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Re: [ferret_users] improving fonts



First decide if it is bit-mapping or the font that is unattractive. There are different solutions depending on your answer:

1. If it's the bit-mapping, make postscript/pdf for presentation graphics. Use Fprint, then distill to produce perfect pdfs. In many cases the lines that look fine on screen are too thin in postscript/pdf. Either thicken them in the plot script or use some of the postscript-editing tools that have been discussed on this mailing list (for example http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/maillists/tmap/ ferret_users/fu_2006/msg00798.html). Another possibility is that your plots are too small, or you're trying to put too much text for the plot size, so the lettering is jagged because there aren't enough pixels to show it clearly. Make them bigger.

2. If it's the default Simplex Roman font, then see the font lists in the PPLUS users guide (http://ferret.pmel.noaa.gov/Ferret/ Documentation/Users_Guide/pplus_char_fonts.html). This has complete tables of all the fonts. (Also see the symbol fonts ..../ pplus_symbol_fonts.html). You can change the default font with PPL DFLTFNT @xx, where xx is one of the font abbreviations on the font pages. (Return to the original font with @as).

All Ferret graphics, including the lettering, are simply vector commands (try making some lettering very large to see the fonts in detail: On top of any plot: label/nou 0 0 -1 0 3 abcdef ). They are not saved in the output as the characters themselves, in which case they would be able to be anti-aliased by the display environment. That's inherent in the PPLUS graphics Ferret uses.

Billy K


On 31/08/2007, at 9:57 PM, John Graybeal wrote:

I find the default font presentation in ferret GIFs really unattractive (mostly due to the bit-mapping?). Is there any 'stock solution' that is automatable, easy and effective? I'm producing GIFs for presentation on the web.

I have looked at the FAQ on xfig but I'd like a ferret solution. Also am aware I can change fonts (but can't find any list of what I can change them to...), but would like to know if an answer is likely to await me there before going to trial and error.

John
--
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John Graybeal   <mailto:graybeal@xxxxxxxxx>  -- 831-775-1956
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Marine Metadata Initiative: http://marinemetadata.org || Shore Side Data System: http://www.mbari.org/ssds



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