This publication may contain descriptions of concepts and features
not currently available for your Xerox Laser Printing System. Consult
your Xerox sales representative or your operating system software
program description for additional information.
Table 1. Related Publications
Publication Number
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System Operator Guide
721P85590
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System Operations Reference
721P85610
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System Message Guide
721P85650
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System PDL Reference
721P85640
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System Forms Creation Guide
721P85630
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System System Generation Guide
721P85620
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
System Installation Planning Guide
721P85600
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing
Operator Command Summary Card
721P85660
Xerox Laser Printing Systems Tape Formats Manual 600P86175
X
erox Laser Printing Systems Standard Font Library
Font User Guide
600P86174
Helpful Facts About Paper 721P82492

iv XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE

XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE v
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 y coordinate 2-8
Predefined formats 2-10
Data types 2-12
3. Forms description language 3-1
FDL command overview 3-1
Command summary 3-2
Command format 3-3
Steps to creating a form 3-4
Setup commands 3-5
FORM command 3-5
PAPER command 3-6
Using B4 paper size 3-7

TABLE OF CONTENTS
vi XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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 the FSL file to the LPS system disk 4-2
Using magnetic tape 4-2
Compiling a form 4-2
Invoking the forms compiler 4-2
Summary sheet 4-4
Error checking 4-4
PROOF option 4-5
Secured files 4-5
Debugging and modifying the file 4-6
Storing form files 4-7
Printing a compiled form 4-7
FDL compilation time 4-7
5. Forms layout considerations 5-1
Image complexity 5-1
Line tables 5-1
Importance of orderly construction 5-2
Scan line density 5-4
Page generation errors 5-5

TABLE OF CONTENTS
XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE vii
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 COMMENT command 6-2
Drawing lines 6-3
Drawing horizontal lines 6-3
Drawing vertical lines 6-3
Drawing boxes 6-4
Placing text at a location 6-5
Placing text in a box 6-6
END command 6-7
Compiling the form 6-8
A. FDL command summary A-1
FDL command syntax A-1
B. FDL-generated messages B-1
C. System default summary C-1
D. GRID and TEXT command examples D-1
E. FDL capacity limits E-1
F. Support tools and measurements F-1
Forms design ruler F-1
Glossary GLOSSARY-1

viii XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
Index INDEX-1

XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE ix
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 updating,
revising, and printing the forms on the LPS. If you are also
responsible for printing variable data on the forms in addition to
performing other operations on the laser printer, refer to the related
documents provided with your laser printing system.
The DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX Laser Printing System Forms
Creation Guide
is one of eight manuals which make up the DocuPrint
96/DocuPrint 96MX LPS Reference Set. This guide explains the use
of Forms Description Language (FDL) commands that are used to
create forms. Its purpose is to do the following:
•Describe the FDL commands necessary to create any desired
form with the correct page orientation, fonts, line widths, and
positioning of captions and logos
•Explain fundamental printing terms and techniques
•Describe the use of support tools in simplifying the creation of
forms.
About the reference set
This document is part of areference set designed to help you receive
maximum benefit from your DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX laser
printing system.
To help you select the appropriate document for your needs, the
following section identifies the documents in the set and describes
the information contained in each.

INTRODUCTION
x XEROX DOCUPRINT 96/DOCUPRINT 96MX LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE
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
LPS Operator Guide This reference contains the following information:
•System overview
•Paper facts and procedures
•Operating procedures
•Maintenance
•Problem solving
•Supplies
•Meter reading and reporting
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX
LPS PDL Reference This reference contains the following information:
•Print Description Language components and processes
•Input processing functions
•Output processing functions
•PDL command summary
•Page formatting guidelines
•Character code assignment tables
•PDL programming information with step-by-step instructions
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX
LPS System Generation Guide This reference contains the following information:
•Configuration options
•Commands
•OSS software installation, upgrade, and modification
Xerox DocuPrint 96/DocuPrint 96MX
LPS Operations Reference This reference contains the following information:
•Command syntax for operator and system administrator
procedures
•LPS defaults
•LPS resources
•Command summaries
•Communication and graphics on the LPS
•Command files