Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!ncar!ico!ism780c!haddock!news
From: news@haddock.ima.isc.com (overhead)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Printing Gray scale picture on LaserWriter?
Message-ID: <16806@haddock.ima.isc.com>
Date: 6 Jun 90 16:54:57 GMT
References: <19845.266C6141@stjhmc.fidonet.org>
Reply-To: suitti@anchovy.UUCP (Stephen Uitti)
Organization: Interactive Systems Co
Lines: 52

In article <19845.266C6141@stjhmc.fidonet.org> Leo.Bores@f14.n114.z1.fidonet.org (Leo Bores) writes:
>In an article of <30 May 90 18:43:49 GMT>, ksuzuki@caen.engin.umich.edu 
>(KATSUYUKI SUZUKI ) writes:
> KS>Hi, everyone. I have question about printing grey scale picture on 
> KS>Laser
> KS>Printer. I have gray scale PICT format picture,(it is density plot) and 
> KS>
> KS>I pasted that file to MS Word 4.0, and printed to Laser Writer, since
> KS>Laser Printer can print gray scale. It looked fine on the monitor, but
> KS>when it was printed,the picture looked so awful. 
>
LB>It is doubtful that you will be able to obtain what you are looking
LB>for on a 300 dpi printer.
[stuff about using a variable pitch printer...]

I posted about using Digital Darkroom before.  Yes, it is true
that a 300 DPI printer isn't going to get you photo quality.
Yes, it is true that a Linotronics 1200 DPI or better printer
will be better (magazine picture quality).  Without knowing what
you need, I've no idea if it will do it for you.  In Boston, you
can bring a disk to a self-serve shop and use their
phototypesetter for something like $10/page.  I did this for a
business card master once.

I think of halftoning this way: take a grey pixel, create a 4 x 4
dot matrix to correspond to it (you get 17 greys, white, and one
grey for each additional dot.  Avoid patterns with neighbors by
rearranging dots).

I've done several 8 1/2 x 11 newsletters.  I scan stuff at 75
dpi, 32 grays (Thunderscan), then halftone them.  This is enough
information for a 300 dpi halftone (it basically gives you 75 dpi
with 17 grays).  Sometimes I'll print the pictures at 150 dpi
(double size) so that it photocopies better.  Yes, this is only
(roughly) 38 DPI, 17 grays.  This is often "enough".

Other stuff I've done is 300 dpi halftones, 8 x 10 inches.
Basically full page.  It can look pretty good.  There are
enough dots.

Digital Darkroom gives you contrast, brightness, clipping, and
scaling options to allow you get the most out of a picture.  All
the painting, splicing, and effects are real nice, too.

Disclaimer, I don't work for Silicon Beach... I'm just a happy user.

Stephen.
suitti@ima.ima.isc.com

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