How to make Responsive Layout print right

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MunchMan
Propeller Head
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:35 am
Location: near Dallas, TX

How to make Responsive Layout print right

Post by MunchMan »

I've got two years PDFing in Flare and am starting my first Responsive Layout (RL) project. My RL output is fine. But I still need a downloadable PDF for our equipment. In our docs, we have a bunch of what amounts to 2-row, 2-column tables. Top-left (#1) is an image and top-right (#2) is the list of bottom-aligned callouts. Bottom-left (#3) is the figure caption and bottom-right (#4) is blank. I created this as a 3-cell RL and it all adjusts great; down at mobile level, #2 ducks under #1, so from top to bottom I see image, callouts, caption.

But in print, there appears to be no way to bottom-align the callouts (online solutions involve dozens of lines of HTML and triple-nested DIVs), and while cells 1 and 2 sit beside each other as desired, the cell #3 caption gets pulled up right under #2 callouts. And then the regular text falls into some cracks and starts right after that. In tables I'd just force a new row, but RL cells aren't part of a table.

I can live with the top-align on the callouts (but would happily accept a solution). But I have to get the caption and text to move down, and it's got to be an automated part of the RL design, not manual spacing and hidden white boxes. And no, I don't want to duplicate the RL content into a table and conditional one for online and one for print (single-sourcing and all that jazz :lol: ). I seem to remember a presenter at last year's MadWorld saying RL wasn't for print, and I get why, but they can't be mutually exclusive. Who has or can direct me to some formatting hints for forcing RL content to behave in print, particularly with regards to tables? :P Thx!

Update 1: I just tried setting the 2nd row (caption) as it's own new RL div, one cell, same specs as when it was the 2nd row of the original RL div. Hoped it'd start on the next open line. Still works perfectly online. Still crams the caption and subsequent text under the callouts :|. Aaaarrrggg!

Update 2: Copied the RL CSS into my Print media section (guess I could instead move it from Web to default). Caption still stuck under callouts, but following text now starts after the image.
Desired format.png
Wrong format.png
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ChoccieMuffin
Senior Propellus Maximus
Posts: 2632
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:01 am
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: How to make Responsive Layout print right

Post by ChoccieMuffin »

I'm replying from memory here but it should get you started.

For the style that follows the table (whatever you use for "Frequency Optimizer Results"), in whichever medium you use for your print output you might want to add "clear: both;"

That should prevent it from jumping up to be directly under the key for your diagram.

Caveat: I'm not looking in Flare as I make this suggestion, so I reserve the right to be going down completely the wrong path.
Started as a newbie with Flare 6.1, now using Flare 2023.
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