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diff --git a/support/poster/poster.1 b/support/poster/poster.1 new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..9957a733ae --- /dev/null +++ b/support/poster/poster.1 @@ -0,0 +1,314 @@ +.TH POSTER 1 +.fi +.SH NAME +poster \- Scale and tile a postscript image to print on multiple pages +.SH SYNOPSIS +.in +7n +.ti -7n +poster <options> infile +.in -7n +.SH DESCRIPTION +\fIPoster\fP can be used to create a large poster by building it +from multiple pages and/or printing it on large media. +It expects as input a generic (encapsulated) postscript +file, normally printing on a single page. +The output is again a postscript file, maybe containing multiple pages +together building the poster. +The output pages bear cutmarks and have slightly overlapping images +for easier assembling. +The input picture will be scaled to obtain the desired size. +.P +The program uses a brute-force method: it copies the entire input +file for each output page, hence the output file can be very large. +Since the program does not really bother about the input file contents, +it clearly works for both black-and-white and color postscript. +.P +To control its operation, you need to specify either the size +of the desired poster or a scale factor for the image: +.TP 2n +- +Given the poster size, it calculates the required number of sheets +to print on, and from that a scale factor to fill these sheets optimally with the +input image. +.TP +- +Given a scale factor, it derives the required number of pages from the input +image size, and positions the scaled image centered on this area. +.P +Its input file should best be a real `Encapsulated Postscript' file +(often denoted with the extension .eps or .epsf). +Such files can be generated from about all current drawing applications, +and text processors like Word, Interleaf and Framemaker. +.br +However \fIposter\fP tries to behave properly also on more relaxed, +general postscript files containing a single page definition. +Proper operation is obtained for instance on pages generated +by (La)TeX and (g)troff. +.P +The media to print on can be selected independently from the input image size +and/or the poster size. \fIPoster\fP will determine by itself whether it +is beneficial to rotate the output image on the media. +.P +To preview the output results of \fIposter\fP and/or to (re-)print individual +output pages, you should use a postscript previewer like ghostview(1). + +.ne 5 +.SH OPTIONS +.TP 3n +-v +Be verbose. Tell about scaling, rotation and number of pages. +.br +Default is silent operation. +.TP +-f +Ask manual media feed on the plotting/printing device, +instead of using its standard paper tray. +.br +Default is adhering to the device settings. +.TP +-i <box> +Specify the size of the input image. +.br +Default is reading the image size from the `%%BoundingBox' specification +in the input file header. +.TP +-m <box> +Specify the desired media size to print on. See below for <box>. +.br +The default is set at compile time, being A4 in the standard package. +.TP +-p <box> +Specify the poster size. See below for <box>. +Since \fIposter\fP will autonomously choose for rotation, +always specify a `portrait' poster size (i.e. higher then wide). +.br +If you don't give the -s option, the default poster size is identical to the +media size. +.TP +-s <number> +Specify a linear scaling factor to produce the poster. +Together with the input image size and optional margins, this induces +an output poster size. So don't specify both -s and -p. +.br +Default is deriving the scale factor to fit a given poster size. +.TP +-c <box> \fIor\fP -c <number>% +.br +Specify the cut margin. This is the distance between the cutmarks and +the paper edge. If the output is really tiled on multiple sheets, +the cut marks indicate where to cut the paper for assembly. +This margin must be big enough to cover the non-printable margin which almost +all printers have. For <box> see below. +.br +Default is 5%. Only when you specify identical poster and media sizes, +the default cut margin becomes 0, effectively removing the cutmarks. +.TP +-w <box> \fIor\fP -w <number>% +.br +Specify a white margin around the output image. +.br +In the `ideal' situation (when an input `eps' file specifies an exact +BoundingBox in its header), the output image will be scaled exactly to +the edges of the resulting poster (minus cut margin). If you desire +a certain margin to remain around the picture after poster assembly, +you can specify this with `-w'. +.br +(This option is actually redundant, since you can obtain the same result +using -s or -i. However some might find this more convenient.) +.br +Default is 0. +.TP +-o <outputfile> +Specify the name of the file to write the output into. +.br +(Only added for those poor people who cannot specify output redirection +from their command line due to a silly OS.) +.br +Default is writing to standard output. +.P +The <box> mentioned above is a specification of horizontal and vertical size. +Only in combination with the `-i' option, the program also understands the +offset specification in the <box>. +.br +In general: + <box> = [<multiplier>][<offset>]<unit> +.br +with multipier and offset being specified optionally. + <multiplier> = <number>*<number> +.br + <offset> = +<number>,<number> +.br + <unit> = <medianame> or <distancename> +.P +Many international media names are recognised by the program, in upper and lower case, +and can be shortened to their first few characters, as long as unique. +For instance `A0', `Let'. +.br +Distance names are like `cm', `i', `ft'. + +.ne 5 +.SH EXAMPLES +The following command prints an A4 input file on 8 A3 pages, forming an A0 +poster: + poster -v -iA4 -mA3 -pA0 infile >outfile + +.ne 3 +The next command prints an eps input image on a poster of 3x3 Letter pages: + poster -v -mLet -p3x3Let image.eps > outfile + +.ne 3 +The next command enlarges an eps input image to print on a +large-media A0 capable device, maintaining 2 inch margins: + poster -v -mA0 -w2x2i image.eps > outfile + +.ne 3 +Enlarge a postscript image exactly 4 times, print on the default A4 media, +and let \fIposter\fP determine the number of pages required: + poster -v -s4 image.eps > outfile + +.ne 6 +Scale a postscript image to a poster of about 1 square meter, printing +on `Legal' media, maintaining a 10% of `Legal' size as white margin +around the poster. + poster -v -mLegal -p1x1m -w10% infile.ps >outfile + +.ne 5 +.SH "PROBLEMS & QUESTIONS" +.SS "I get a blurry image and/or interference patterns" +If your input file contains -or consists of- pixel images (as opposed +to just vector data which is essentially resolution independent), +you might have this problem. +Such pixel images are normally made to fit well to standard 300 (or 600) dpi devices. +Scaling such a picture with an uncarefully chosen factor, +can easily lead to hazy edges and interference patterns on the output. +The solution is to provide \fIposter\fP with an exact scaling factor +(with the -s option), chosen as an integer. If integer scaling is +unpractical for your purpose, +choose a fractional number made from a small integer denominator (2, 3, 4). +.SS "Can I select only a small part of a given input picture?" +Yes, for this purpose you can define both the size (width and height) +and offset (from left and bottom) of a window on the input image. +Specify these numbers as argument to a `-i' command line option. +.br +One way to obtain such numbers is previewing the original image with +ghostview, +and observing the coordinate numbers which it continually displays. +These numbers are in postscript units (points), +named by \fIposter\fP as just `p'. +.SS "Poster doesn't seem to work properly, output pages are empty" +The major cause for poster not to work correctly, is giving it +postscript files which don't conform to proper 'eps' behaviour. +Try whether your application (or printer driver) cannot generate +real 'encapsulated postscript'. +.SS "If I ask for a 50x50cm poster, it always generates something bigger" +Yes, probably. When specifying a desired output size with the `-p' option, +\fIposter\fP first determines an array of sheets to cover such an area. +Then it determines a scale factor for the picture to fill these sheets upto +their edge. As result your requested size is used as rough guess only. +If you want an exact output size, specify the scaling factor yourself +with the `-s' option (and omit the `-p'). +.SS "I want to keep the white space around the poster as in my original" +\fIPoster\fP will as default use the input image bounding box, and +scale/translate that to the edges of your poster. +If the program which generated your input file specifies an exact and tight +%%BoundingBox, you will indeed loose your white margin. +To keep the original margin, specify a `-i' option with as argument the papersize +on which the original document was formatted (such as `-iA4'). +Alternatively specify a smaller scale factor (with -s) or an explicit new +margin (with -w). + +.ne 4 +.SH "POSTER ASSEMBLY" +Our preferred method for the assembly of a poster from multiple sheets +is as follows: +.TP 2n +- +Arrange the sheets in the proper order on a large table or on the floor. +.TP +- +Remove from all sheets, except from those in the leftmost column or +bottom row, their left and bottom cutmargin. +.TP +- +In left-to-right and bottom-to-top order, glue the right (and top) cutmargin +and stick the right (and upper) neighbouring page on top of that. +.TP +- +Turn the glued-together poster face bottom, and put adhesive tape on the sheet +edges (on the backside of the poster) for more strength. +.TP +- +Remove the remaining cutmargin around the poster. + +.ne 4 +.SH "DEVICE SETTINGS" +For postscript level-2 capable printers/plotters, which is about all modern postscript +devices today, \fIposter\fP will send device settings in its output file. +This consists of a `setpagedevice' call, setting: +.TP 2n +- +the media size. +.br +This is required for all printers I know to get correct +behaviour on different media/picture sizes. +.TP +- +duplexing off. +.br +Some printers will otherwise perform double-side printing by default. +Clearly that is not what you want to print a poster. +.TP +- +manual media feed. +.br +This is given only when \fIposter\fP was executed with the `-f' +command line option. This is a convenient feature if you want to print +your job on different media than normally installed in the paper tray, +and you are submitting your job through a multi-user networking and +spooling environment. +.P +These settings cause proper device behaviour, without the need to +manually interact with the printer settings, and has been here locally +tested to work on devices like the HP300XL and HP650C. +.P +The settings thus passed in the postscript file, will affect the device +for this job only. + +.SH "DSC CONFORMANCE" +\fIPoster\fP will generate its own DSC header and other DSC lines +in the output file, according the `Document Structuring Conventions - version +3.0', +as written down in the `Postscript Language Reference Manual, 2nd ed.' from +Adobe Systems Inc, Addison Wesley Publ comp., 1990. +.P +It will copy any `%%Document...' line from the input file DSC header to its +own header output. This is used here in particular for required nonresident +fonts. +.P +However the copy(s) of the input file included in the output, +are stripped from all lines starting with a `%', since they tend to +disturb our `ghostview' previewer and take useless space anyhow. + +.SH "SEE ALSO" +ghostview(1) + +.SH "CONTRIBUTED BY" +.nf +.na +Jos van Eijndhoven (email: J.T.J.v.Eijndhoven@ele.tue.nl) +Design Automation Section (http://www.ics.ele.tue.nl) +Dept. of Elec. Eng. +Eindhoven Univ of Technology +The Netherlands +24 August, 1995 + + + + + + + + + + + |