[Gvsig_english] R: TIP - Using ImagePrinter to print maps to JPEG format (Windows Only)

[Simon Cropper (Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd)]

Silvio,

I currently use PDF-Xchange and swear by it. I find it so much better 
than Acrobat Reader.

I had not noted the functionality that you mentioned before but found 
the Export Feature under the File menu.

Personally this falls in the same area as GSView - one extra step 
between pressing print and being able to suck the JPEG into OpenOffice. 
The more manipulation involved with getting a map into suitable format 
the more image degradation, more steps and configuration to remember, etc.

Personally I would like to have this functionality incorporated into 
gvSIG. If the program exports to PS and PDF, I presume it would not take 
much to export to image formats.

That aside, as I don't see an update anytime soon, ImagePrinter 
simplifies the process. Once setup to meet your needs it is quite 
useful. For example, you can point it to a project directory (e.g. 
M:\JOBS\), give a prefix for a file sequence (e.g. SiteMap_), reset the 
counter (all able to be done quite quickly) then hit print, print, 
print, print and print in gvSIG and have the output (i.e. SiteMap_1, 
SiteMap_2, SiteMap_3, SiteMap_4, SiteMap_5) appear in the designated 
directory. The only real setup is ensuring you map's margins and printer 
margins match and the compression ratio produces the right level of 
resolution and suitable file size (a once off event that would be needed 
to be done for any program, personally I found 60% compression for JPEG 
the best balance between resolution and size).

If I use PDF-Xchange Viewer or GSView or other program the workflow goes 
like this. Export to PS or PDF, Pick Name and Directory, (repeat for 
each map; as gvSIG defaults to desktop despite having a project 
directory specified you need to drill down the directory tree to the 
correct location), open the file in the program and export, delete the 
PS or PDF Files. The former workflow seems simpler to me. Both are 
apparently using the same methodology just rebadged in different ways.

As I said, hopefully gvSIG v2 will have this functionality.

Cheers Simon

Simon Cropper
Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 160, Sunshine, Victoria 3020.
P: 9311 5822. M: 041 830 3437.
mailto: scropper at botanicusaustralia.com.au 
<mailto:scropper at botanicusaustralia.com.au>
web: www.botanicusaustralia.com.au <http://www.botanicusaustralia.com.au>


On 6/01/2010 9:26 PM, silvio grosso wrote:
> Hi Simon,
>
> First of all THANKS a lot very much for all the testing you are doing on gvSIG 1.9 :-)
>
>    
>> Simon Cropper wrote:
>> For those people interested, I am currently preparing a
>> tutorial that  will eventually be posted on my website
>>      
> Having good tutorials in English for gvSIG 1.9 is really, really important.
> I am totally sure many users are looking for them right now.
> Consequently, keep them coming :-)
>
> Maybe, in the end, some power-user will write a book in English about gvSIG 1.9.
> Something like the book "Getting to know ArcGIS" and like.
> Having such a book, for sale, e.g. on Amazon, will prove really useful for spreading gvSIG furthermore.
> Needless to say, it could be useful for the writer bank's account as well ;-)
>
>    
>> Anyone who knows of a program with comparable functionality
>> that can run
>> on either of these systems please let me know
>>      
> I don't know if you already know it but I could suggest you a good software for exporting pdf file to jpeg.
> It runs on Windows.
> Its name is: Pdf-Xchange viewer and it is freeware (not open-source, though).
> Its webpage is: http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer
> There is even the portable version for Windows (no privilege as administrator required to install it).
> The link to get the portable version is: http://www.docu-track.com/downloads/users/
> As regards Linux, I run without major problems, the commercial version (which allow to crop your pdf, delete its pages, export some pages etc).
> This through Wine, on Ubuntu Karmic.
> You can use Pdf-Xchange viewer, at work, even for commercial use.
>
> With such a software you can export the gvSIG Map PDF as image (e.g. as jpeg, tiff, png etc, etc).
> Pdf-xchange viewer (portable or not), in my view, is much powerful than Acrobat reader (the freeware version).
> This in that it allows you, for instance, to draw arrows, circles, squares on your Pdf Map.
> You can write some text; you can highlight it, underline it and so forth.
> Its main advantage is that is is easy to use (no "geek" knowledge is required).
> As I have explained, it is free (even though not open-source, unfortunately!)
>
> Best regards and thanks again for your upcoming tutorials
>
> Silvio
>
>
>
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