Image Capture and Print Utility
Users Guide
Version 1.0
Prepared by
Michael L. Davis
Software Farm, Inc.
July 14, 1991
Image Capture and Print Utility
Users Guide
.c.Introduction;
This application allows the user to get images from the
video screen, to display and to interactively place and
modify these images, and to convert them into data that can
later be printed on a one of a number of supported printers.
The user of the application can specify what area of
the video screen to 'grab' by selecting a window, by
interactively rubberbanding a box to select an area, or by
selecting the entire screen. An Application Programmer
Interface (API) is available for other applications to
likewise access the internal functionality of this
application.
This application can get images from any video screen
containing any number and type of windows and user interface
objects as long as they are running on the X Window System.
This then includes any window of any X Window application,
any OSF/Motif application, any Xt application, and even an
OpenLook application.
The application contains an editor which displays the
images, in their current position and color, in correct
proportion on an image of a (reduced-size) piece of paper.
The user can then interactively drag images around the
"page".
Options are available that permit editing the color to
gray-scale mapping and choosing among various methods of
dithering.
Images can be reloaded after saving and then changed
and saved in a different printer format.
Printers supported include printers supporting:
1. HP-Printer Control Language:
a. HP LaserJet laser printers (all models)
b. Most clones of the HP printers.
c. Many others.
2. PostScript:
a. Apple LaserWriters.
b. QMS PS 810, 820.
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c. TI MicroLaser.
d. Canon LJB.
e. Many others.
3. Color HP-Printer Control Language:
a. HP PaintJet.
b. DEC LJ250 Companion.
c. Many others.
4. Color PostScript:
a. QMS ColorScript.
b. Seiko ColorScript.
c. NEC ColorMate.
d. Many others.
.c.The Main Window;
The main window offers the user both a standard
application interface with easy access to commonly used
functions and immediate feedback about the current
appearance of the page being constructed.
.c.The Main Window Menubar;
The main window menubar provides access to the
printable image library, to common editing functions, to the
image placement and attribute forms, and to the default
image attributes.
.c.The Files Menu;
1. New
Create a new page of images.
2. Open...
Posts a modeless selection box dialog with the
list of names of existing pages of images. The
user selects a name of an previously saved page
from the list of names in the selection box. There
are then two operations available to users of this
menu: the 'Open' operation and the 'Load'
operation.
The 'Open' button removes any images currently in
the main window editor, updates the main window
settings to be those of the selected image, and
then loads the image. This operation may cause a
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warning dialog to be displayed, asking the user to
ok/cancel the removal of images from the editor.
The 'Load' button loads the selected image and
adds it to any other images already in the editor.
The current editor settings remain as they were
and are applied to the image when it is loaded.
Any image may be loaded as often as desired.
3. Save
Saves the currently opened page of images.
4. Save As
Saves the currently opened page of images under a
new name. A dialog box prompts the user for the
new name. If this new name conflicts with an old
name, a Warning dialog is posted asking the user
to confirm loss of data.
5. Delete...
Posts a modeless selection box with the list of
names of existing pages of images. The user
selects a name and selects the 'Delete' button.
This operation may be repeated as often as
desired.
6. Save Settings
Saves the current default settings as indicated by
the radio and toggle buttons in the menubar (see
below). The settings include the appearance
attributes and printer configuration.
7. Reload Settings
Loads the current default settings as indicated by
the radio and toggle buttons in the menubar (see
below). The default settings are automatically
loaded when the application is first started.
8. Exit
Ends the application and all windows associated
with it. Prompts the user to save any unsaved
changes if necessary.
.c.The Edit Menu;
1. Redraw
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Redraw editor which includes the page, its
margins, and all images.
2. Center
Center the selected images within the page.
3. Clear
Removes the selected images from the page. The
images are not deleted from disk if they have been
previously saved. If the images haven't been
previously saved or have been changed, the user is
asked to confirm the permanent loss of data by a
Warning dialog.
4. Clear All
Removes all images from the page. The images are
not deleted from disk if they have been previously
saved. If the images haven't been previously saved
or have been changed, the user is asked to confirm
the permanent loss of data by a Warning dialog.
5. Placement...
Toggles the posting of the Placement form.
.c.The Capture Menu;
The mouse pointer appears as a pointing finger during
the capture operations. The user then clicks on the left
mouse button to execute the operations. The images that are
captured are then displayed in the center of the editor.
1. Window
The user clicks on the window whose image is
desired.
2. Area
The user moves the mouse pointer to a corner of
the area on the screen whose image is desired. The
user then clicks the left mouse button and then
moves the mouse pointer to the opposite corner of
the desired area. A rubberbanding rectangle is
drawn which outlining the current boundaries of
the area. The user then clicks the left mouse
button again to complete this operation. If any
key is pressed between the start and end of the
area capture operation, the operation is
terminated and no area is captured.
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3. Fullscreen
Any displayed windows of the Print Utility are
immediately hidden. The user the clicks on the
left mouse button causing the entire screen to be
captured as an image.
.c.The Appearance Menu;
This menu displays and allows the user to modify the
default image resolution and colors. All newly captured
images automatically inherit the default resolution and
color processing. All presently displayed images are
likewise converted to the new attributes unless the
attributes are locked in place (lock is set in the
attributes form).
1. Minimum The minimum resolution supported by
the printer.
2. 75 dots per inch
3. 90 dots per inch
4. 100 dots per inch
5. 150 dots per inch
6. 180 dots per inch
7. 300 dots per inch
8. Maximum The maximum resolution supported by
the printer.
9. Black & White
10. Black & White and 3 gray
11. Black & White and 15 gray
12. Color
13. Attributes... Toggles the posting of the
Attributes form.
.c.The Printer Menu;
This menu displays and allows the user to modify the
default printer type, orientation and size. All newly
captured images automatically inherit the default printer
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type, orientation and size. Changing the value of any of the
items causes the visual appearance of the editor and the
images displayed in the editor to be updated. For example, a
color image will appear to change to black and white when
the printer setting is changed from color PostScript to
ordinary (black and white) PostScript.
1. "HP LaserJet (and compatibles)"
2. "HP PaintJet (and compatibles)"
3. "PostScript"
4. "Color PostScript"
5. "Encapsulated PS"
6. "Color EPS"
1. Portrait
Indicates that the orientation of the paper is to
be portrait (that the paper is taller than it is
wide).
2. Landscape
Indicates that the orientation of the paper is to
be landscape (that the paper is wider than it is
tall).
3. Letter
Indicates that the paper is to be letter sized (8
1/2 inches by 11 inches).
4. Legal
Indicates that the paper is to be legal sized (8
1/2 inches by 14 inches).
.c.The Help Menu;
The help menu is not implemented at this time.
.c.The Main Window Editor;
The main window editor occupies all of the window
underneath the menubar. It displays the current page (i.e.
current piece of paper in the correct orientation and aspect
ratio) and the current images on that page. The images
displayed in the editor accurately reflect the printed
appearance and size relative to the actual printed page.
The top, bottom, left and right margins are displayed
as black strips on the sides of the page. Note that these
margins often are necessary because the actual printer
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hardware cannot print near the edges of a piece of paper.
The margins are not adjustable by the user in this release
of the application.
When an image is 'captured' it is immediately displayed
in the editor on the image of the page. This displayed image
is the original image after it has been adjusted is
accordance with the gray scale and resolution options as
specified in the menubar.
The images can be interactively moved by positioning
the mouse pointer over the image and pressing and holding
down the left mouse button while moving the mouse.
.c.Selecting Images and Manipulating Selected Images;
Selected images can be manipulated in several different
ways. They can be moved, changed or removed.
An image can be selected by positioning the mouse
pointer over the image and clicking the left mouse button.
Clicking the left mouse button over the image again
deselects the image.
The positions of selected images can be changed by use
of the Placement Form as well as the 'Center' option in the
'Edit' pulldown menu. They can also be interactively moved
with the mouse as described above.
The current selected image (which is the most recently
selected image) can have its appearance altered by use of
the Attributes Form.
Selected images may be removed from the page by
selecting the 'Clear' option also in the 'Edit' pulldown
menu.
.c.The Image Attributes Form;
The Attributes Form allows the user to alter and tailor
the appearance of the most recently selected image. The form
is displayed by selecting the 'attributes...' toggle button
in the 'Appearance' pulldown of the menubar.
The attribute options provide easy and expressive
methods of applying the built in image processing
capabilities to an image. They facilitate the user by
allowing him/her to experiment with the images to determine
and obtain the most aesthetically appealing printer output.
.c.The Color to Gray Scale Options;
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The Color to Gray Scale Options offer the ability to
the user to choose how, if at all, to convert the original
color image to a black and white image suitable for
printing. This implies that there must be some kind of image
processing applied to an image. This processing is usually
some kind of dithering.
1. Black And White.
Half of the original colors are mapped to white,
half to black.
The size of the image remains the same.
2. Black and White and 3 Gray Colors.
Each color is mapped to black, white or its
(algorithimically determined) closest matching
gray color that can be formed from a 2-by-2 square
patch of dots.
The width and height of the image both double.
3. Black and White and 15 Gray Colors.
Each color is mapped to black, white or its
(algorithmically determined) closest matching
gray color that can be formed from a 4-by-4 square
patch of dots.
The width and height of the image are both
increased to 4 times the original.
4. Color.
The original colors of the image are not processed
or changed in any way. Note that the option can
also be applied to a black and white image.
The size of the image remains the same.
.c.Resolution (Dots per Inch);
The Resolution radio buttons offer the ability to the
user to choose what resolution at which to print an image.
Note that increasing the resolution of an image:
1. Increases the quality of the printed image,
2. Reduces the size of the printed image,
(Note that size change is indeed reflected in the
main window
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page editor).
3. Darkens the image somewhat.
.c.The Current Image Area;
The Current Image area displays the current image in a
scrollable window. The drawn image is not scaled. Each dot
in this window corresponds to a dot on the to-be-printed
page. The image has been adjusted according to the type of
dithering and exact color-to-gray-scale mapping as indicated
by the radio buttons and the 'Color to Gray Scale Mapping'
area.
.c.The Color to Gray Scale Mapping Area;
The Color to Gray Scale Mapping image area displays the
current dithering pattern (i.e. gray color) that corresponds
to each color which occurred in the original image. The gray
color that is to be printed in place of an original color
can be changed. This is accomplished by positioning the
mouse cursor on top of a original color or it's
corresponding gray color and clicking the left mouse button.
Each click cycles the gray color to the next possible shade
that is available with the current dithering radio button
setting. If the click occurs on the original color the
corresponding gray color becomes lighter, if the click
occurs on the original color the corresponding gray color
becomes darker.
.c.The Lock Option;
The 'Lock in current attributes' toggle button offers
the ability to the user to choose to prohibit any changes
outside of the attributes form from affecting the current
image. This means that changing the settings in the main
window pulldown menus will have no affect on the current
image.
.c.The Image Placement Form;
The Placement Form allows the user to specify the
relative positions of the selected images; either to each
other or to the page as a whole. The form is displayed by
selecting the 'placement...' toggle button in the 'Edit'
pulldown of the menubar.
The placement options provide easy and exact methods of
arranging single and multiple images in commonly desired
orientations and configurations. They facilitate the user by
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allowing him/her to experiment with the images to determine
and obtain their most desirable positions.
The Placement Form options are:
1. Center.
Positions the center of selected images as a group
in the center of the margins of the page. The
position of the images relative to each other is
not changed.
2. Center Horizontally.
Positions the center of selected images as a group
in the middle between the left and right margins
of the page. The position of the images relative
to each other is not changed.
3. Center Vertically.
Positions the center of selected images as a group
in the middle between the top and bottom margins
of the page. The position of the images relative
to each other is not changed.
4. Align Left.
Positions each of the selected images so that
their left edge is coincident with the left edge
of the leftmost image. This causes the images to
be arranged in a column and is similar to the
left-justification used in text processors.
5. Align Right.
Positions each of the selected images so that
their right edge is coincident with the right edge
of the rightmost image. This causes the images to
be arranged in a column and is similar to the
right-justification used by text processors.
6. Align Top.
Positions each of the selected images so that
their top edge is coincident with the top edge of
the topmost image. This causes the images to be
arranged in a row.
7. Align Bottom.
Positions each of the selected images so that
their bottom edge is coincident with the bottom
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edge of the bottommost image. This causes the
images to be arranged in a row.
8. Stagger Alignment.
Positions each of the selected images in a
diagonal pattern in a stair-like manner down the
page from the upper left to the lower right. If
there are too many images for the diagonally
oriented images to fit on the page, the images
that would be forced off the page are positioned
as close as possible to the correct, diagonal
position, and still have all of the image on the
page.
The images are placed, in order top-to-bottom (and
therefore left-to-right) in the same sequence as
they were originally selected. If a different
ordering is desired, the images may be deselected
and then selected in a different, more suitable
order.
.c.Glossary;
Image A rectangular pattern, either color or
black and white.
Dither A process by which color dots are
replaced by patterns of black-and-white
dots.
Gray Scale A method by which colors are replaced by
various shades of gray. Similar to Black
and White TV.