~ubuntu-branches/ubuntu/intrepid/poster/intrepid : revision 1

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.TH POSTER 1

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.fi

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.SH NAME

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poster \- Scale and tile a postscript image to print on multiple pages

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.SH SYNOPSIS

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.in +7n

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.ti -7n

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poster <options> infile

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.in -7n

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.SH DESCRIPTION

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\fIPoster\fP can be used to create a large poster by building it

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from multiple pages and/or printing it on large media.

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It expects as input a generic (encapsulated) postscript

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file, normally printing on a single page.

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The output is again a postscript file, maybe containing multiple pages

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together building the poster.

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The output pages bear cutmarks and have slightly overlapping images

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for easier assembling.

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The input picture will be scaled to obtain the desired size.

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.P

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The program uses a brute-force method: it copies the entire input

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file for each output page, hence the output file can be very large.

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Since the program does not really bother about the input file contents,

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it clearly works for both black-and-white and color postscript.

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.P

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To control its operation, you need to specify either the size

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of the desired poster or a scale factor for the image:

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.TP 2n

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-

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Given the poster size, it calculates the required number of sheets

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to print on, and from that a scale factor to fill these sheets optimally with the

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input image.

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.TP

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-

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Given a scale factor, it derives the required number of pages from the input

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image size, and positions the scaled image centered on this area.

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.P

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Its input file should best be a real `Encapsulated Postscript' file

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(often denoted with the extension .eps or .epsf).

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Such files can be generated from about all current drawing applications,

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and text processors like Word, Interleaf and Framemaker.

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.br

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However \fIposter\fP tries to behave properly also on more relaxed,

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general postscript files containing a single page definition.

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Proper operation is obtained for instance on pages generated

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by (La)TeX and (g)troff.

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.P

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The media to print on can be selected independently from the input image size

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and/or the poster size. \fIPoster\fP will determine by itself whether it

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is beneficial to rotate the output image on the media.

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.P

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To preview the output results of \fIposter\fP and/or to (re-)print individual

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output pages, you should use a postscript previewer like ghostview(1).

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.ne 5

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.SH OPTIONS

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.TP 3n

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-v

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Be verbose. Tell about scaling, rotation and number of pages.

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.br

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Default is silent operation.

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.TP

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-f

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Ask manual media feed on the plotting/printing device,

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instead of using its standard paper tray.

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.br

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Default is adhering to the device settings.

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.TP

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-i <box>

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Specify the size of the input image.

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.br

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Default is reading the image size from the `%%BoundingBox' specification

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in the input file header.

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.TP

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-m <box>

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Specify the desired media size to print on. See below for <box>.

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.br

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The default is set at compile time, being A4 in the standard package.

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.TP

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-p <box>

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Specify the poster size. See below for <box>.

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Since \fIposter\fP will autonomously choose for rotation,

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always specify a `portrait' poster size (i.e. higher then wide).

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.br

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If you don't give the -s option, the default poster size is identical to the

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media size.

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.TP

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-s <number>

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Specify a linear scaling factor to produce the poster.

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Together with the input image size and optional margins, this induces

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an output poster size. So don't specify both -s and -p.

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.br

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Default is deriving the scale factor to fit a given poster size.

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.TP

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-c <box> \fIor\fP -c <number>%

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.br

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Specify the cut margin. This is the distance between the cutmarks and

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the paper edge. If the output is really tiled on multiple sheets,

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the cut marks indicate where to cut the paper for assembly.

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This margin must be big enough to cover the non-printable margin which almost

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all printers have. For <box> see below.

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.br

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Default is 5%. Only when you specify identical poster and media sizes,

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the default cut margin becomes 0, effectively removing the cutmarks.

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.TP

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-w <box> \fIor\fP -w <number>%

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.br

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Specify a white margin around the output image.

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.br

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In the `ideal' situation (when an input `eps' file specifies an exact

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BoundingBox in its header), the output image will be scaled exactly to

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the edges of the resulting poster (minus cut margin). If you desire

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a certain margin to remain around the picture after poster assembly,

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you can specify this with `-w'.

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.br

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(This option is actually redundant, since you can obtain the same result

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using -s or -i. However some might find this more convenient.)

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.br

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Default is 0.

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.TP

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-o <outputfile>

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Specify the name of the file to write the output into.

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.br

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(Only added for those poor people who cannot specify output redirection

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from their command line due to a silly OS.)

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.br

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Default is writing to standard output.

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.P

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The <box> mentioned above is a specification of horizontal and vertical size.

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Only in combination with the `-i' option, the program also understands the

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offset specification in the <box>.

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.br

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In general:

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.br

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with multipier and offset being specified optionally.

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.br

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.br

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.P

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Many international media names are recognised by the program, in upper and lower case,

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and can be shortened to their first few characters, as long as unique.

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For instance `A0', `Let'.

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.br

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Distance names are like `cm', `i', `ft'.

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.ne 5

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.SH EXAMPLES

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The following command prints an A4 input file on 8 A3 pages, forming an A0

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poster:

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poster -v -iA4 -mA3 -pA0 infile >outfile

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.ne 3

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The next command prints an eps input image on a poster of 3x3 Letter pages:

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poster -v -mLet -p3x3Let image.eps > outfile

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.ne 3

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The next command enlarges an eps input image to print on a

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large-media A0 capable device, maintaining 2 inch margins:

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poster -v -mA0 -w2x2i image.eps > outfile

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.ne 3

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Enlarge a postscript image exactly 4 times, print on the default A4 media,

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and let \fIposter\fP determine the number of pages required:

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poster -v -s4 image.eps > outfile

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.ne 6

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Scale a postscript image to a poster of about 1 square meter, printing

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on `Legal' media, maintaining a 10% of `Legal' size as white margin

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around the poster.

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poster -v -mLegal -p1x1m -w10% infile.ps >outfile

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.ne 5

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.SH "PROBLEMS & QUESTIONS"

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.SS "I get a blurry image and/or interference patterns"

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If your input file contains -or consists of- pixel images (as opposed

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to just vector data which is essentially resolution independent),

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you might have this problem.

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Such pixel images are normally made to fit well to standard 300 (or 600) dpi devices.

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Scaling such a picture with an uncarefully chosen factor,

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can easily lead to hazy edges and interference patterns on the output.

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The solution is to provide \fIposter\fP with an exact scaling factor

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(with the -s option), chosen as an integer. If integer scaling is

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unpractical for your purpose,

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choose a fractional number made from a small integer denominator (2, 3, 4).

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.SS "Can I select only a small part of a given input picture?"

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Yes, for this purpose you can define both the size (width and height)

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and offset (from left and bottom) of a window on the input image.

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Specify these numbers as argument to a `-i' command line option.

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.br

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One way to obtain such numbers is previewing the original image with

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ghostview,

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and observing the coordinate numbers which it continually displays.

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These numbers are in postscript units (points),

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named by \fIposter\fP as just `p'.

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.SS "Poster doesn't seem to work properly, output pages are empty"

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The major cause for poster not to work correctly, is giving it

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postscript files which don't conform to proper 'eps' behaviour.

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Try whether your application (or printer driver) cannot generate

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real 'encapsulated postscript'.

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.SS "If I ask for a 50x50cm poster, it always generates something bigger"

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Yes, probably. When specifying a desired output size with the `-p' option,

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\fIposter\fP first determines an array of sheets to cover such an area.

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Then it determines a scale factor for the picture to fill these sheets upto

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their edge. As result your requested size is used as rough guess only.

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If you want an exact output size, specify the scaling factor yourself

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with the `-s' option (and omit the `-p').

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.SS "I want to keep the white space around the poster as in my original"

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\fIPoster\fP will as default use the input image bounding box, and

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scale/translate that to the edges of your poster.

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If the program which generated your input file specifies an exact and tight

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%%BoundingBox, you will indeed loose your white margin.

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To keep the original margin, specify a `-i' option with as argument the papersize

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on which the original document was formatted (such as `-iA4').

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Alternatively specify a smaller scale factor (with -s) or an explicit new

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margin (with -w).

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.ne 4

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.SH "POSTER ASSEMBLY"

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Our preferred method for the assembly of a poster from multiple sheets

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is as follows:

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.TP 2n

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-

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Arrange the sheets in the proper order on a large table or on the floor.

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.TP

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-

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Remove from all sheets, except from those in the leftmost column or

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bottom row, their left and bottom cutmargin.

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.TP

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-

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In left-to-right and bottom-to-top order, glue the right (and top) cutmargin

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and stick the right (and upper) neighbouring page on top of that.

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.TP

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-

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Turn the glued-together poster face bottom, and put adhesive tape on the sheet

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edges (on the backside of the poster) for more strength.

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.TP

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-

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Remove the remaining cutmargin around the poster.

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.ne 4

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.SH "DEVICE SETTINGS"

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For postscript level-2 capable printers/plotters, which is about all modern postscript

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devices today, \fIposter\fP will send device settings in its output file.

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This consists of a `setpagedevice' call, setting:

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.TP 2n

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-

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the media size.

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.br

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This is required for all printers I know to get correct

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behaviour on different media/picture sizes.

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.TP

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-

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duplexing off.

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.br

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Some printers will otherwise perform double-side printing by default.

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Clearly that is not what you want to print a poster.

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.TP

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-

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manual media feed.

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.br

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This is given only when \fIposter\fP was executed with the `-f'

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command line option. This is a convenient feature if you want to print

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your job on different media than normally installed in the paper tray,

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and you are submitting your job through a multi-user networking and

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spooling environment.

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.P

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These settings cause proper device behaviour, without the need to

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manually interact with the printer settings, and has been here locally

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tested to work on devices like the HP300XL and HP650C.

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.P

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The settings thus passed in the postscript file, will affect the device

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for this job only.

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.SH "DSC CONFORMANCE"

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\fIPoster\fP will generate its own DSC header and other DSC lines

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in the output file, according the `Document Structuring Conventions - version

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3.0',

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as written down in the `Postscript Language Reference Manual, 2nd ed.' from

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Adobe Systems Inc, Addison Wesley Publ comp., 1990.

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.P

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It will copy any `%%Document...' line from the input file DSC header to its

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own header output. This is used here in particular for required nonresident

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fonts.

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.P

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However the copy(s) of the input file included in the output,

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are stripped from all lines starting with a `%', since they tend to

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disturb our `ghostview' previewer and take useless space anyhow.

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.SH "SEE ALSO"

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ghostview(1)

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.SH "CONTRIBUTED BY"

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.nf

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.na

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Jos van Eijndhoven (email: J.T.J.v.Eijndhoven@ele.tue.nl)

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Design Automation Section (http://www.ics.ele.tue.nl)

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Dept. of Elec. Eng.

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Eindhoven Univ of Technology

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The Netherlands

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24 August, 1995

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