How to keep report format in PDF

Are you using XI or 2008? With XI and I can't confirm for 2008 but all prior versions use a print driver to format the page. Thus when I'd do a server install, I'd always install a print driver even though the printing isn't done from the server and this resolved unusual formatting in most cases.

I'm using 2008. I don't know if there is a print driver installed on the server. Guess I would need to check with our server team on that one. Since we use multiple printers throughout the organizations, does it matter which print driver is installed?

Are you using Business Objects Enterprise 3.x to distribute the report? Of so, what client viewer is being used to Export the report to PDF? You may need to research which viewer allows the users to export to PDF the "cleanest".

9 times out of 10 when I see this issue there is none installed and I use the one that is "most typical" for the customer

We aren't using an enterprise version of Crystal. Those employees that need Crystal have it installed on our individual PCs. We are using the Crystal export to PDF option to save a copy of the report in PDF format for the users to approve or reject. Once Lawson goes live--we are in the implementation phase--the reports should be distributed through LBI--which puts it into a PDF version also with incorrect formatting--or they will be distributed through a product called Reveal. Should the print driver be installed on the server where LBI resides? Will that keep the PDF in the correct format that Crystal sends it?

Thanks!!

We use CR XI R2 with Enterprise and not LBI for report distribution. However, we do have a standard print driver installed on the server (and all pc's used for rpt development use the same driver). There is also a place in the rpt file to predefine the export format. File / Export / Report Export Options. Then you can pre-set the options for various formats. In XI, the formatting options for PDF are not much. Have you tried using guidelines and snap to grid?

try following option:
Crystal reports> File> Page Setup> check the box for no printer associated'

there should be no printer associated while developing the report.
so that when you export the report pdf it exports as is.

Yes, I'm using guidelines & snap to grid & yes, I've tried check the box for no printer associated. When I print the report straight from Crystal, it's Arial 8, margins are .75 inch top and .25 inch sides and bottom and the dollar sign is fixed. When I export to PDF in Crystal and print or when the user prints the report out of LBI (which puts it into PDF prior to printing) the font shrinks to maybe 5 or 6, the margins expand to 1 inch top and .75 inch sides and bottom and the dollar sign floats.

Thanks!!

Oh, I'm sorry - I forgot that LBI uses the DHTML viewer which has no Active X print control. I never install LBI so I can't say if it's even available but the way I get around this limitation with full Crystal Enterprise is to use the ActiveX viewer and/or Active X print driver that are available. Someone else here may be able to speak to whether or not they are available for LBI - I rather doubt they are. If not, the only option you'll have is to compensate in report design for the formatting liberties taken by Acrobat - you may have to use a different size/fractional font such that when it exports, it's the desired size - margins are sure to be even more of a challenge. I think these and other limitations of LBI has caused many of my Lawson clients to continue using Enterprise. Good luck with it!!

? along the same topic. we are on LBI 9022 with a distributed server LBI and Websphere on one server, RAS 11.5.10.1275 and SQL 2005 on a separate server. We publish month end financials as back office reports using RW100. An end user reported that the Portal version of her RW100 report in PDF view does not balance to the RW100 PDF output on the LBI dashboard. I opened the LBI dashboard report and the line is shifted on the PDF report. Anyone ever pondered this LBI anomaly before??

- joanna.bledsoe@jhsmh.org