print crystal invoice on multiple copies 3

Do you own Flexibility?

I did something like this using Flexibility and Visual CUT (Millet Software) but it was pick tickets. We printed the pick tickets to file, which updates the status to 4 - pick ticket printed. On the post_save() event, Flexibility called Visual CUT, which then ran multiple copies of the picket ticket from multiple trays. This can even be done to different printers or can fire off an email pdf of the forms.

In theory, this is possible with straight Flexibility without using Visual CUT, but we found this cumbersome.

I'm 100% sure this can be done with invoices as well.

Software Training, Implementation, Programming and Support for Macola Progression, Macola ES, Synergy, and Crystal Reports. Check out our Macola tools:

Thanks again dgillz,

We do have Flexibility, I will have to give that a try.

Create your own table with the form names and add the table to the report. No need to join, form name field in your header and each single form should become multiple according to form name table record count.

NEMacGuy,

That approach will produce multiple copies of the Pick Ticket (or conceivably, any form) however it won't be able to have different text at the top ("Customer Copy", "Shipping Copy") or draw from different printer trays to get a blue copy, pink copy, etc.

If you know a way to do this without 3rd party intervention I am all ears.

Software Training, Implementation, Programming and Support for Macola Progression, Macola ES, Synergy, and Crystal Reports. Check out our Macola tools:

Form name on top does work as print control table has 3 records with 2 fields the form name and number, I would just include the form name in the header. As far as different trays not sure why just buy presorted 3 color paper if you want to use colored paper and put it in one tray,switching trays slows a job down.

I've used printmulti ( ) to handle the printing of multiple copies to different trays containing different colored paper. It can even be used to print copies on two different printers if needed. It's free and it works great.

Basic steps - assuming the printer you are setting up is for invoices, and you are printing one copy to tray one and one to tray two;

1). Download and install the Print-Multi software from the web.
2). Create a new printer called ‘Invoices’. This printer should be a ‘local’ printer, printing to a local port, with output going to a temp file on the PC.
3). Go back into the newly created 'Invoices' printer and change print processer to ‘PrintMulti’ and RAW.
4). Install a new printer called ‘Invoices – Tray 1’ using the existing printer drivers and configure the printer to Tray 1.
5). Install a new printer called ‘Invoices – Tray 2’ using the existing printer drivers and configure the printer to Tray 2.
6). Edit the printmulti ini file to 're-direct' anything printed to the 'Invoices' printer to the "Invoices - Tray 1' and 'Invoices - Tray 2' printers.

How it works is you print your Macola invoice to 'Invoices' and behind the scenes printmulti hands it off to the two other printers. No changes are needed to your Macola forms or Crystal reports.

Peter Shirley
Macola Consultant, PA and surrounding states.

I am in need of this. We need to print 3 copies of our crystal reports pick ticket since we are going to start using carbonless paper. I do have flex. Does anyone have any code for this? I tried printmulti but cannot get it to work. When I setup it up and print, nothing comes out. Can someone help?

Call Peter at ERP Essentials. I am sure he can help you and this is definitely an easier route than Flexibility.

Software Training, Implementation, Programming and Support for Macola Progression, Macola ES, Synergy, and Crystal Reports. Check out our Macola tools:

There are a few options for making this work, printmulti is just one, NEmacGuy's solution works as well. A lot depends on what you want to do with the different copies of the form you are trying to print. If you want the different copies to print on different trays, different colored paper, or even on different printers, then printmulti does this at the printer driver level so that no changes are required to your Crystal report at all. They key here though it that this occurs after the report has printed, so while the different copies can appear in different trays etc. the copies are identical in appearance.

Provided you have your printers setup correctly - using the general steps above, then the problem most likely lies in how your pintmulti.ini file is setup. Here's a sample that prints two copies of anything printed to the 'Invoices' printer. One copy is printed to the printer 'Invoice - Tray 2' and the other copy goes to printer 'Invoice - Tray 3'. Both of these printers use the same driver, and point to the same printer. The only difference between them is that they are configured to print on different trays;


If you want each copy to print from the same printer and tray, but have a different report tile for each copy, or different watermark etc. then I would go the direction that NEmacGuy indicated. That is, create a SQL table that you can link your Crystal report to that will force the report to generate multiple copies. I usually do this based on the order type, so that I can configure how many copies occur for each type of order (if needed). Here's some sample SQL code to create the table;


You would then need to populate the table based on the number of copies you need e.g.
O, 1, Office Copy
O, 2, File Copy
O, 3, Shipping Copy

Peter Shirley
Macola Consultant, PA and surrounding states.