Need Approach to Complex Printing Task

FROM : David Emme
DATE : Sat Jun 24 17:02:42 2006

I'm pretty well able to deal with multi-page printing where a page is 
effectively divided into an integral number of fixed-height "rows". 
However, I haven't been able to read or figure out a reasonable 
approach to more complex printing tasks.

I currently have a database app which needs to print reports where 
some of the database fields are text fields with arbitrary amounts of 
text in them. I want to print something which could be similar to the 
following, and spans multiple pages:

COLUMN 1          COLUMN 2                    COLUMN 3
blah              blah blah blah              blah blah blah
                                                blah bhah blah
                                                blah

blah blah          blah blah blah blah        blah blah blah
                    blah blah blah blah        blah
                    blah blah blah blah
                    blah blah

How does one approach such a printing problem?

TIA,
-Dave

--
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not
waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
    - Jack London