Method and apparatus for displaying database information according to a specified print layout and page format

A system and method are described for outputting display information according to a print layout defining a set of display items on a page and relative position assignments for the display items on the page, and a separate and distinct page format describing a physical page and a set of virtual pages on the physical page. Means are provided for selecting the print layout from a set of print layouts and the page format from a set of page formats. After the print layout and page format are selected, a view processor fills the set of pages defined in the page format with print information corresponding to the set of display items described within the selected print layout. A print output generator thereafter generates device-specific display data for rendering the physical page containing the filled set of virtual pages constructed by the view processor according to the print layout and page format and a designated output device.