iframe and printing issues

**acoder** · Sep 11 '08, 02:30 PM

If the Excel sheet is not contained within an iframe, does it print how you want it to?

**ashindler** · Sep 14 '08, 08:06 AM

Yes - when the excel is not in the iframe it prints just the one page. When I print it in the iframe it prints the contents of the sheet over 4 pages.

**acoder** · Sep 14 '08, 01:26 PM

What code are you using for displaying the Excel sheet? You may need to use a print stylesheet to control the printing.

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 06:51 AM

I simply have an iframe called "excelFrame " and one button called Print. When the user clicks the button --> onClick="printE xcel()" -->

function printExcel(){

window.excelFra me.focus();
window.excelFra me.print();

}

The excel sheet prints but it prints the sheet our over 4 pages. If I print directly from the original file using excel, the sheet prints out nicely on one page.

How can I control the printing area etc. of the iframe using stylesheets?

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 07:00 AM

By the way, here is all the code - obviously fileName is the address of the excel file on the local machine:

[HTML]<% String fileName = request.getPara meter("fileName "); %>

<script type='text/javascript'>

function printExcel(){
window.excelFra me.focus();
window.excelFra me.print();
}

</script>

<HTML>
<BODY>
<input type="button" id="print" onClick="printE xcel()" value="Print">
<iframe id="excelFrame " src="<%=fileNam e%>" width="90%" height="80%"></iframe>
</BODY>
</HTML>[/HTML]

**acoder** · Sep 15 '08, 11:23 AM

See Going to Print. You can try setting the font size in the print stylesheet.

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 11:51 AM

I tried this:

[HTML]<link rel="stylesheet " href="print.css " type="text/css" media="print" />

<div id="printDiv" name="printDiv" >
<iframe class="tborder" id="excelFrame " src="<%=fileNam e%>" width="90%" height="80%" frameborder="0" ></iframe>
</div>
[/HTML]
And then in my print.css file:

Code:

#printDiv {  font-size: 9pt; }

But this does not seem to have any affect whatsoever.

I'm not even sure why logically it would make sense to set the font-size. My excel spreadsheet contains all sorts of fonts and even images. So how would font-size affect those?
If I had instead of an excel, an image loaded into the iframe would setting the font size in the iframe make a difference to the size of the image when it is printed from the iframe?

**omerbutt** · Sep 15 '08, 12:09 PM

Originally posted by ashindler

I tried this:

<link rel="stylesheet " href="print.css " type="text/css" media="print" />

<div id="printDiv" name="printDiv" >
<iframe class="tborder" id="excelFrame " src="<%=fileNam e%>" width="90%" height="80%" frameborder="0" ></iframe>
</div>

And then in my print.css file:

#printDiv { font-size: 9pt; }

But this does not seem to have any affect whatsoever.

I'm not even sure why logically it would make sense to set the font-size. My excel spreadsheet contains all sorts of fonts and even images. So how would font-size affect those?
If I had instead of an excel, an image loaded into the iframe would setting the font size in the iframe make a difference to the size of the image when it is printed from the iframe?

when working with printing the document you have to keep these two things in mind
1. the pixel should be avoided
2.points should be preffered
WHY ? because there is not any such thing like PIXELS in the world of printing / printers they take up or read every thing in points
and similarly there is nothing like POINTS in the world of computer screen they read up every thing in pixels
regards,
Omer

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 12:16 PM

I'm confused - that is what I did - I set the font-size to 9 points...

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 12:34 PM

When I check out Print Preview in Excel of the document, I can see that it is scaled down 54% to be printable on one page. Is their something equivalent that I can do to the document when it is loaded into the iframe?

**acoder** · Sep 15 '08, 01:54 PM

Originally posted by ashindler

I'm not even sure why logically it would make sense to set the font-size. My excel spreadsheet contains all sorts of fonts and even images. So how would font-size affect those?

The reason why I suggested font size was that you mentioned in your original post that the font size was larger in the print out from the iframe. The reason your code had no effect was that an iframe is a separate document, so the stylesheet would have to be inside the iframe. I guess it's not as simple as I had originally thought which I had assumed based on your original post.

Originally posted by ashindler

If I had instead of an excel, an image loaded into the iframe would setting the font size in the iframe make a difference to the size of the image when it is printed from the iframe?

No, it wouldn't. Do the images come out the right size when printed over 4 pages?

**acoder** · Sep 15 '08, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by ashindler

When I check out Print Preview in Excel of the document, I can see that it is scaled down 54% to be printable on one page. Is their something equivalent that I can do to the document when it is loaded into the iframe?

Not with JavaScript, but if your target is only one specific browser for a controlled user base, you could consider using a browser-specific solution. If not, you would have to include the stylesheet within the iframe.

**ashindler** · Sep 15 '08, 02:22 PM

I am only going to be using IE - what sort of possible browser-specific solution is there?

By the way I tried to include a stylesheet within the iframe but setting the font size didn't change the output in any way either. I thought I would have to set the dimensions if it were possible of the "content" somehow because I am assuming that the iframe treats the excel sheet like it would an image and just displays the true size of it.

**acoder** · Sep 15 '08, 02:45 PM

You can use ActiveX. There's an ActiveX control called Meadroid that you may find useful.

If you go with the HTML/CSS route, you could point the src to an HTML page which contains the Excel sheet contained within a div of the right size. I haven't tried it, so wouldn't know if it works.

iframe and printing issues

iframe and printing issues

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