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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:STAR::VATNE
Created:Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3726
Total number of notes:19516

2497.0. "PrintScreen/GrayShades -> coarse picture" by SUOSW4::WAGENBLAST (Abradradra) Thu Mar 22 1990 09:22

    Hi there,
    
    I tried to Print Screen with grey shades using VMS 5.3-1. The result is 
    a very coarse picture. You can't recognize anything on it. 
    
    It uses very big fields (approx. 0.1 x 0.1 inch), filling them with 
    various patterns to generate the gray shades. So the resulting 
    resolution is 10 dpi!!! This is ridiculous!!! It looks like the
    result of a monkey having hammered on a typewriter... (but it is not
    hamlet!).

    I POSTSCRIPTed, DDIFfed and SIXELed it, the result is the same.
    
    Will this be changed?
    
    Thomas Wagenblast
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2497.1DDIF::KROBINSONIcon do windowsThu Mar 22 1990 12:548
Invariably, when an image is dithered, it loses resolution.  So, the short 
answer to your question is no.

However, there are other, slower dithering algorithms where the dot pattern is
less obvious.  Some day, there may be a qualifier allowing you to choose
such algorithms from printscreen.  But this is not planned for the short term.

					kathy
2497.2KONING::KONINGNI1D @FN42eqFri Mar 23 1990 12:064
Why would you do dithering with PostScript, given that PostScript is perfectly
well capable of doing its own gray scale handling through halftone?

	paul
2497.3is it usable? Sounds not.AIRBAG::SWATKOElectrons are cheap. Trees are not.Mon Mar 26 1990 14:3014
.0
>    the resulting 
>    resolution is 10 dpi!!! This is ridiculous!!! It looks like the
>    result of a monkey having hammered on a typewriter... (but it is not
>    hamlet!).

.1
>there are other, slower dithering algorithms where the dot pattern is
>less obvious.  Some day, there may be a qualifier allowing you to choose
>such algorithms from printscreen.  But this is not planned for the short term.

Sounds as if the software is nearly unusable in it's current state.  You
might really consider bumping up it's priority if you expect people to USE
your software.
2497.4Unusable! Change or remove it!SUOSW4::WAGENBLASTAbradradraWed Mar 28 1990 02:4019
    Hi again!
    
    I simply want to have a dithering algorithm that uses smaller fields
    for dithering, for example a 4 x 4 dot field. If you have a 300 dpi
    printer, it still leaves you with a resolution of 75 dpi. In other
    words, the dithered fields would be 0.013 inches wide. Presently they
    are approx. 0.05 inches wide (according to my measurements):
    - Present algorithm:      * dithering fields .05 inches wide (16 x 16 dots?)
    			      * estimated 256 gray shades
    - Algorithm I would like: * dithering fields .013 inches wide (4 x 4 dots)
                              * 16 gray shades
    I think 16 gray shades should suffice, as you have not a stunning
    resolution here and so can't aim at professional imaging.
    I know the present algorithm is a sort of tradeoff between resolution
    and number of gray shades, but I think it is not the ideal compromise.
    It is really unusable! Either change it, or remove this feature totally!
    
    Still hopeful,
    Thomas
2497.5Good time for another QAR?AIRBAG::SWATKOElectrons are cheap. Trees are not.Wed Mar 28 1990 11:505
Sugg...Maybe you want to put in a QAR (HIGH priority) to be sure that
something gets done about it.  At a minimum, the resulting image from
PrintScreen must contain readable characters!

-Mike
2497.6Another QAR might helpCSC32::M_MURRAYThu Mar 29 1990 21:0314
    
    See QAR 3957 in the DECWINDOWS-IFT database.  (Not answered)
    
    CSSE generated a patch as a result of a CLD.  It is known as 
    DECW$PRINT$PATCH02_053 in the CSSE system, and is included in 
    CSCPAT_0110 in the CSC patch database (which fixes color printing).
    
    It was fixes the quality issues with SIXEL screen capture, provided
    that rotation and scaling are turned off.
    
    Please QAR this, as it continues to be an issue.
    
    -Mike
    
2497.7What is this patch solve ?EIGER::BRUGGERHansjoerg Brugger @RLE, CHThu Apr 26 1990 10:4612
>    CSSE generated a patch as a result of a CLD.  It is known as 
>    DECW$PRINT$PATCH02_053 in the CSSE system,...

Who is happy with this patch ????

I have a customer, who has the problem with the bad Print Screen quality 
with VMS 5.3. We installed this patch, but the quality was not better.

Does anybody believe, that this patch helps ?

regards
Hansjoerg
2497.8well, it is better than nothing!TOOLEY::B_WACKERThu Apr 26 1990 17:105
>Does anybody believe, that this patch helps ?

Not that I've heard of.  We're spr'ing it.  Why don't you, too?  For 
starters, color sixel comes out half the size of non-color, so I 
think we're probably getting too much of a good thing!