Customizing QuickDraw GX Printing Features(IM:XP)

Inside Macintosh: QuickDraw GX Printing /: Chapter 1 - Introduction to Printing With QuickDraw GX / Implementing QuickDraw GX Printing Features

Customizing QuickDraw GX Printing Features
QuickDraw GX allows you to customize some of its features to address the needs of your particular application. If you want to manipulate the objects that QuickDraw GX uses to format the pages of a document or if you want to add panels to QuickDraw GX print dialog boxes, you need to read the chapter "Page Formatting and Dialog Box Customization" in this book.
Through QuickDraw GX, your application can allow users to specify unique formats for the individual pages of a printable document. For example, using QuickDraw GX, your application can allow a user to create and print a single document that consists of an address page on an envelope, a business letter on a sheet of paper in portrait orientation, and a spreadsheet on a sheet of paper in landscape orientation. Figure 1-16 shows an example.
Figure 1-16 Printing a document containing multiple formats

In addition, QuickDraw GX allows you to add panels to its dialog boxes to provide special features that require additional user specification. A panel is a portion of a dialog box in which an application can provide additional options for users. These specifications are stored as items in collection objects. For example, your application may add a panel that provides special color features, such as color separation and color choices or halftone information, which need to be stored with a job or format. QuickDraw GX dialog boxes are introduced in "Dialog Boxes," which begins on page 1-10. For information about collections, see "Collection Objects" on page 1-18.