# Print Preview

> [HTML Version](printpreview.htm)

_Reorganized and revised, January 2023_

There are various methods you may use to have reports that were created in A-Shell displayed on the screen before (or perhaps instead of) printing them.

•	Perhaps the easiest and best method for simultaneously managing both (a) the display of reports and (b) the printing options after display, is the A-Shell add-on product [APEX](apex.md). APEX is an extra-cost option, but it is specifically designed for A-Shell and is therefore perhaps the most well integrated. It is also a true Windows preview, supporting fonts, graphics, colors, etc. Follow the link to the documentation for additional details.

•	A-Shell's built in print spooler EZSPL includes a preview option described here: [EZSPL Print Preview](ezsplprintpreview.md). Note that EZSPL is a text-only viewer.

•	The browser method uses only components which come free with Windows or with A-Shell, and which works well as long as your report file consists only of plain text, is to view it in a browser. You can create a pseudo-printer, which will wrap the report file with the necessary HTML codes for fixed-pitch display and launch the browser to display it, by setting up the following printer ini file:

COMMAND=SBX:HTMLP

	Compile into an SBX the source file [HTMLP.BP in SOSLIB:\[907,29\]](https://bitbucket.org/microsabio/soslib/src/master/907029/htmlp.bp), then copy it to BAS: to use it. See [Printer Configuration](printer_configuration.md) for further details on the COMMAND statement and on printer configuration in general.

•	If you wish to view the report and then send it on to other people, generating a PDF may be the best option. You simply send the report to a PDF "printer," which is not an actual printer but which acts like one from the perspective of A-Shell or any other program, and a PDF is created and possibly displayed. This method works with any kind of report, including ones with embedded graphics and/or GDI directives. You can use the original Acrobat PDF Writer from Adobe, the free PDF printer from Microsoft, or A-Shell's own (and recommended) PDF generator [PDFX](pdfx_pd.md).