create report with many small pages on one page?

[CraigBest]

Wondering if someone can help me. I want to create a report that prints out what are essentially tickets (2" x 3.5") on pre-scored business card sheets, 10 to a page, 5 rows in 2 columns.

Each ticket is unique and has different data that gets printed on it, so it's not as simple as just making one report page and placing 10 fields on it that start with a seed # and increment it by 1 for each ticket on the page. Each card is essentially a report page on its own. How can I create a report file that will do this?

To complicate matters, the reverse side of each ticket / report gets printed too with a different template, and when printed the data on the front of the page has to match the data on the back of the page!

I can't be the first person who has ever tried this, can anyone point me in the right direction?

BTW I'm using the version of BI Crystal Reports that comes with MS Visual Studio 2008.

CraigHartz

 

[kenhamady]

Lots of problems to solve in this but here are two hints that might get you started. The Details section has an option to "print in multiple columns" which lets you set up the 2x5 layout.

To get the backs to mirror the fronts I would force the records to duplicate so there are two of everything. Then group them into groups of 20 and sort them in the right order so that the original 10 print on the front and the duplicate 10 follow immediately. You have to get them to sort in an order that corresponds to the mirror image of the front.

There are several methods that will cause all records to duplicate but the simplest is to create a small 2-record table in your database. The two records only need one field that has two different values in it, like "front" and "back". Add this small table to the report and do NOT join it to anything. CR will complain but you will get a cross-join and that makes every record in the report have a "front" version and a "back" version.

Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
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