Written February 2020

When you need to submit data on an existing form, there are several possible approaches to take. You would normally use A-Shell's GDI printing commands to position report data on the form, and then:

•   Physically print the data onto a pre-printed form using a printer as the "combining" mechanism. This is the method that was used in the early days of computers.

•   Create (scan) an image of the form. By then using A-Shell's //IMAGE command, followed by the form data, you create a single document that is ready for printing.

•   Use GDI print commands to actually create the form in A-Shell, then print the data in the form areas you have created.

•   If you use A-Shell's PDFX module, you also have the option of using the official PDF form (from a government agency, typically) as an unaltered "overlay" onto which you print the data.

In all of these except the first, "printing" is understood to mean both actual physical printing, and virtual printing which normally means sending to a printer-like PDF creator.

For an in-depth discussion of the issues involved in creating forms in A-Shell, refer to this discussion on the A-Shell forum.