Re: Multiple page sizes in one book file

[Jay Smith <jay@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jason,

I do not know how one would approach what you want to do in a Plain-PC
environment.  

However, I can tell you what we do in a PC-workstations-on-Linux-network
environment.

We print each chapter to PS files for the purpose of later sending those
PS files directly to a laser printer.  For each chapter we must be sure
that the printer driver settings (paper size, etc.) are correctly
adjusted.  We then end up with directory full of PS files.  Be sure to
print/save these PS files to a local hard drive and then move them
across the network; FM doing a save/print of PS files across the network
seems to take three times as long as a local save/print then move.

Then from a Linux terminal, from the command line, we run a script that
(for Linux) contains commands:

sh scriptname.sh

  lpr -Pprintername chapter1.ps
  lpr -Pprintername chapter2.ps
  lpr -Pprintername chapter3.ps
  lpr -Pprintername endofbookcoloredpage.ps

Depending upon whether you do or do not want slip sheeting, etc., you
can add PS jobs in between that draw paper from other trays.  You may
have to change your printer's settings to allow IT (not just in the FM
dialog) to "print" blank pages.

Of course all this means that we are working with lasers that have
multiple paper sources and are PS-compatible.  With our equipment and on
a 100mb network, we can throw these files at the printer over and over
again and network users don't even know that it is happening.  However,
in a network environment, depending upon your network speed, hard disk
access speed, types of users and the kind of work they are doing, you
might want to keep these PS files on a network server hard disk that is
physically different from that which is used by your database users,
etc.

A note about changing paper sizes on the fly.  What I described is
perfectly doable.  However, there is a question of WHY would want to do
that.  If you are flip flopping back and forth between paper sizes,
SOMEBODY has to integrate those into a physical book -- they have to be
folded or something.  Thus I suggest that you speak with whomever is in
charge of doing that work -- you may find that they would much prefer to
have either a stack of 100 chapter #1s or a stack of 100 page #1, 100
page #2, etc.  That may be more efficient for them and result in fewer
folding/collation/binding errors.

Jay

I am the world's expert on my own opinion.
  - Bruce 

-- 
Jay Smith

e-mail: Jay@JaySmith.com

Jay Smith & Associates
P.O. Box 650
Snow Camp, NC  27349  USA

Phone: Int+US+336-376-9991
Toll-Free Phone in US & Canada:
	1-800-447-8267
Fax: Int+US+336-376-6750

Jason Aiken wrote:
> 
> Frame Ghouls and Spooks,
> 
> Has anyone ever had to deal with large schematics or varying paper
> sizes in their FrameMaker book?
> 
> How does generating a PDF or printing to a laserprinter work when you
> have a book file set up like:
> 
> Chap1 =  8.5 x 11
> Chap2 = 11 x 17
> Chap3 = 8.5 x 11
> 
> I haven't had time to test this out myself, and I'm just trying to
> obtain some additional ideas before I dive headlong into paper size
> switching and portrait/landscape hell. A fitting topic before the
> Halloween weekend, I suppose, but I'm a little scared.
> 
> Thanks for any and all suggestions.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Jason Aiken
> Frame Templar
>

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