+44 (0)1235 537391
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Open Seas (UK) Ltd
The Old School House, The Causeway, East Hanney
Oxfordshire OX12 0JN
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1235 537391 or USA (650) 590 5448
+44 (0)1235 535168
info@openseas.co.uk or support@openseas.co.uk
The FANTASIA Formatter can process any plain text file, created by any text editor. The text could also include data extracted from your data bases using a report writer. Typical applications are the production of memos, newsletters, magazines, catalogues, manuals, documentation etc. A menu program enables page style to be easily specified.
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 Fantasia, much more than just electronic forms & check (cheque) printing Fantasia is a sophisticated text mark-up language makes easy work of on-the-fly output formatting for everything from manuals and client stock portfolios, to insurance and legal documents with variable contract clauses. Fantasia is also used as a dynamic mail merge tool where whole paragraphs, pages and graphics change depending on the variables data found a the data stream. Originally for the HP3000 computer platform back in the 1980s a version for unix became available in the 1990s. If you are looking to mirgarte of the HP3000 or legacy unix system but don't wish to re-invent your output then see FLASER which allows you to use the Fantasia commands and mark up language on Windows and other platforms. Fantasia Forms Forms can be printed directly by FANTASIA, or the "macro" capability of a LaserJet can be exploited. Any repeated text or graphic material (e.g. a "form") can be downloaded and stored in the LaserJet memory for re-use. Multiple forms can be held in the LaserJet memory (the number is only limited by the size of the printer's memory). FANTASIA maintains a catalog of available forms. The user application can easily control the sequence of printing of forms and there are no limitations on form selection. Output from user application programs or utilities can be easily merged with a form before printing. This can be done by referencing the form in the application program, or by a simple file equate prior to running the application program. Forms Design Forms can be designed quickly and inexpensively using almost any PC forms design software or even Microsoft Word and Excel. Forms designed on the PC can be proof printed on a PC attached printer and then uploaded to your HPe3000 for merging with data and printing on a system attached laser printer. Using this process, users can create electronic forms that can then be overlaid by data from in-house and third party applications. Forms can be created quickly and easily and then distributed and managed using the specialised features of FANTASIA. Changes to such items as telephone numbers, addresses and company logos can be implemented throughout an organisation within a few minutes. Publishing The FANTASIA Formatter can process any plain text file, created by any text editor. The text could also include data extracted from your data bases using a report writer. Typical applications are the production of memos, newsletters, magazines, catalogues, manuals, documentation etc. A menu program enables page style to be easily specified. Report Enhancement By using one or more of the typesetting, graphics or forms capabilities of FANTASIA, it is possible to easily enhance the appearance of computer printed reports whether they are produced by programs written in languages such as COBOL or whether they are produced by report writers such as QUERY, QUIZ (from COGNOS) or BRW (from HP). The FANTASIA REPORTER (Q-GEN) is a high performance report writer for HP3000 users that is complementary to the LASER SERVER product. The REPORTER has an in-built interface to the FANTASIA software that enables the easy production of typeset reports (effectively it builds a suitable form around the data and automatically links it into the generated report program). The user can either select fonts for page headings, column headings and data, or let the software choose appropriate ones. You can also incorporate a form designed with the other FANTASIA facilities. From a few simple data selection menus, the FANTASIA REPORTER enables you to generate compiled COBOL object programs that will print the required forms and data on a LaserJet. See separate data sheet for more information on this module. Mail merge and other uses The formatting capabilities of FANTASIA can be used to merge text before printing so that you can produce personalised letters or contracts under program control. The software also includes a "User Prompt" facility to enable data to be input interactively and printed with text or forms. Page Layout Control FANTASIA supports double sided printing on printers with that capability. It can also print "2-up" so that effectively two normal output pages can be reduced in size and printed on one sheet -a simple file equate is sufficient to implement this for any printer output file. In addition 2-across (i.e. 2 or more column) output is supported. Use of these facilities can reduce paper consumption. The Editor The FANTASIA package also contains its own fully featured text editor. It is similar to the HP TDP software and can call the Formatter directly. Print Quality he quality of the print produced by the FANTASIA software is suitable for immediate transfer to a volume printing process (i.e. is camera ready standard for most purposes). For example, this data sheet was typeset using FANTASIA. Powerful Typesetting Capabilities Multicolumn text, output in varying widths, can easily be specified in either landscape or portrait orientation. Automatic justification (left, right or both margins) is provided. Tables of data can easily be formatted. Automatic pagination is provided with headings, footings, page numbering, table of contents and index creation. The symbols used by typesetters for special purposes (such as #, ©, ®, ™, √, ², ½) are supplied with the software. Bar Codes Bar codes can be printed (or incorporated in a document). The length and thickness of the bars can be varied and landscape or portrait orientation chosen irrespective of the orientation of other text on the page. IMAGE Data Base Charts A function within FANTASIA enables the printing of a diagram of the structure of any TurboIMAGE database given that only the data base name is supplied. Graphics on the flyGraphics facilities can be used to draw line charts, bar charts and pie charts. They can also be used for more general graphics arts effects such as drawing lines or boxes, shading areas of the page, etc. Graphics files can also be imported - for example from popular PC packages. Graphics can be easily mixed with text and data. They can be produced ad-hoc or can be generated and printed automatically from a program or report writing utility. Acknowledgements and Copyrights This site is owned and managed by Open Seas (UK) Ltd. Fantasia is an Open Seas software title. |