Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!hplabs!felix!trwrb!cadovax!keithd
From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Re: The trouble with the Amiga
Message-ID: <1262@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Dec-86 13:33:51 EST
Article-I.D.: cadovax.1262
Posted: Tue Dec 16 13:33:51 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Dec-86 03:52:59 EST
References: <1257@cadovax.UUCP> <1118@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> <1119@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Reply-To: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Organization: Contel Business Systems, Torrance, CA
Lines: 55

In article <1119@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> carolyn@cbmvax.UUCP (Carolyn Scheppner) writes:
>   I don't think it was "programmer laziness".  A non-aspected pixel 
>for pixel dump distorts the aspect ratio of the original image.  The 
>printout will be stretched in either X or Y (depending on the res of
>the display screen).  Fonts are stretched, the Clock becomes an oval,
>etc. 
>   This was probably viewed as not desirable and therefore not
>offered as an option.
>Carolyn Scheppner -- CBM   >>Amiga Technical Support<<

Well, that may be, but it dosen't change the fact that I can't get decent
font printing out of DPaint.  Stretched fonts are better than ones that
have random horizontal lines duplicated in them.  At least with stretched
fonts, I can build a new font that dosen't look so stretched, with DPaint I
I have to look for a different printing program that isn't so limited that
it won't allow me to output them 'stretched'.

Maybe I'm using the wrong tool to do the job, but right now, DPaint is one
of the few programs that allows me to combine text and graphics and color
on screen and on paper.  So far though, I haven't been able to get satisfactory
hardcopy of anything that includes text (graphics is great though).  I'll
try the screen dump program you posted a while back (I'm sure I have it around
here somewhere) and see if that will help.

I realize that so far, the Amiga concentrates primarily on VIDEO output.
That is why I bought an Amiga.  I'm interested in that too.  I've always
felt that the computer ought to eliminate the need for paper.  Unfortunately,
I've found that most computers GENERATE more paper than they eliminate.
And, there are times when paper is what I need (about twice a year).  I have
come to expect that a computer (any computer) CAN do the trick (after all,
if it can talk RS-232 it ought to be able to do anything with any printer
right?).  

Perhaps Amiga programmers are so caught up in getting their screen to look
FANTASTIC (and it usually does) to remember that maybe someone might like
to see a decent approximation on paper.  And with deadlines, it's easy to
see how these 'peripheral' features might suffer for lack of testing.

It would seem that the best way to minimize this sort of problem is
AWARENESS.  Magazine reviewers should spend the time to test packages
with printers if possible, to give us an idea as to how a package performs
on paper as well as on the screen (assuming it is that sort of package).
Particularly word processors, any reviewer who only checks it out on the
screen is not doing his job as far as I'm concerned.

As a general question for all of you out there, what successes/failures
have you had with various packages when trying to print out fonted text
with graphics?  How does Deluxe Print do?  Aegis Images?  Have you figured
out how to do it satisfactorily from your own 'C' or Basic program?  Used
various screen-dumper programs?  Which one works best/worst?

Keith Doyle
#  {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd
#  cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa
"Inquiring minds want to know"