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From: jdm@gssc.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Re: Laserwriter, PostScript, and Patterns
Message-ID: <360@gssc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Mar-87 20:38:22 EST
Article-I.D.: gssc.360
Posted: Thu Mar 26 20:38:22 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Mar-87 08:28:05 EST
References: <2302@cec2.UUCP> <345@gssc.UUCP> <465@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Reply-To: jdm@gssc.UUCP (John D. Miller)
Organization: Graphic Software Systems, Beaverton Or
Lines: 26
Summary: You must do it yourself

Originally, I replied to someone wanting to do pattern fills in PostScript
by saying that PostScript only fills area with "color."

Eric Fielding responded by saying that it could be done with the bitmap
imaging operator, which is true to the extent that it CAN be done this way, 
it just is not even close to being done for you.

PostScript does NOT have any direct support for filling an area with anything
other than a "color."  What Eric describes involves defining a "character"
with the bitmap pattern that you want and tiling the area you want filled and
temporarily setting the clipping path to the outline of the filled area.

This sucks.  Granted, if your only other choice is to send down the bits 
for the entire area, the tiling approach will be faster, but you've got some
programming to do.

My point was that native PostScript does not have built-in pattern filling.
You have to do it yourself, one way or the other.  As management would say,
"It's just a simple matter of programming."  =) =)


-- jdm
-- 
in real life:  John D. Miller, Graphic Software Systems, Inc., Beaverton OR
...!{tektronix!verdix}!sequent!gssc!jdm                      (503) 641-2200
...!mntgfx!gssc!jdm                          "Roger.  Go with throttle up."