Topic Title

This may be a simple thing, or it may be something that no one else uses, but I'm going to ask anyway.

I've begun using the "Save as bitmap" option to save line drawings as .png files for use in brochures and the like. The bitmap saved is always the screen extent and always exactly the same pixel size. Problem is, this bitmap pixels out fairly quickly when you try to enlarge it, and the given size only prints well at about 5-1/2" wide. Is there a way to change the size of the resulting bitmap???

Thanks!

Sionned

If you are creating the brochures with Adobe Photoshop, you can export to a dwg and import that into Photoshop. It stay's vector and can be enlarged easily.

If you are not using Photoshop, I would print the drawing out to a pdf, open it in Adobe Reader, then zoom where your drawing is very large (upto 1600%), then use the snapshot tool to copy the image to the clipboard. Then paste the image into your image editor. Usually 200-600% works very well.

OK, I tried that. All I got were big blobs of purple, instead of the nice little black & white line drawings I was using. Any suggestions?

Sionned

Hello Sionned,

You can use the 'Save As...' .EMF (Windows Enhanced Metafile).
It keeps the sharp vectorial appearance you are looking for.

Enter on 'Print-Plot/Print-Plot" with layout, pens and scale set and see the 'Preview' of the print sheet.
Go to menu 'Save As...' and choose the file type: '.EMF'.

All you got on the 'preview' image will be available and can be easily adjusted on its dimensions inside MS Word or any other Windows application.
Insert it like an image file/figure.

Hope this helps.
Miguel

The Adobe Photoshop reads pdf export through the DataCAD plot.

I don't use Adobe Photoshop. I use Paintshop Pro. I tried making an EMF file, and got a lovely file, but of only one small corner of my drawing.

I'll keep working with it. So far, by making bitmaps ("save as bitmap") of each element, I can put together a decent composite. It is a bit of a pain, though! Any more ideas welcome.

Sionned

...I tried making an EMF file, and got a lovely file, but of only one small corner of my drawing.

Just pick a corner of the 'little' image and drag it diagonally. It can be freely scaled.

I'll keep working with it. So far, by making bitmaps ("save as bitmap") of each element, I can put together a decent composite. It is a bit of a pain, though! Any more ideas welcome.

I insist. Try EMF format of your whole drawing, and separately, with any single detail, as your wish. You can include bitmap images inserted in your drawing sheet. It works consistently.

Thanks,
Miguel

You seem to misunderstand. When I tried to make an EMF file *of the whole drawing* all I got was a (large) picture of only one small corner of the drawing. Click and drag does NOT give me any more of the picture. So far, I have been unable to make EMF work for a whole drawing. Weirdly, the preview shows it as the whole drawing, but when I load it, it is only one small corner.

...When I tried to make an EMF file *of the whole drawing* all I got was a (large) picture of only one small corner of the drawing.

Hello Sionned,
When you say "of the whole drawing" have you set the paper size and scale to define its entirety on the preview window ?
The .EMF file is created always with the full sheet set in the preview window, and this windows is dependent of paper size and plotting scale choosen.

Click and drag does NOT give me any more of the picture. So far, I have been unable to make EMF work for a whole drawing. Weirdly, the preview shows it as the whole drawing, but when I load it, it is only one small corner.

I can't reproduce this behavior here in my installation.

When you create a .PDF format, does it behaves the same ?
Perhaps if you try another printing scale the result can be different.

Thanks,
Miguel

Hello Sionned,
When you say "of the whole drawing" have you set the paper size and scale to define its entirety on the preview window ?
The .EMF file is created always with the full sheet set in the preview window, and this windows is dependent of paper size and plotting scale choosen.

As you instructed, I created a plot file of the entire drawing, looked at the preview (of the whole drawing) and used the menu to "save as " an EMF file. However, when I tried to open it in Paintshop, even though I could see the whole drawing it that preview, when it opened, it was only a small corner. Nothing else.

Sionned

Sionned,

Try to insert it into a MS Word document. It will behave better. Paint Shop Pro is a great image manager software. I use it, but it is not so good for creating brochures, as it is your target, as I can remind heared from you initialy.

Thanks,
Miguel

Well, actually, all I am doing is creating the images for the brochure. They will be given to someone else to use. At this point, I have finished this group of images, but I would still like to resolve the technique so that it won't take so long in the future.

Sionned

Even so, you should regard the brochure editor that is projected to be used.

While Paint Shop Pro is a very good image editor, AFAIK it is poor to manage vectorial images.
MS Word is great for large amount of text mixed with images, where you have solid layout abilities, but low capabilities for image edition. But it accepts fine the vectorial images, like in EMF format.
Corel Draw has strong abilities for image edition, and huge layout features mixed with text edition. Not large amounts of text, btw.

Perhaps you can prepare your images in the best shape in order with who will do the final edition.

Hope to have been of some help.

Thanks,
Miguel