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Starhugger -> Repeating image that also prints (11/12/2006 14:35:38)
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I'm creating an online index of a manual for a client. The index will be hyperlinked. The index and manual were originally designed to be a hardcopy manual, and at the last minute it was decided to put it online. So I'm creating an Index and Table of Contents in HTML format, trying to echo a similar visual design that was created for the manual.
What I have so far is: I am listing the index words for each letter in 3-column tables, where the first column shows the letter for that box's words (e.g. "A" for the A's, etc.) and the other 2 columns for the index words. I created a background image of the letter and have it repeating down the side of its box. On-screen it looks fine.
The problem is that background images won't print unless the user sets their browser default to do so (which they're not likely to do). I know that the end-users will be viewing this on their local network using IE6 (with no plans to update to IE7 in the near future).
I've tried various tricks I've seen around the Internet, but I can't find a way to get those background letter images to print (including @media print and making the letter graphic into a separate div layer). Neither can I find a way to put the images in the foreground so that they will print AND also repeat down the column. So basically: I can either repeat the letter down the side on-screen but it won't print, or I can print the letter but it won't repeat. Sigh...
When printed, many of these boxes are likely to be broken across printed pages, so I'd like to be able to repeat the letter on the new page. I'm already using an overall page THEAD and TFOOT (which repeats on each page), so I'm not sure if using these in the individual letter boxes too would work. And I'd prefer not to take up more vertical space by placing another row above the content. That's why I decided to put the letter in a side-column.
Did that all make sense? Anyone have any other ideas how I can get the letter to repeat at the top of the printed page if the letter section breaks across pages? Is there a simpler way to do this??? I think I'm getting brainfreeze trying to figure out an easy and attractive way to map a printable index onto the screen. Maybe I'm making it too complicated? (Probably. Sigh...) New ideas are welcome.
Thanks for the help. [:)]
Starhugger
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