Creating reports using java

Question

hello java fanatics! :D
im a vb programmer and created an ActiveX Printer Control. this ActiveX is downloaded on the client browsers (IE) and called by my vbscript for me to access its functions. but my problem is that... it only works on IE!
one of my friend told me that the only way i can resolve this issue is recode my ActiveX Printer Control in JAVA (applet). i've done some research about it but i cant find a specific tutorial on how can i print on the client side using JAVA applet.
i've done some CSS reports but my reports should be 8.5 X 5.5 inch. is it possible also to set some custom page layout in JAVA?

Answer 1

It seems that you already have the material to be printed in the final format and you just want to send them to the printer.
If you want to do printing yourself you can use java print api
its in java.awt.print and javax.print packages.
If you search for tutorials for java print api you'll get what you want.
But if you want just to get the job done the best way is to write a serverside program (a Servlet) to display the content that need to be printed on the browser. So the user can directly use File->Print command or you can even put a print button on the page which executes the javascript print command
or just execute it automatically by adding a javascript at the bottom of the page.