For other than very simple, default style reports, you must always specify values for .pagewidth, .pagelength, .leftmargin, and .rightmargin. If you do not specify these and other print positions explicitly, Report-Writer determines default positions from an analysis of your other report formatting statements. The results can or cannot compare favorably to your expectations. For an explanation of how Report-Writer determines default positioning values, see Automatic Determination of Default Settings on page 235.

Within a single line, you must specify .position and non‑relative .tab statements in ascending order, from left to right:

Specifying these statements in a different order can cause Report-Writer to calculate an incorrect right margin, which could result in unexpected wrapping or truncation of text.