mo@LBL-UNIX@sri-unix (08/05/82)
From: mo at LBL-UNIX (Mike O'Dell [system]) In any known printing process which works by transferring pigment onto paper, the max effective resolution is about 400 lines/inch. Note, this is a very analog process. There is an inherent integration and smoothing process which makes the dots disappear. As Henry Spencer said, the printers look at the originals which are silver-based photographic images under 100 power magnifiers and at 5000 lines/inch they will grudgingly admit they have a hard time seeing the jaggies. But maybe their point is well taken. While the physics of the transfer process (surface tension, mainly) tend to round-out and fill-in, there may be serious interaction. Maybe with smoother initial edges you get smoother edges on the final product. I haven't looked enough to know, and getting printers and typopgraphers to tell you such things objectively is VERY hard. Anyone out there have any first-hand experience? -Mike