[comp.sys.next] Difficulties with IB and PS

bcs.jim@pro-angmar.UUCP (Jim Rinaldo) (02/24/91)

In-Reply-To: message from gessel@ilium.cs.swarthmore.edu

Dan and others doing PostScript with the NeXT: has anyone else
noticed the following?
 
Build a simple IB app with a bunch of browser objects, buttons, whatever in
it.
Make the app so that it has a print menu. link the print menu to the created
window (with the browser, buttons, whatever) so that you can print and print
to disk.
 
run the app and print the window to disk. Take a look at the code in YAP.
 
Why is it that IB generates binaries for some parts of the window and PS for
others? Why isn't it "pure."
 

This question comes up because the publication of documentation with screen
dumps IN THEORY should be resolution independent. But, due to IB impurities,
it is not (along with every app for screen shooting is doing Tiffs).
 
What's the problem? Well, if you try to imageset this, it looks like crap. The
distortion patterns (moires) look crappy. I understand this happening when one
is working with tiff images or EPS images with binary info in them; I
understand it happening when people are doing alpha-channel graphics (if I
have this wrong it is because I am still learning the cube) that have opacity
setting that are not possible in PS.
 
But I sure the heck don't understand it when it is happening in areas of
windows, (where the sliders are) and other fundimental window elements. It
seems that it is just do to people designing part of IB with tiffs or bitmap
graphics, instead of using PS code.
 
What do you think?
 
Please correct me if I am mistaken. Again, I am new to the Cube, but feel this
really shoots down some claims about "ultimate pub platform" if the docs come
out screwy.

Jim Rinaldo
Editor, Computer-Aided Publishing Solutions (CAPs)
The Boston Computer Society
BCS: (617) 367-8080, FAX: 367-8530
 
pro-angmar!BCS.Jim@alfalfa.com

scott@erick.gac.edu (Scott Hess) (02/26/91)

In article <649.next.net@pro-angmar> bcs.jim@pro-angmar.UUCP (Jim Rinaldo) writes:
   Build a simple IB app with a bunch of browser objects, buttons, whatever
   in it.  Make the app so that it has a print menu. link the print menu to
   the created window (with the browser, buttons, whatever) so that you can
   print and print to disk.

   run the app and print the window to disk. Take a look at the code in YAP.

   Why is it that IB generates binaries for some parts of the window and P
   for others? Why isn't it "pure."

This really has nothing to do with InterfaceBuilder.  All of the binaries
will be coming from View (and View subclasses) within the window that
output bitmaps and the like.  For instance, the close/miniaturize buttons
use bitmaps.  As does the scroll-bar and the up/down buttons on the
scroller (or left/right for horizontal ones).  If you don't use them,
no problem.  If you _really_ REALLY need pure .eps there, you'd probably
have to roll your own (in general, it's alot simpler and more efficient
to use the bitmaps, esp when moving the scroller and stuff around.

   What's the problem? Well, if you try to imageset this, it looks like
   crap. The distortion patterns (moires) look crappy. I understand this
   happening when one is working with tiff images or EPS images with
   binary info in them; I understand it happening when people are doing
   alpha-channel graphics (if I have this wrong it is because I am still
   learning the cube) that have opacity setting that are not possible in PS.

What are you printing with?  300dpi output doesn't look so good, in
general.  NeXT printers do well, but not everyone has them.  Sigh.

   But I sure the heck don't understand it when it is happening in areas
   of windows, (where the sliders are) and other fundimental window
   elements. It seems that it is just do to people designing part of IB
   with tiffs or bitmap graphics, instead of using PS code.

For many of the graphics, you should get postscript.  For instance, with
Buttons, you'll be entirely postscript unless you place a bitmap in
it, in which case you'll have some bitmap data, also.  Same with most
everything else.

   Please correct me if I am mistaken. Again, I am new to the Cube, but
   feel this really shoots down some claims about "ultimate pub platform"
   if the docs come out screwy.

This isn't all that big of a deal for desktop publishing.  Generally,
you won't be using screen shots/dumps.  Well, for most docs you certainly
wouldn't.  Of course, the NeXT documentation sort of has to, for obvious
reasons.  And documentation for a program on the NeXT has good reason
to, also.  But doing the page layout for a newsletter, or setting up
a newspaper/magazine really has little if any requirements for anything
but straight .eps code (you should be using ps-clipart and the like,
anyhow, right?).

Later,
--
scott hess                      scott@gac.edu
Independent NeXT Developer	GAC Undergrad
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