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Overview of Bitmapped Images
A printed image is formed through a series of dots. Each square on the grid
below represents a dot on the printhead. The graphic image is created by
blackening dots in a specific pattern. You can print varying shades of gray
according to the concentration of dots on the image. When the dots are
printed together, the end result is a graphic image.
Determining a Method
You can use one of two methods to map out your graphic image:
Hex Method The dot sequences are segmented into binary numbers
and then converted to hex numbers.
A graphic using gray-scaling, several slanted lines, or
several vertical lines typically translates more efficiently
with hex representation.
Run Length
Encoding Method
The dot sequences are segmented into black and white
strings within a row. The total count of each white string
is converted to a lower-case letter, corresponding to
numeric value. The total count of each black string is
converted to an uppercase letter, corresponding to
numeric value. This method can reduce imaging time
for graphics that contain repetitive rows of dots. A
graphic with horizontal lines or very few white-to-black
borders typically translates more efficiently with run
length encoding.
The most efficient encoding method depends on how complicated your
graphic image is and whether or not imaging time is a concern. You may
want to experiment with both encoding methods to get optimal performance.
4-2 Creating Graphics