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1 POSTER
poster - Scale and tile a postscript image to print on multiple pages
2 SYNOPSIS
SYNOPSIS
poster <options> infile
2 DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
_P_o_s_t_e_r 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.
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 pro-
gram does not really bother about the input file contents, it clearly works
for both black-and-white and color postscript.
To control its operation, you need to specify either the size of the
desired poster or a scale factor for the image:
- 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.
- 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.
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.
However _p_o_s_t_e_r 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.
The media to print on can be selected independently from the input image
size and/or the poster size. _P_o_s_t_e_r will determine by itself whether it is
beneficial to rotate the output image on the media.
To preview the output results of _p_o_s_t_e_r and/or to (re-)print individual
output pages, you should use a postscript previewer like ghostview(1).
2 OPTIONS
OPTIONS
-v Be verbose. Tell about scaling, rotation and number of pages.
Default is silent operation.
-f Ask manual media feed on the plotting/printing device, instead of using
its standard paper tray.
Default is adhering to the device settings.
-i <box>
Specify the size of the input image.
Default is reading the image size from the `%%BoundingBox' specification
in the input file header.
-m <box>
Specify the desired media size to print on. See below for <box>.
The default is set at compile time, being A4 in the standard package.
-p <box>
Specify the poster size. See below for <box>. Since _p_o_s_t_e_r will auto-
nomously choose for rotation, always specify a `portrait' poster size
(i.e. higher then wide).
If you don't give the -s option, the default poster size is identical to
the media size.
-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.
Default is deriving the scale factor to fit a given poster size.
-c <box> _o_r -c <number>%
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.
Default is 5%. Only when you specify identical poster and media sizes,
the default cut margin becomes 0, effectively removing the cutmarks.
-w <box> _o_r -w <number>%
Specify a white margin around the output image.
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'.
(This option is actually redundant, since you can obtain the same result
using -s or -i. However some might find this more convenient.)
Default is 0.
-o <outputfile>
Specify the name of the file to write the output into.
(Only added for those poor people who cannot specify output redirection
from their command line due to a silly OS.)
Default is writing to standard output.
The <box> mentioned above is a specification of horizontal and vertical
size. Only in combination with the `-i' option, the program also under-
stands the offset specification in the <box>.
In general:
<box> = [<multiplier>][<offset>]<unit>
with multipier and offset being specified optionally.
<multiplier> = <number>*<number>
<offset> = +<number>,<number>
<unit> = <medianame> or <distancename>
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'.
Distance names are like `cm', `i', `ft'.
2 EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
The following command prints an A4 input file on 8 A3 pages, forming an A0
poster:
poster -v -iA4 -mA3 -pA0 infile >outfile
The next command prints an eps input image on a poster of 3x3 Letter pages:
poster -v -mLet -p3x3Let image.eps > outfile
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
Enlarge a postscript image exactly 4 times, print on the default A4 media,
and let _p_o_s_t_e_r determine the number of pages required:
poster -v -s4 image.eps > outfile
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
2 PROBLEMS-&-QUESTIONS
PROBLEMS & QUESTIONS
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 uncare-
fully chosen factor, can easily lead to hazy edges and interference pat-
terns on the output. The solution is to provide _p_o_s_t_e_r with an exact scal-
ing 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).
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.
One way to obtain such numbers is previewing the original image with ghost-
view, and observing the coordinate numbers which it continually displays.
These numbers are in postscript units (points), named by _p_o_s_t_e_r as just
`p'.
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'.
If I ask for a 50x50cm poster, it always generates something bigger
Yes, probably. When specifying a desired output size with the `-p' option,
_p_o_s_t_e_r 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').
I want to keep the white space around the poster as in my original
_P_o_s_t_e_r 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 fac-
tor (with -s) or an explicit new margin (with -w).
2 POSTER-ASSEMBLY
POSTER ASSEMBLY
Our preferred method for the assembly of a poster from multiple sheets is
as follows:
- Arrange the sheets in the proper order on a large table or on the floor.
- Remove from all sheets, except from those in the leftmost column or bot-
tom row, their left and bottom cutmargin.
- In left-to-right and bottom-to-top order, glue the right (and top) cut-
margin and stick the right (and upper) neighbouring page on top of that.
- Turn the glued-together poster face bottom, and put adhesive tape on the
sheet edges (on the backside of the poster) for more strength.
- Remove the remaining cutmargin around the poster.
2 DEVICE-SETTINGS
DEVICE SETTINGS
For postscript level-2 capable printers/plotters, which is about all modern
postscript devices today, _p_o_s_t_e_r will send device settings in its output
file. This consists of a `setpagedevice' call, setting:
- the media size.
This is required for all printers I know to get correct behaviour on dif-
ferent media/picture sizes.
- duplexing off.
Some printers will otherwise perform double-side printing by default.
Clearly that is not what you want to print a poster.
- manual media feed.
This is given only when _p_o_s_t_e_r 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 environ-
ment.
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.
The settings thus passed in the postscript file, will affect the device for
this job only.
2 DSC-CONFORMANCE
DSC CONFORMANCE
_P_o_s_t_e_r 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.
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.
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 `ghost-
view' previewer and take useless space anyhow.
2 SEE-ALSO
SEE ALSO
ghostview(1)
2 CONTRIBUTED-BY
CONTRIBUTED BY
Jos van Eijndhoven (email: J.T.J.v.Eijndhoven@ele.tue.nl)
Design Automation Section (http://www.es.ele.tue.nl)
Dept. of Elec. Eng.
Eindhoven Univ of Technology
The Netherlands
24 August, 1995
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