On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 00:10:01 +0100, Wookey wrote > I used to have > scale 1 2000 > base-scale 1 1000 > > in my layout. That worked OK, but the symbols were very small and > the text was microscopic.
They were printed in 1/2 size because of base-scale setting. > So I added > code metapost > fonts_setup(10,16,20,24,28) > > And that made the text a sensible size. > > I just changed base scale to read > base-scale 1 2000 > > which makes the symbols a much more sensible size, but makes the > text too big. If the base-scale is equal the scale, it has no effect (such as 1:1 photocopy) . The text was large because of your fonts_setup setting. > My understanding of these two values is that scale sets the scale of > the output (i.e how big the final PDF sheet is in map mode, or how > many sheets in atlas mode) , whilst base-scale 'has the same effect > as if the map printed in base-scale would be photreduced to the > scale' (quote from thbook) You may forget the base-scale if the default settings work well. We introduced the base-scale to make it possible to do simple adjustments to the size of symbols used without the need of metapost programming (e.g. when symbols appear too big in the 1:400 scale, but OK in 1:200 scale, it's enough to set base-scale 1 200 and scale 1 400 and I get map in 1:400 scale with symbols proportionally as large as on 1:200 map) > But if it was photoreduced then the fonts and symbol size shouldn't change. I think photocopy 1:2 changes everything to be 1/2 smaller > So I am confused about how this should work. When would I ever want scale > and base-scale to be different? Why does changing base-scale effect > the size of symbols and text? See above. If therion gives you suitable symbol sizes, use only scale setting. If not, experiment with base-scale or redefine metapost. > On a related point I tried doing an atlas version with the defaults (i.e. > 1:200) and get loads of 'number too big errors' from metafont. > > I can see why such a scale is a problem in map mode (page larger > than PDF can manage), but in atlas mode the page size is limited to > A4 (or whatever) - so why can I not print an atlas (with a lot of > sheets) showing the system in high detail? Is it a fundamental > problem of the way the PDFs are generated or can it be fixed? An additional limitation is the size of a picture, which can metapost process -- it's about 2.8 m. Each scrap is processed separately in one picture, so it means, that each scrap must be smaller than 2.8 * 2.8 m _in the output scale_. I don't think it's a big issue unless you try to draw the whole cave in one scrap. (At 1:100 scale a scrap can contain 280*280 m section of the cave). Atlas size (and SVG map size) is unlimited. Martin