Printerpullpages/ContextualInformation

Summary

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Rationale

As discussed in Workflow Analysis, there are currently a number of modal dialogs which might interrupt the user. These information are given with regard to e.g. wrong paper sizes, transparency or even color gradients. There is a need for a solution which explains the user potential issues without disturbing the usual workflow.

Assumptions

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Proposed Designs

This design proposal is based on the Idea Collection, "Contextual Information Bar".

Proposed Information

Inform About Automatic Scaling of Printed Output

This information proposal is based on the Idea Collection, "Inform the user about the actual paper sheet size and maybe about document page or selection size".

Summary

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Rationale

The automatically chosen paper sheet size might be surprising. Sometimes the user cannot even guess the size, because an automatic scaling happens (Issue 107331 ) and the printer page size is somehow hidden in the separate printer preferences dialog. Therefore the user might be interested in either what will happen or what kind of paper will be used for printing.

Assumptions

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Proposed Design

Early design proposals are already shown on the Idea Collection page.

Discussion with PL (January 2010):

• The printer driver are not always reliable with regard to the paper sizes. In many situations, all supported paper sizes are reported but not the available ones. Therefore it is impossible to tell whether the desired paper size (set in the document) is available.
• In contrast, if the printer driver does not provide the correct paper size, then the next "most similar" paper size will be used (most similar = least difference in dimensions)

Feedback by PL (February 2010) (PPP Ideas):

• The above proposals look nice, however the text "will be scaled to" is factually incorrect; some of our applications (impress, calc) will layout to the printer specified paper anyway, so the problem does not occur there.
• Others (writer, draw) will request paper sizes according to what is specified in the document. The contents will then not be scaled in any way. Instead the contents will be printed centered.
• Perhaps we could find a compromise here, something of the form Crhistoph proposed, but saying "The document specified paper size B5 (<x> cm * <y> cm) is unavailable, instead the current printer paper size A4 (<x> cm * <y> cm) will be used". This would appear over the preview if a mismatch between requested paper size and printer paper size occurs (as far as the driver will let us determine).
  

Comment by Regina (February 2010) (PPP Ideas): I like using the Message Area too, but propose another string.

• Situation: I print a DINA5 brochure. OOo prints the correct two document pages together, but uses DINA5 paper size instead of DINA4. Because my printer is able to use DINA5, I get no warning, but a print of 2xDINA5 downscaled to DINA5 printed on DINA4. Unless I open the printer properties, I cannot know which paper size OOo assumes, because the preview looks the same for DINA5 and DINA4.
• I propose: Assumed size of sheet of paper (height x width) <newline> 210 mm x 297 mm = DIN A4
• The first line will be translated, the second line uses the units from the page format setting. The part = DIN A4 is added, if it is a named size known to OOo. So the second line needs no translation and positions are therefore independent of local string length.
• Regina 20:56, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Code Changes

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Outstanding Issues

• If people print via shortcut, then the print dialog is omitted. What to do?
  
• If native dialogs are used, then we miss the flexibility to add this kind of warning.