Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!sco!bobs
From: bobs@sco.COM (Bob Stayton)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Doubling Font sizes and Shrinking Photographically
Message-ID: <11882@scorn.sco.COM>
Date: 13 Nov 90 21:27:24 GMT
References: <17104@shlump.nac.dec.com> <48104@cornell.UUCP> <19458@oolong.la.locus.com>
Sender: news@sco.COM
Reply-To: bobs (Bob Stayton)
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation
Lines: 29


We have done a lot of "over size" printing on standard 300
dpi printers and then reducing it to 75% with the goal of
improving the resolution.  It certainly works, and the
results are quite a bit better than printing at the small
size (we are talking 10 pt finished size here).  But the
letters do *not* look the same as 300 dpi or even 600 dpi
letters printed directly in that size.  They look lighter,
thinner.  We noticed it once when we mixed stuff printed
large with text printed regular.  It was bad enough to
distract our readers when reproduced.  As long as you are
consistent in how you print, though, it should work.
It is weird always working in oversize dimensions, though.

Also, unless your finished page size is very small, you
won't get 600 dpi equivalent, which requires a reduction to
50%.  If you start with 8.5" x 11", a 50% reduction would
give 4.25" x 5.5", which is quite small (reduction goes in
both dimensions).  If, like us, you are printing on half
pages (5.5" x 8.5"), you will get about a 75% reduction
(divide the long dimension after reduction by the long
dimension before reduction: 8.5 / 11 = 77%) .

bobs
Bob Stayton                                 425 Encinal Street
Technical Publications                      Santa Cruz, CA  95060
The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.              (408) 425-7222
                                            ...!uunet!sco!bobs
/* I don't speak for my company and they don't speak for me. */