In my last post, A Few Label Printing Tips, I mentioned moving items on barcode labels around by pixels. That sounds tedious, doesn’t it? Well, actually, it is, but it’s sometimes easier than the drag-and-drop route.
Here it is, 2017, and we’re still talking about and using pixels?! Yes, indeed.
As I mentioned in the last post, when you have little room or need things to line-up in an exact way, moving by pixels can be the easiest way to make that happen. Actually, some of the drag-and-drop tools do have functions to help you line things up but few allow the finer movements you need for the trickier adjustments.
And this is where I come to Jasper Reports as an example. Currently using the LVS system, I have started using Jasper reports. It does work in pixels (it sometimes looks like it doesn’t but using pixels is really what it’s doing). And it’s now finally possible for even me to get things to line-up (and it’s one thing I’ve never previously master). I can adjust the pixels in the interface -or- and only when you make a backup copy and know what you’re doing, you can go directly into the .JRXML file and just change the pixels right in there. That’s my preference when I’m changing quite a lot of fields to move them or to add a field that I want formatted exactly like another field is to do it in the “back end” in this manner.
And to help us all, there are plenty of tools around to convert pixels (e.g., inches to pixels and pixels to inches).
In addition, these aren’t the only applications around where pixels are useful. Some web designers talk about pixels. Some of the tools available for this use pixels.
Pixels might seem ancient but they’re not dead. They can be useful to know about and learn how to use.
Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/