Printing from Chromoscape
Introduction / Customizing PDF files / Printing via PDF / Printing via GIF  / Assembling large printouts

Chromoscape includes the ability to generate either a PDF or GIF rendition of the graphic for printing. This document explains the options available for the output, viewing it on your platform, and sending it to a printer.

When you select Print Using PDF from Chromoscape's File menu, the following console appears. It allows you to specify the paper size and orientation, and to customize the size and appearance of the output.

The default paper size is (U.S.) letter (8-1/2"w x 11"d), and the default orientation is Portrait (vertical; Landscape = horizontal). The number of pages across and down is determined by the size, which is initially set to 100%; i.e., the scaling factor is based on a 10 point label font. The size can be scaled down to 30% (barely legible) and up to 200% (very large). The number of pages is recalculated automatically when you change the paper, orientation or size. This is shown just below the Orientation parameter setting in the console. (Note: if you change the map display, such as zooming it or hiding a tier while the pop-up is open, the number of pages will not change automatically. To reflect the change in the map, toggle one of the settings: for example, switch from portrait to landscape and back to portrait).

The option to print registration marks on multi-page maps is on by default. A registration mark is a printer's term for a small, thin cross-hair drawn in each corner which aids in cutting and overlapping the sheets of paper when assembling them together (these are printed only if there is more than one page). See the assembling large printouts section on assembling multi-page printouts for details.

The option to print in color is off by default. Turn this parameter on if you are printing to a color printer, and turn it off if you are printing to a black and white printer and do not want to see a stippling effect as a replacement for color.

You can control the option and mode by which to distinguish adjacent off-framework (intervaled element) tiers. By default, multitiered maps will have a light gray background behind every other tier. You can change that mode to a thin outline around each tier, or you can turn off the option, in which case adjacent tiers are not visually distinguished except by their titles.

From the Chromoscape PDF Generator console, pressing the button Generate PostScript creates a PDF of the entire graphic being displayed and sends it to your browser. Due to security constraints in the Java language, it cannot send it directly to your printer. If you have configured your browser so that it associates a PDF viewer with the type of file having the extension .pdf, then the file will be displayed in that viewer. Alternatively, the browser may display the file in a browser window, or it may download the unopened file to your "Attachments" folder, another default folder where downloaded files are sent, or to the desktop of your computer. The action is dependent upon how you have your browser configured to accept .pdf files. The .pdf file should be handled in the same way that other .pdf files are handled with your particular browser and operating system combination.

To set up this kind of helper application after you have acquired the appropriate software, go to the Preferences or Options section of your browser and follow the directions on how to set up a helper application. If no helper application is set up, then your browser may ask if you'd like to save the file, to which you should answer yes. You can print or view the file once it is saved on disk. PDFs (portable document files) are commonly read and limited to a certain extent using Adobe Acrobat. A free, read-only version of Acrobat can be downloaded here. A variety of software tools can be used to open and manipulate PDF files.

Note: Due to the non-standard style of PostScript created by Chromoscape, you will not be able to jump to a specific page or page backwards from within a PostScript viewer. Additionally, you will not be able to specify which pages to print; you must print the entire file.

When selecting "Print GIF Snapshot from the File button, the GIF Snapshot console appears. Select a layout option from the pop-up menu. Lanscape layout (width>length) is the preferred layout for most graphics. After clicking the Okay button, a new browser window will appear with the GIF shown in the window. Use the browser Print function to print the graphic. Most browsers also let you save the graphic as a .gif file, usually via the Save As browser menu option.

A registration mark is a small cross-hair that appears at the four corners of each page. The registration mark at the top left corner of each page --except for the top left-most page-- includes the page numbers. The registration mark appears at (2,4) in an x,y grid, i.e., 2nd page from the left, 4th page down. The 3 diagrams below show how to construct a poster from 6 sheets of paper.

Step 1:

Cut or fold along the registration marks on the top and left-hand sides of each page [except page (1,1)].

Step 2:

Move the cut areas onto the adjacent pieces of paper, using the registration marks and overlapping areas (shown here in red) to align them.

End result:

The result is a multi-page poster version of the map. The registration marks remain in view, but they are much smaller than shown in this picture.