Greetings: We're still using MapInfo Pro 4.52 under NT4. We use a HP5SI printer
driver to print from MapInfo to a PS file. Take the PS file into Acrobat Distiller
and produce a PDF file. This results in a very, very small shift in colors and not
any other changes that I've noticed viewing the PDF in Acrobat on my monitor.
BUT, printing the PDF to a HPColor4500 and comparing that hardcopy to a hardcopy
printed from MapInfo directly on the same printer, you notice differences. The color
shift is more noticeable, but not bad. The big problem for me is the crosshatch
patterns are very different. When viewed on the monitor, the PDF version's
crosshatches are OK, seem to be exactly like the MapInfo original, both composed of
fine medium gray lines laid over solid colors. When printed, some of the PDF's
crosshatch lines are so faint they can't be seen without a magnifying glass but others
within the same polygon are OK, in no discernable pattern.
I'm still looking for a good way to get a very high resolution Layout containing
complex maps and lots of text from MapInfo into a form that be inserted into apps like
Word or Quark and become part of the master document without losing text or having
fonts change or having font sizes change or having line,polygon or fill attributes
change or some of the map missing completely or ...... . Bitmaps like TIFFs maintain
integrity OK but when exported at huge sizes just don't have the resolution even when
scaled down to something smaller than the original.
>From the discussion on this list and other places, it seems printing to an EPS file
>is the way to go. I'm trying to get our Info Sys Div. people to install a printer
>driver with EPS capabilities on my PC. They are sometimes slow to respond to such
>request, and always very touchy about what is added to their "standard
>configuration". We've had a lot crash problems seemingly caused by subtle
>incompatibility problems. And, I'm prohibited from adding anything myself that is
>remotely executable to my PC.
EPS files seem to be a "standard" file format that can contain complex graphics and
text, and be recognized by a wide variety of apps (like Word and Quark), printer
drivers and printers. I'm still trying to find out if there is more than one EPS
format. My concern stems from experiences with the various TIFF formats.
The long term answer seems to be to use MapInfo to develop the "information" in your
map layers with thematics or whatever is needed to get your information across without
bothering too much about point, line or polygon attributes, or titles and other such
"text", then take those layers into Illustrator or Freehand via MaPublisher. Do the
"art" part of cartography there. Any graphics app will give you much more control
over the appearance of your map. MaPublisher allows you take a lot of different
GIS/CAD/Cartography type files into Illustrator (usually maintaining any underlying
data), and gives you some GIS type capabilities while working within Illustrator using
the very powerful graphics tools there. And, Illustrator seems to be able to export
in a lot of different formats.
I have both Illustrator 8 and the latest MaPublisher, but I just can't find the time
to learn enough about Illustrator to find out if it will solve my problems, or just
present a new set.
Every once in a while I feel the need to vent a bit about these weaknesses in MapInfo,
just to keep in front of MapInfo and the L.
Good luck. Keep us posted. ,,,,Bob
Robert Karr Phone: 517-373-3028
Science Research Assistant FAX: 517-373-0171
Science and Technology Division
Legislative Service Bureau
Michigan State Legislature
124 West Allegan Street, 4th Floor
pob 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
USA
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