1POSTER(1) General Commands Manual POSTER(1)
2
6 poster - Scale and tile a postscript image to print on multiple pages
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9 poster <options> infile
10
12 Poster can be used to create a large poster by building it from multi‐
13 ple pages and/or printing it on large media. It expects as input a
14 generic (encapsulated) postscript file, normally printing on a single
15 page. The output is again a postscript file, maybe containing multiple
16 pages together building the poster. The output pages bear cutmarks and
17 have slightly overlapping images for easier assembling. The input pic‐
18 ture will be scaled to obtain the desired size.
19 The program uses a brute-force method: it copies the entire input file
21 for each output page, hence the output file can be very large. Since
22 the program does not really bother about the input file contents, it
23 clearly works for both black-and-white and color postscript.
24 To control its operation, you need to specify either the size of the
26 desired poster or a scale factor for the image:
27 - Given the poster size, it calculates the required number of sheets to
29 print on, and from that a scale factor to fill these sheets optimally
30 with the input image.
31 - Given a scale factor, it derives the required number of pages from
33 the input image size, and positions the scaled image centered on this
34 area.
35 Its input file should best be a real `Encapsulated Postscript' file
37 (often denoted with the extension .eps or .epsf). Such files can be
38 generated from about all current drawing applications, and text proces‐
39 sors like Word, Interleaf and Framemaker.
40 However poster tries to behave properly also on more relaxed, general
41 postscript files containing a single page definition. Proper operation
42 is obtained for instance on pages generated by (La)TeX and (g)troff.
43 The media to print on can be selected independently from the input
45 image size and/or the poster size. Poster will determine by itself
46 whether it is beneficial to rotate the output image on the media.
47 To preview the output results of poster and/or to (re-)print individual
49 output pages, you should use a postscript previewer like ghostview(1).
50
53 -v Be verbose. Tell about scaling, rotation and number of pages.
54 Default is silent operation.
55 -f Ask manual media feed on the plotting/printing device, instead of
57 using its standard paper tray.
58 Default is adhering to the device settings.
59 -i <box>
61 Specify the size of the input image.
62 Default is reading the image size from the `%%BoundingBox' specifi‐
63 cation in the input file header.
64 -m <box>
66 Specify the desired media size to print on. See below for <box>.
67 The default is set at compile time, being A4 in the standard pack‐
68 age.
69 -p <box>
71 Specify the poster size. See below for <box>. Since poster will
72 autonomously choose for rotation, always specify a `portrait' poster
73 size (i.e. higher then wide).
74 If you give neither the -s nor the -p option, the default poster
75 size is identical to the media size.
76 -s <number>
78 Specify a linear scaling factor to produce the poster. Together
79 with the input image size and optional margins, this induces an out‐
80 put poster size. So don't specify both -s and -p.
81 Default is deriving the scale factor to fit a given poster size.
82 -c <box> or -c <number>%
84 Specify the cut margin. This is the distance between the cutmarks
85 and the paper edge. If the output is really tiled on multiple
86 sheets, the cut marks indicate where to cut the paper for assembly.
87 This margin must be big enough to cover the non-printable margin
88 which almost all printers have. For <box> see below.
89 Default is 5%. Only when you specify identical poster and media
90 sizes, the default cut margin becomes 0, effectively removing the
91 cutmarks.
92 -w <box> or -w <number>%
94 Specify a white margin around the output image.
95 In the `ideal' situation (when an input `eps' file specifies an
96 exact BoundingBox in its header), the output image will be scaled
97 exactly to the edges of the resulting poster (minus cut margin). If
98 you desire a certain margin to remain around the picture after
99 poster assembly, you can specify this with `-w'.
100 (This option is actually redundant, since you can obtain the same
101 result using -s or -i. However some might find this more conve‐
102 nient.)
103 Default is 0.
104 -C <number>
106 Select the clipping facilities you want to see on the page margin.
107 Clipping facilities are the cut marks, consisting of cut mark line,
108 cut mark arrow head and the grid labels.
109 The following bits in the argument represent one of the clipping
110 facilities:
111 bit 1 (value = 1): cutmark lines
112 bit 2 (value = 2): cutmark arrow heads
113 bit 3 (value = 4): grid label
114 Default is printing all clipping facilities.
115 -O <number>
117 Specify how many Postscript dots the content of the output pages
118 shall overlap.
119 Overlapping content makes it easier to glue together pages seam‐
120 lessly, but it consumes printing space.
121 Default is 6.
122 -P <pagespec>
124 Specify which pages of the poster to print. It consists of a comma-
125 separated list of single pages or page ranges (using the dash). The
126 order in which page number appears determines the final page order
127 in the result PostScript file. Page numbering starts at 1, from left
128 to right and bottom-up.
129 Examples: 1-2 or 1,3-4,7
130 -o <outputfile>
132 Specify the name of the file to write the output into.
133 (Only added for those poor people who cannot specify output redi‐
134 rection from their command line due to a silly OS.)
135 Default is writing to standard output.
136 The <box> mentioned above is a specification of horizontal and vertical
138 size. Only in combination with the `-i' option, the program also
139 understands the offset specification in the <box>.
140 In general:
141 <box> = [<multiplier>][<offset>]<unit>
142 with multipier and offset being specified optionally.
143 <multiplier> = <number>x<number>
144 <offset> = +<number>,<number>
145 <unit> = <medianame> or <distancename>
146 Many international media names are recognised by the program, in upper
148 and lower case, and can be shortened to their first few characters, as
149 long as unique. For instance `A0', `Let'.
150 Distance names are like `cm', `i', `ft'.
151
154 The following command prints an A4 input file on 8 A3 pages, forming an
155 A0 poster:
156 poster -v -iA4 -mA3 -pA0 infile > outfile
157 The next command prints an eps input image on a poster of 3x3 Letter
159 pages:
160 poster -v -mLet -p3x3Let image.eps > outfile
161 The next command enlarges an eps input image to print on a large-media
163 A0 capable device, maintaining 2 inch margins:
164 poster -v -mA0 -w2x2i image.eps > outfile
165 Enlarge a postscript image exactly 4 times, print on the default A4
167 media, and let poster determine the number of pages required:
168 poster -v -s4 image.eps > outfile
169 Scale a postscript image to a poster of about 1 square meter, printing
171 on `Legal' media, maintaining a 10% of `Legal' size as white margin
172 around the poster. Print cutmark lines and grid labels, but don't print
173 cut mark arrow heads.
174 poster -v -mLegal -p1x1m -w10% -C5 infile.ps > outfile
175
178 I get a blurry image and/or interference patterns
179 If your input file contains -or consists of- pixel images (as opposed
180 to just vector data which is essentially resolution independent), you
181 might have this problem. Such pixel images are normally made to fit
182 well to standard 300 (or 600) dpi devices. Scaling such a picture with
183 an uncarefully chosen factor, can easily lead to hazy edges and inter‐
184 ference patterns on the output. The solution is to provide poster with
185 an exact scaling factor (with the -s option), chosen as an integer. If
186 integer scaling is unpractical for your purpose, choose a fractional
187 number made from a small integer denominator (2, 3, 4).
188 Can I select only a small part of a given input picture?
190 Yes, for this purpose you can define both the size (width and height)
191 and offset (from left and bottom) of a window on the input image.
192 Specify these numbers as argument to a `-i' command line option.
193 One way to obtain such numbers is previewing the original image with
194 ghostview, and observing the coordinate numbers which it continually
195 displays. These numbers are in postscript units (points), named by
196 poster as just `p'.
197 Poster doesn't seem to work properly, output pages are empty
199 The major cause for poster not to work correctly, is giving it post‐
200 script files which don't conform to proper 'eps' behaviour. Try
201 whether your application (or printer driver) cannot generate real
202 'encapsulated postscript'.
203 If I ask for a 50x50cm poster, it always generates something bigger
205 Yes, probably. When specifying a desired output size with the `-p'
206 option, poster first determines an array of sheets to cover such an
207 area. Then it determines a scale factor for the picture to fill these
208 sheets upto their edge. As result your requested size is used as rough
209 guess only. If you want an exact output size, specify the scaling fac‐
210 tor yourself with the `-s' option (and omit the `-p').
211 I want to keep the white space around the poster as in my original
213 Poster will as default use the input image bounding box, and
214 scale/translate that to the edges of your poster. If the program which
215 generated your input file specifies an exact and tight %%BoundingBox,
216 you will indeed loose your white margin. To keep the original margin,
217 specify a `-i' option with as argument the papersize on which the orig‐
218 inal document was formatted (such as `-iA4'). Alternatively specify a
219 smaller scale factor (with -s) or an explicit new margin (with -w).
220
223 Our preferred method for the assembly of a poster from multiple sheets
224 is as follows:
225 - Arrange the sheets in the proper order on a large table or on the
227 floor.
228 - Remove from all sheets, except from those in the leftmost column or
230 bottom row, their left and bottom cutmargin.
231 - In left-to-right and bottom-to-top order, glue the right (and top)
233 cutmargin and stick the right (and upper) neighbouring page on top of
234 that.
235 - Turn the glued-together poster face bottom, and put adhesive tape on
237 the sheet edges (on the backside of the poster) for more strength.
238 - Remove the remaining cutmargin around the poster.
240
243 For postscript level-2 capable printers/plotters, which is about all
244 modern postscript devices today, poster will send device settings in
245 its output file. This consists of a `setpagedevice' call, setting:
246 - the media size.
248 This is required for all printers I know to get correct behaviour on
249 different media/picture sizes.
250 - duplexing off.
252 Some printers will otherwise perform double-side printing by default.
253 Clearly that is not what you want to print a poster.
254 - manual media feed.
256 This is given only when poster was executed with the `-f' command
257 line option. This is a convenient feature if you want to print your
258 job on different media than normally installed in the paper tray, and
259 you are submitting your job through a multi-user networking and
260 spooling environment.
261 These settings cause proper device behaviour, without the need to manu‐
263 ally interact with the printer settings, and has been here locally
264 tested to work on devices like the HP300XL and HP650C.
265 The settings thus passed in the postscript file, will affect the device
267 for this job only.
268
271 Poster will generate its own DSC header and other DSC lines in the out‐
272 put file, according the `Document Structuring Conventions - version
273 3.0', as written down in the `Postscript Language Reference Manual, 2nd
274 ed.' from Adobe Systems Inc, Addison Wesley Publ comp., 1990.
275 It will copy any `%%Document...' line from the input file DSC header to
277 its own header output. This is used here in particular for required
278 nonresident fonts.
279 However the copy(s) of the input file included in the output, are
281 stripped from all lines starting with a `%', since they tend to disturb
282 our `ghostview' previewer and take useless space anyhow.
283
286 ghostview(1)
287
290 Jos van Eijndhoven (email: J.T.J.v.Eijndhoven@ele.tue.nl)
291 Design Automation Section (http://www.es.ele.tue.nl)
292 Dept. of Elec. Eng.
293 Eindhoven Univ of Technology
294 The Netherlands
295 24 August, 1995
296 POSTER(1)