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ElixirImage

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User Guide

June 1999

Version 4.00

Elixir Technologies Corporation P.O. Box 1559 Ojai, CA 93024

June 1999 Version 4.00 Printed in the United States of America

Trademarks and Service Marks/Company: Elixir/Elixir Technologies Corporation

HP, PCL, LaserJet/Hewlett Packard Company IBM, Personal Computer, AT, PS/2, AFP, and all other IBM products mentioned in this publication are trademarks of International Business Machines IRMA/Digital Communications Associations, Inc. Logitech/Logitech, Inc. MS-DOS, Microsoft Mouse, Windows/Microsoft Corporation Norton Utilities/Symantec Corporation PaintBrush/Z-Soft Corporation

All other product names and trade names used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright protection claimed includes all forms and matters of copyrightable material and information now allowed by statutory or judicial law or hereinafter granted, including without limitation, material generated from the software programs which is displayed on the screen such as icons, screen display looks, etc.

Changes are periodically made to this document. Changes, technical inaccuracies, and typographic errors will be corrected in subsequent editions.

Table of contents

1. Introduction 1-1

Customer support 1-1 Elixir training 10 ElixirImage environment 10 Who should use this guide 1-3 Conventions 1-3

Display conventions 1-3 Typographical conventions 12

Mouse operations 1-5 On-line Help 14 Organization of this Guide 16 Installation 1-9 Starting ElixirImage 1-9 Exiting ElixirImage 18

2. ElixirImage basics 2-1

Overview 2-1 ElixirImage and other Elixir products 2-2

Interconnectivity examples 2-3 ElixirImage features 2-4

Overview of features 2-5

Menu bars 2-5 Toolbox 2-7 Toolbar 2-9 Message area 2-10

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Using ElixirImage 2-10

Configuring the system 2-11

Usage switches 2-11 Configurable colors 2-13 System information 2-14 Reset to defaults 2-14

Save configuration 2-14 Loading an existing image 2-14 Displaying image attributes 2-17 Editing and saving an image 2-17 Creating a new image 2-19 Resetting an image 2-21 Refreshing the screen 2-21 Proof-printing an image 2-21 Additional features 2-23

3. Displaying and drawing an image 3-1

Displaying an image 3-1

View settings 3-2

Magnification 3-2

Reduction/print size 3-4

Using the drawing tools 3-5

FG button 3-5 BG button 3-5 Pattern button 3-6 GO button 3-6 Border width 3-6 Border style 3-7 Line 3-7 Curve 3-9 Box 3-11 Ellipse/Circle 3-14 Polyline/Polygon 3-15 Pencil 3-17

iv ELIXIR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brush 3-18 Airbrush 3-20 Floodfill 3-22 Eraser/Replacer 3-24 Text tool 3-26

Transform tool 3-26 Drawing modes 3-27 Drawing patterns 3-28

Editing patterns 3-28

4. Manipulating images and image areas 4-1

Procedures 4-2

Moving 4-3

Copying 4-3

Saving 4-4 Transforming images and image areas 4-4

Resize 4-5

Rotate 4-6

Mirror 4-7

Distort 4-9

Clear 4-10

Reverse 4-11

Shift 4-12

Halftone 4-13

Outline 4-15

Darken 4-15

Lighten 4-17

Filter 4-18

Import and Export 4-19 Copying to and from the Clipboard 4-19

Copying to the Clipboard 4-20

Pasting from the Clipboard 4-20

5. Using text and clip art 5-1

Entering text 5-1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Specifying text properties 5-4

Clip art 5-11

Importing clip art 5-11

Converting an image to a font 5-14

Creating clip art 5-14 Tiling an image 5-17 Creating a font from image portions 5-20

6. Additional features 6-1

Ruler 6-1 Merging an image into another image 6-2 Expanding/contracting an image 6-3 Creating a screen version 6-4 Converting an image to a form template 6-4 Breakup image 6-5

A. DOS directories A-1

B. Keyboard shortcuts B-1

C.Conversion chart C-1

Glossary GLOSSARY-1

Index INDEX-1

vi ELIXIR TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION

1. Introduction

ElixirImage for AFP is a full-feature, Windows-based, bitmap editor that allows you to create and edit blackand-white or full-color Elixir-format images.

ElixirImage provides the environment and drawing tools usually found on dedicated graphics workstations.

Combined with the Elixir Desktop and Converters for AFP (described in the "ElixirImage environment" section of this chapter), ElixirImage provides powerful features to support your AFP high-speed laser printing systems.

If you are familiar with GEM versions of ElixirImage for AFP, you will find the Windows-based version contains the functionality of the GEM versions plus added features, including a new interface. If you have never used ElixirImage for AFP before, you will find ElixirImage for AFP highly intuitive and easy to use.

For brevity, ElixirImage for AFP is referred to as ElixirImage throughout the rest of this user guide.

Customer support

Elixir customer support centers provide telephone technical assistance for Elixir users during business hours.

If you have purchased your Elixir product directly from Elixir Technologies then contact one of the support center hotlines.

See the Elixir Getting Started Guide for information about contacting your support center.

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INTRODUCTION

Elixir training

Elixir Technologies Corporation offers training for the full-range of Windows-based products. For more information, contact:

Elixir Learning (805) 641-5900 ext. 6

ElixirImage environment

ElixirImage is designed to work with the Elixir Desktop and Converters for AFP, a Windows-based desktop. The Elixir Desktop simplifies file conversions and management by presenting the user with icons which can be manipulated with simple mouse drag-and-drop techniques (refer to the Elixir Desktop and Converters for AFP User Guide for more information).

Other Elixir products that you can use with the Elixir Desktop are:

ElixirForm for AFP, a Windows-based WYSIWYG forms creation package that creates boilerplate forms for conversion to different AFP formats. You can use image files created in ElixirImage with ElixirForm forms.

ElixirFont for AFP, a sophisticated Windowsbased font editor that you can use to create or edit Elixir-format fonts which you can convert to AFP and other format fonts. You can convert black-and-white image files (created with ElixirImage) to Elixir fonts by tiling them so that each tile represents a character in the font.

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Elixir AppBuilder for AFP, a Windows-based WYSIWYG package that incorporates ElixirForm for AFP and provides form editing and application building capabilities. You can quickly and easily define a print operation that merges variable data from a host data file with fixed resources (such as overlays and page segments) to produce a print run. After job definition, PAGEDEF and FORMDEF PPFA is generated for use on a variety of printing and PSF host environments.

Who should use this guide

This guide is intended for users familiar with AFP graphics resources.

Knowledge of Windows and DOS, especially navigation through directory and subdirectory structures and file operations is also required.

INTRODUCTION

Conventions

Most of the following conventions are the same or similar to Windows conventions.

display conventions typographical conventions mouse operations

Display conventions

The Elixir Desktop, ElixirForm, ElixirFont and ElixirImage all adhere to Microsoft Windows conventions for using menus, menu commands, dialog boxes, command buttons, icons and mouse. See your Windows manual for more information.

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INTRODUCTION

Typographical conventions

The following typographical conventions are used throughout this guide and other Elixir product guides.

Keystrokes are shown enclosed in < > (angle brackets). For example:

<Enter> Key combinations are denoted by a plus sign be-

tween keys. For example: <Shift> + <F1> indicates to simultaneously press

the <Shift> and the <F1> keys. Menu titles are shown in

. Menu options are

bold

enclosed in [ ] (square brackets). For example: Select [New] from the

File

menu.

Commands, options, actions, and parameters that require description are shown in bold followed on the next line by the description. For example:

Delete

Deletes the selected files. Steps in a procedure are shown in numbered bold

paragraphs. For example:

1. At the prompt, enter the file name and extension.

Comments relating to a step (such as this paragraph) are shown in regular text following the bold paragraph.

Commands you enter at the DOS prompt are shown in larger text. Within DOS commands, variable names and keys you press are shown in italics. For example:

CD \ELIXIR <Enter>

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Mouse operations

You can perform most operations in Elixir applications by using the mouse. The terminology is similar to other Windows based applications.

Mouse operations are performed using the left or right mouse buttons, depending on the specific task.

The following mouse related terms are used in this guide:

click

to momentarily press and release the left mouse button once. A right mouse button click is specified where necessary. For example,

Click on the right mouse button to finish entering text.

double-click

to click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.

drag

to click and hold the mouse on an item and move the item with the mouse.

INTRODUCTION

drag and drop

to drag an item as above, then release the mouse button, once the item is positioned over a the area. If the selected object is a file and the destination is a directory, the file copies to the directory.

object

a selectable item on the screen.

open

to point and double-click on an icon -- the effect of this operation depends on the icon.

point

to move the mouse to position the screen pointer on an area of the screen.

select

to point to an object and click the mouse -- this usually highlights the object.

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INTRODUCTION

On-line Help

<Alt>click

to hold down the <Alt> key while pressing the left mouse button -- this allows you to select a range of files in a window.

<Ctrl>click

to hold down the <Ctrl> key while pressing the left mouse button -- this allows you to select individual files from a group in a window.

<Shift>click

to hold down the <Shift> key while clicking the mouse

-- this allows you to select more than one object at a

time.

Elixir software uses the Microsoft Windows Help program to provide on-line Help for all functions.

For more information about Windows Help, select the [How to Use Help] option in the Help menu, or see your Microsoft Windows documentation.

The Help files included with your Elixir software include graphics created using screen drivers with large fonts. If you use a screen driver with small fonts, the Help file graphics may not display clearly. For optimum graphics display, use a screen driver with large fonts.

You can display on-line Help in the following ways:

Bubble Help

Click on an icon with the right mouse button to view its properties (if applicable) or to display "bubble help." Bubble help is a short description of the icon function that displays in a bubble extending from the icon.

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INTRODUCTION

Quick Help

Enable the quick function by selecting the quick help option in the Usage Switches (or Preferences -- for ElixirImage) dialog box. When you move the screen pointer over an icon on the screen, a short description of the icon function displays in the message area of the screen. During certain operations a message about the function you are performing also displays in the message area. To see these operational messages, disable quick help.

Context sensitive Help

To use this function, click on an icon and press <F1>. If available, the appropriate Help topic displays. If no specific topic is available, the Help table of contents displays.

Help menu

Select [Help] from the top pull-down menu and choose one of the displayed topics.

Dialog box Help

Click on the [Help] button in a dialog box to view an associated Help topic. Under Windows 95 and Windows NT, right-click on a dialog box option to display an associated Help topic.

Help pop-ups and jumps

Within Help topic text, words or phrases underlined in green are pop-ups or jumps. When you click on a pop-up topic, a box displays within the current Help topic with additional information. When you click on a jump, a different, associated Help topic displays.

Help hypergraphics

Hypergraphics are special graphics within Help files that contain "hot spots". Hot spots are either pop-up topics or jumps. Hypergraphics in Elixir Help are most commonly dialog boxes with option hot spots (pop-up definitions), toolboxes with tool hot spots (topic jumps), and menus with option hot spots (topic jumps or pop-up definitions).

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INTRODUCTION

Move the cursor over a hypergraphic until a hand displays, then click on this hot spot to display a pop-up topic, or a "jump". To close a pop-up topic, click the mouse button. To return to the original Help topic from a jump, click on <Back> in the Help file menu.

Organization of this Guide

This User Guide is organized as follows: Chapter 1, "Introduction," is a brief overview of Elix-

irImage, software and documentation. Chapter 2, "ElixirImage basics," describes how Elix-

irImage fits in with your AFP printing system and with other Elixir products. Basic information required for using ElixirImage to create an image is described in this chapter along with pointers to other chapters and appendices for additional information.

Chapter 3, "Displaying and drawing an image," describes how a loaded image displays at various magnifications, and how to use the drawing tools available in ElixirImage.

Chapter 4, "Manipulating images and image areas," describes operations you can perform on the entire image or image areas.

Chapter 5, "Using text and clip art," describes how to add text to an image, how to create fonts from images or image portions, and how to create and use clip art.

Chapter 6, "Additional features," contains descriptions of features that are not directly related to drawing images but are included as supports for using ElixirImage (for example, ruler and merging images).

Appendix A, "DOS directories", lists the directories used in ElixirImage operations.

Appendix B, "Keyboard shortcuts," lists keyboard shortcuts for ElixirImage operations.

Appendix C, "Conversion chart," contains a chart showing supported formats for image conversions.

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Glossary. Index.

Installation

See the Elixir for AFP Getting Started Guide for installation information.

Starting ElixirImage

To start ElixirImage from the Elixir Desktop and Converters:

Double-click on the ElixirImage icon at the right of the Elixir Desktop.

The ElixirImage main screen displays.

INTRODUCTION

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE 1-9

INTRODUCTION

Close button

Figure 1-1. ElixirImage main screen

Alternatively, with the Elixir Desktop displayed, open the Images folder, then open the Elixir Images folder and double click on an image file. The above main screen displays with the image file loaded and displayed at the center of the screen.

Exiting ElixirImage

You can exit ElixirImage using any of the following methods:

Double-click on the Close button at the top left of any Elixir application.

Press <Alt> + <F4>. Press <Alt> + <X>. From the

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menu and select [Exit]

File

INTRODUCTION

Click on the [X] at the top right corner of the application window.

If you have not saved the current image, you are prompted to do so.

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE 1-11

Overview

2. ElixirImage basics

This chapter presents an overview of ElixirImage and brief instructions on how to use it. The chapter also includes references to other chapters in this user guide that include detailed information.

PC-based graphics packages can create and edit images in two ways: in bit-mapped format where all graphics elements created are stored as a collection of dots, or in vector format where image elements are stored mathematically. ElixirImage edits images in bit-mapped format.

Other PC-based bitmap graphics formats include PCX, TIFF, BMP, and AFP Page Segments (PSEG).

Converters in the Elixir Desktop enable you to import AFP PSEG, PCX, TIFF, and BMP images and convert them to Elixir format. When in Elixir format, you can use ElixirImage to edit the images. Afterwards, you can reconvert your edited images back to the original format or to AFP PSEG, PCX, TIFF, BMP, or Elixir font formats (see the following figure).

AFP PSEG

PCX

TIFF

BMP

FONT

ELIXIRIMAGE

AFP PSEG

Figure 2-1. Importing/exporting ElixirImage images

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE 2-1

PCX

TIFF

BMP

FONT

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

See the Elixir Desktop and Converters for AFP User Guide for more information about converting files.

ElixirImage and other Elixir products

The Elixir Suite for AFP products are designed to interconnect. For example, the following diagram shows how ElixirImage can be used in a publishing process.

AFP Page Segments,

PCX/TIFF/BMP

Scanners

(to PCX, TIFF or BMP)

FONT

Figure 2-2. ElixirImage and other Elixir products

Interconnectivity examples

Any scanner which generates PCX, TIFF or BMP (Group 4) formats can be used from the Elixir Desktop. The Elixir Desktop can then convert the files to Elixir format for use in ElixirImage.

CLIP ART

ELIXIRFONT

Elixir Desktop and Converters

ELIXIRIMAGE

FORM

TEMPLATE

ELIXIRFORM

SCREEN IMAGES

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

ElixirImage enables you to create fonts directly from graphics by tiling the graphic into equal rectangles, each of which corresponds to a character in the font (see the "Using text and clip art" chapter). These fonts can be imported and edited in ElixirFont and then converted to AFP format and printed on any AFP printer.

You can use the Elixir Desktop to convert any AFP font into Elixir format and then import the font and place it in an image using ElixirImage.

A powerful feature of ElixirImage is the inclusion of clip art libraries which are managed by ElixirFont and used in large graphics projects (see the "Using text and clip art" chapter).

Graphics created in ElixirImage can be used in ElixirForm and AppBuilder to enhance the appearance of a form. You can also use ElixirImage to copy forms from other sources as follows: Scan an existing paper form into an image file (for example, PCX or TIFF), convert the image to Elixir format, and use the Elixir graphic as a template in ElixirForm to be traced over and created into a new Elixir form (see the "Additional features" chapter).

ElixirImage features

The ElixirImage main screen is shown in the following figure. A blank Work area displays at the center. The Work area menu bar displays above the Work area, and the ElixirImage menu bar displays at the top of the screen. The main screen also displays a Toolbox and Toolbar. The menu bars, the Toolbox, and Toolbar are described in the following sections.

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE 2-3

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Toolbox Toolbar

Overview of features

Message

area

Work area

menu bar

Work area

ElixirImage

menu bar

Figure 2-3. ElixirImage main screen

This section gives an overview of ElixirImage features and refers you to other chapters where features are explained in detail.

Menu bars

The ElixirImage menu bar contains the following menus:

System

The options in this menu allow you to configure ElixirImage, as described in the "Configuring the system" section of this chapter.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Window

The options in this menu allow you to use the Microsoft Windows Multiple Document Interface (see the "Loading an existing image" section of this chapter, or your Microsoft Windows User Guide for details), and to toggle between displaying and hiding the Toolbox (see the "Toolbox" section of this chapter).

Help

Select [Release Notes] to view information about this release at any time. Note that the Help options in this menu are not available in this release.

The Work area menu bar contains the following menus:

File

The options in this menu allow you to load, create, save and print images, and exit ElixirImage. There are also options for merging an image into an existing image, resetting an image to the last saved state, and saving an image area. Operations in this menu are described in this chapter, the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter, and the "Additional features" chapter.

Edit

The options in this menu allow you to cut or copy and paste to the Windows clipboard, copy a screen area and set the paste mode, and delete all drawings in the Work area. This menu also contains the undo and redo features described in the "Toolbar" section of this chapter and allows you to select or unselect all objects. The Edit menu operations are described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

Image

The options in this menu allow you to view image attributes, expand or contract an image, set the stretch mode when reducing images, and refresh the screen. In addition, this menu allows you to access the Extra operations sub-menu which is described in the "Additional features" chapter. Image menu operations are described in this chapter, the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter, and the "Additional features" chapter.

ELIXIRIMAGE FOR AFP USER GUIDE 2-5

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Tool and Transform

The Tool and Transform menus correspond to the

Message panel

Tools header

Drawing tools

Tool options

Foreground/Background

Preview panel

Toolbox options described in the "Toolbox" section of this chapter.

Go button

Pattern button

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Toolbox

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

The following figure displays the ElixirImage Toolbox.

Figure 2-4. ElixirImage Toolbox

The drawing tools at the top of the Toolbox represent the tools for drawing and editing images or image areas, and importing text and clip art.

To use a drawing tool, select the appropriate tool in the Toolbox or select the tool from the

Tool

menu. The drawing tools are described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

The Transform tool is used to apply transformations, such as resizing or halftoning, to whole images or image areas and is described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

You can set tool options by clicking on icons in the Toolbox. Setting options for a drawing tool is described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

The Message panel provides a short description of any tool selected in the Toolbox.

The Preview panel allows you to preview the option settings for a drawing tool before you perform any drawing operations.

You can toggle between hiding and showing the Toolbox by pulling down the

Window

menu and selecting [Tools] or by pressing <F10>. To move the Toolbox, click on the Tools header and drag the Toolbox to the desired location.

The [Go] button is used to apply the transformations described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

Pattern button

This button shows the current color or shading pattern. Click on this button to use the colors or shading patterns as described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

FG/BG

The [FG] (foreground) button allows you to select the

color of your drawing tool. The [BG] (background) button allows you to set a

background color when performing some of the transformation and drawing operations described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter and the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

The [BG] button also allows you to set a background color when creating a new image. See the "Creating a new image" section of this chapter for more information.

If you are creating a black and white image, click on the [FG] or [BG] button until the color you want is displayed. If you are creating a full-color image, click on the [FG] or [BG] button and double-click on a color from the window that displays.

Start

coordinates

Digital ruler

Magnification/ Reduction

Undo/Redo

Drawing modes

Grid

[FG] and [BG] button operations are described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

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Toolbar

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

The following figure displays the Toolbar.

Figure 2-5. ElixirImage Toolbar.

The Toolbar icons provide the following drawing supports for the drawing tools:

Digital ruler

The digital ruler displays the position of the cursor relative to the top left corner of the Work area. This tool is described in the "Additional features" chapter.

Start coordinates

This option displays the coordinates of a point on an image, relative to the starting point. This tool is described in the "Additional features" chapter.

Magnification/Reduction

This tool allows you to magnify or reduce an image and is described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

Undo/Redo

The Undo/Redo feature allows you to reverse actions in ElixirImage if the [Number of undo levels] option in the Preferences dialog box is set to one or more levels. See the "Usage switches" section in this chapter for more information.

To undo an operation, you can either pull down the

menu and select [Undo shape] (where shape is

Edit

the name of the shape you want to undo), press <Ctrl> + <Z>, or click on the Undo icon in the Toolbar.

To redo an operation that was undone using the Undo feature, pull down the

menu and select [Redo

Edit

shape] (where shape is the shape you want to undo), press <Shift> + <Ctrl> + <Z>, or click on the Redo icon in the Toolbar.

Drawing modes

These icons (from left to right) allow you to use the replace, transparent, and reverse drawing modes described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Grid

You can click on this icon to display a grid when using magnified views of 8x or more.

Message area

The Message area is split into two sections. The left section displays the type of image loaded in the Work area, and operational and error messages. The right section provides a description of any icon you place your cursor over.

Using ElixirImage

This section provides a brief overview of how to use ElixirImage, including information about setting up ElixirImage when you first start using it. If you have never used ElixirImage, you may want to read all of this section before you begin. In it, you will be referred to other chapters in this User Guide which provide more detailed information.

Configuring the system

ElixirImage allows you to configure your system and then save the configuration.

Usage switches

Pull down the Switches] to display the Preferences dialog box.

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System

menu and select [Usage

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Figure 2-6. Preferences dialog box

Save state on exit

Select this option to save the menu and option settings when you exit an image.

Show quick help

Select this option to see the quick help messages described in the "Introduction" chapter.

Confirm file overwrites

Select this option if you want to be prompted before overwriting a file.

Confirm leaving unsaved work

Select this option if you want to be prompted to save your work before exiting ElixirImage.

Use Elixir font selector

Select this option if you want to use the Elixir Font Selector when you select fonts for your text. The Elixir Font Selector allows you to select non-default font widths.

Deselect this option if you want to use the Windows Font Selector when you select fonts for your text. The Windows Font Selector allows you to select only Windows default fonts.

See the "Using text and clip art" chapter for more information.

Keyboard mapping

Select the [Keyboard Mapping] option:

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Number of undo levels

Select the number of actions or levels (between 1 and

32) that ElixirImage can reverse when you use the [Undo] option.

Xerox catalog name

This option is not valid for this version of ElixirImage.

Configurable colors

Select [None] to use Windows ANSI mapping. If you select this option, you must have screen fonts mapped to Windows ANSI mappings.

Select [ANSI to OEM] to remap ANSI keystrokes to DOS mappings.

Select [KMP] to translate keystrokes using customized tables. In most cases, if you choose the appropriate Country Keyboard Map and Default Code Page during installation, you can use this option.

From the Configurable Colors dialog box, you can change the color of grid lines and the color of the locator box (described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter).

To display this dialog box, pull down the

System

menu and select [Colors].

Figure 2-7. Configurable Colors dialog box

The current color of the grid lines and the locator box are displayed. To change the colors of either the grid lines or locator box, select the corresponding [Edit] button to display the Color RGB Editor dialog box.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Figure 2-8. Color RGB Editor dialog box

RGB values are Red, Green, and Blue color components that are combined to create a color. Use the right and left arrows next to each color or click inside the corresponding box to specify a component value between 0 and 255. The Result box shows the results of mixing Red, Green, and Blue color components.

When you accept your changes by clicking on [OK], your grid lines or locator box displays in the color shown in the Results box.

System information

For information regarding your current Windows screen driver, memory and disk space available, pulling down the

System

menu and selecting [System Info] or press <Alt> + <F5>. The System Information dialog box displays.

Figure 2-9. System Information dialog box

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Reset to defaults

If you change the configuration settings while using ElixirImage, you can reset the original configuration by pulling down the to defaults].

Save configuration

To save the current menu and option settings, pull down the System menu and select [Save configuration] before exiting an image.

Loading an existing image

ElixirImage allows you to load up to two images at one time. With the ElixirImage main screen displayed, load an existing image as follows:

1. Pull down the File menu and select [Load] or press <F8>.

The Load Image dialog box displays with an alphabetical list of all available images. If you elected to install them, the names of demonstration files are listed. These are Elixir-format .LP3 files in drive:\ELIXIR\PICS\PRINTER. To display .BMP or .PCX images, select them from the filter window at the bottom of the dialog box.

System

menu and selecting [Reset

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Figure 2-10. Load Image dialog box.

2. Select an image file and click on [OK].

The file displays in the Work area and the file name displays in the Work area menu bar. The following figure shows the STARS.LP3 file.

Figure 2-11. Loaded file

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

3. To load another image, pull down the Window menu and select [Another Image] to redisplay the Load Image dialog box.

4. Select an image.

You now have two images loaded in two separate windows.

5. Pull down the Window menu and select one of the following:

[Cascade] displays the images in two separate overlapping windows.

[Horiz. tile] displays the images side by side. [Vert. tile] displays one image above the

other.

Displaying image attributes

To display the image attributes, pull down the

Image

menu and select [Attributes] or press <F2>. The Image Attributes dialog box displays.

Figure 2-12. Image Attributes dialog box

The Image Attributes dialog box displays the following information: width, height, name, resolution, color system, format, image memory size and memory available.

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You can select a different resolution only when using the image in other applications, for example when using Elixir Desktop converters to convert the file to other formats (note that the image resolution of the converted file must be supported by the target printer). The resolution also affects the size of the image when importing it into ElixirForm (the higher the resolution, the smaller the image on the form).

The [Color System] option allows you to convert a loaded image to [Black & White] or [Full Color], depending on the image you have loaded and the color system your printer supports.

Editing and saving an image

ElixirImage allows you to edit up to two images at one time.

To edit a displayed image:

Use the Edit/Drawing tools in the Toolbox. The Edit/Drawing tools are described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Use the Transform tool or

Transform

menu to transform a whole image or image area. See the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter for more information.

After making changes to an image, you can do the following:

Pull down the

menu and select [Undo

Edit

shape], or click on the Undo icon in the Toolbar to undo the last edit or transform operation.

Pull down the

menu and select [Reset] to de-

File

lete any changes made since loading or saving the file.

Pull down the

menu and select [Redo

Edit

shape], or click on the Redo icon in the Toolbar, to re-insert the changes you made before you selected [Undo shape].

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Pull down the Edit menu and select [Delete], or press <Del>, to delete everything in the Work area.

Pull down the File menu and select [Save], or press <Ctrl> + <S>, to save your changes to the current file. To save your changes to a new file, pull down the File menu and select [Save as] or press <F7>. The Save Image dialog box displays which allows you to specify a new file name.

Creating a new image

To create a new image:

1. Pull down the File menu and select [New] or press F9.

The Image Attributes dialog box displays.

2. Select the [Color System] option for your image and click on [OK].

3. Select the color of the background:

If you are creating a black and white image, click on the [BG] button until the desired background color displays in the button.

If you are creating a full-color image, click on the [BG] button to display the Choose Background Color dialog box, then double-click on the desired background color.

4. Pull down the File menu and select [New] or press F9.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

The Image Attributes dialog box displays.

Figure 2-13. Image Attributes dialog box options

The Image Attributes dialog box displays the following options:

Width

Specify the width of the new image in dots. Note that ElixirImage rounds image widths to the

nearest multiple of eight dots.

Height

Specify the height of the new image in dots.

Name

Specify a name for the image. The default name is UNTITLED.LP3.

Standard sizes

Select [Letter] to create an 8.5 x 11 image, [11 x 17] to create an 11 x 17 image, [A3] to create a European legal-sized image, or [A4] to create a European letter-sized image.

Resolution

Select [200], [240], [300], [480], [600], [1200], or [1440] dpi resolutions.

Color system

Select the color system for the image you want to create: [Black & White] or [Full color].

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

5. Select the color of your drawing tool:

6. Click on [OK] and use the drawing tools to

Resetting an image

When you reset an image, you clear all edits since the last save operation. To reset an image, pull down the

File

Format

Select the format of the new image: [.LP3] or [.BMP].

If you are creating a black and white image, click on the [FG] button until the desired foreground color displays in the button.

If you are creating a full-color image, click on the [FG] button to display the Choose Foreground Color dialog box, then double-click on the desired foreground color.

create a new image.

menu and select [Reset].

Refreshing the screen

If a Windows operation leaves "snow" on the screen, or you need to refresh the screen for any other reason, pull down the Image menu and select [Refresh View]. ElixirImage redisplays the image bitmap from memory onto the screen.

Proof-printing an image

When you are ready to proof print your image, pull down the File menu and select [Print] or press <Ctrl> + <Shift + <F10>. The Print dialog box displays.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Figure 2-14. Print dialog box

The Print dialog box contains the following options:

Printer

Choose your printer as a PCL 4 or compatible, or IBM 4019 printer.

Elixir software has been tested with HP Windows printer drivers for proof printing. Other printer drivers are not supported and may produce unpredictable results when used with Elixir software.

PCL 4 considerations

PCL 4 printers print a maximum page size of 8 x

10.33 inches. If the image boundaries fill an 8.5 x 11 inches page, the outer margins of your image will not print on a PCL 4 printer.

For accurate positioning, shift the print image on the page using the [Page Shift] option.

Orientation

Select the orientation for your page, [Landscape] or [Portrait].

Page shift

Select [Page Shift] to shift your proof printer output horizontally or vertically by the number of dots specified.

[Xshift] moves your image horizontally and [Yshift] moves your image vertically.

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ELIXIRIMAGE BASICS

Use a negative shift value to shift the printed output to the left or down, and a positive value to shift your print output right or up.

For a PCL 4 or compatible printer, the normal or centered image value is [Xshift] = -60.

Copies

Select the number of copies you want to print.

Use printer resolution

Select this option to print your image using the current printer resolution. If you do not select this option, your image is printed using the image resolution.

Print to file

Select this option to create a print file and save it in the drive:\ELIXIR\PRINTS\HPPRINT\ directory with a .PRN extension.

Autogen output name

When you select the [Print to File] option, the [Autogen Output Name] option also displays. If you select this option, ElixirImage automatically outputs the print (.PRN) files with the same stem name as the image (.LP3 or .BMP) file. If you do not select this option, the Print To File dialog box displays after you click on [OK]. Enter the stem name for the file, up to eight characters.

Additional features

The preceding sections provide a brief overview of how to use ElixirImage. The following chapters provide detailed information about all ElixirImage editing tools and features.

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3. Displaying and

This chapter describes how to load and display an image and how to use the drawing tools.

Displaying an image

When you load an image in ElixirImage, the image displays in the Work area.

drawing an image

Fig 3-1. Displaying an image in the Work area

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

The image is bound by a gray, uneditable region. However, the image can be enlarged to extend into the gray area as described in the "Additional features" chapter.

A message displays in the message area, to identify a loaded file as black-and-white or full color.

Note that the square border around the image is not part of the image.

View settings

This section describes how to display a magnified view or a reduced view of an image using the Zoom icon in the Toolbar. The Magnification window displays the current magnification level of an image.

Magnification

Select the up arrow in the Zoom icon (or press the <+> key on the numeric keypad) to magnify the center of the image and to display it in a window to the left of the Work area.

The magnification factor displays in the Magnification window. The default magnification factor is 1x. Select the up arrow or press the [+] to display 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x magnifications.

Note that displaying an image at a magnification factor of 16X or more may cause your system to become unstable.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Scroll bars

The magnified area in the left window is defined by the Locator Box in the right window. To magnify a different area of the image, click inside the Locator Box and drag it. To change the color of the Locator Box, see the "ElixirImage basics" chapter. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys or the scroll bars to move around and display different portions of the image.

Locator Box

Figure 3-2. Magnified view

Click on the Grid icon in the Toolbar to toggle on a grid. The grid only displays at magnifications of 8x or higher.

All drawing tools described in the following sections work in magnified view.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Reduction/print size

Before building a reduced view of an image, select a Stretch mode. Stretch mode affects the way an image displays when it is reduced. To select a Stretch mode, pull down the mode]. Select one of the following options:

[Color on Color] preserves black and white pixels when an image is reduced and is probably the best mode for performing image reductions.

[Black on White] preserves black pixels at the expense of white pixels when an image is reduced.

[White on Black] preserves white pixels at the expense of black pixels when an image is reduced.

To display a reduced view of an image, select the down arrow in the Zoom icon or press the <-> key on the numeric keypad.

Initially, the image displays at print size (PRN) which allows you to preview an image at actual size.

Image

menu and select [Stretch

Select the down arrow again to display the image at

-2x, -4x, and -8x reduction factors.

This feature is especially useful when you want to fit a large image into the Work area.

Note that you cannot edit an image in a reduced view.

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Using the drawing tools

The drawing tools display at the top of the Toolbox and drawing options display in the Toolbar.

To use a drawing tool, select it from the Toolbox or from the Tool menu. In the figure at the left, the Line tool is highlighted.

You can select options for your drawing tools. The drawing tool you select determines the options available in the Toolbox. Drawing tool options are described in the following sections.

All drawing operations are performed by clicking and dragging the mouse in the Work area.

Note that you can use all the tools described in this section in the magnified view mode described earlier in this chapter.

FG button

The [FG] button allows you to select the color of a drawing tool as black, white or a color, depending on the color mode selected for your image.

DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

If you are creating a black and white image, select a color by clicking on the [FG] button until it displays the color you want.

If you are creating a full-color image, select a color by clicking on the [FG] button and doubleclicking on the color you want in the Choose Foreground Color dialog box.

BG button

The [BG] button allows you to set the background color when creating a new image, entering text, and performing some of the transformation operations described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter. The [BG] button also allows you to set the color of a fill when drawing filled shapes, as described in appropriate sections of this chapter.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

If you are creating a black and white image, click on the [BG] button until it displays the background color you want.

If you are a full-color user, the Choose Background Color dialog box displays when you click on the [BG] button. Double-click on the color you want to use.

Pattern button

The currently loaded pattern displays in the Pattern button. Click on the Pattern button to display the Pattern window from which you can load the black-andwhite shading patterns described in the "Drawing patterns" section of this chapter.

If you are a full-color user, you can also choose one of the colors from the full-color palette. Click on [Full...] and select a color from the pattern window that displays.

Note that the [High...] option is not a valid option in this release of ElixirImage.

GO button

The [GO] button is used to apply the transformation operations described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

Border width

The up and down arrows in the Toolbox are used to set the border width of lines, shapes, brush and pencil tips, and the eraser.

To set the border width, click on the up arrow to increase the width, or on the down arrow to decrease the width. The border width displays in the box next to the up and down arrows.

You can also change the current value by backspacing over it and entering a new value. Alternatively, you can click once in the numeric display box and select the lowest border width value by <Ctrl>-clicking in

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Border style

Line

DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

the box, or the highest border width value by <Shift>clicking in the box.

Select [Solid], [Dashed], or [Dotted] borders when drawing lines or shapes.

The Line tool allows you to draw single, connected, or radial lines.

Line options

Figure 3-3. Line options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Line direction

Select the line direction as [Horizontal], [Vertical], [Both], or [Free].

Select [Horizontal] to draw a line in the horizontal direction only.

Select [Vertical] to draw a line in the vertical direction only.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Select [Both] to draw a line in the horizontal or vertical directions, depending on mouse movement.

Select [Free] to draw a line in any direction, including diagonal.

The [Horizontal] and [Vertical] options enable you to draw long lines on large images which do not fit in the Work area. If you are drawing connected lines and want to scroll around the image, the line will stay connected to the last point.

Line beginning and end style

Select the line beginning (top row) and end style (bottom row) you want. Select [Square], [Round], or [Mitered] for each end of your line. Line beginning and end styles are most apparent at line widths of 10 or above.

Note that the [Mitered] option is available with diagonal lines only.

The following figure illustrates the effects of [Square], [Round], and [Mitered] ends.

Figure 3-4. Line end examples

Line style

Select [Single], [Connected], or [Radial].

Select [Single] to draw a single line between mouse clicks.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Select [Connected] to connect lines between successive mouse clicks until you select another line style or drawing tool.

Select [Radial] to create lines that radiate from a single point. This option applies to [Free] direction lines only.

Note that the [Undo] option is not available for radial lines.

You can change the line properties while drawing a line. You can also use different line widths while drawing a line as shown in the following figure.

Figure 3-5. Connected lines with different widths

Curve

The Curve tool allows you to draw sections of circles or ellipses. Connecting curves together enables you to produce high quality line art.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Figure 3-6. Curve options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Curve type

Select [Quarter Circle] to use sections of circles to draw curves or select [Quarter Ellipse] to use sections of ellipses to draw curves.

Curve options

Curve direction

Select [Horizontal]. [Vertical], or [Any]

Select [Horizontal] to draw the curve horizontally.

Select [Vertical] to draw the curve vertically. Select [Any] to draw the curve in any

direction.

Curve style

Select [Single], [Connected], or [Radial].

Select [Single] to draw curves one at a time. Select [Connected] to connect curves be-

tween successive mouse clicks until you select another curve mode or drawing tool.

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Box

DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Select [Radial] to create curves continuously from one point.

The following figure shows examples of curves in the three different modes.

Figure 3-7. Curve examples

The Box tool allows you to draw hollow or filled squares or rectangles with squared or rounded corners. The width of the box border is determined by the [Border Width] option.

Box options

Corner radius options

Figure 3-8. Box options

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Box shape

Select to draw a [Square] or [Rectangle].

Box corners

Select [Square] or [Rounded] corners.

Box type

Select [Hollow] or [Filled]. If you select [Filled], the box fills with the fill pattern displayed in the Pattern window.

Corner radius

Select [Custom] or [Maximum].

Select [Custom] to set the width and height dimensions of rounded corners using the up and down arrows next to the [Width] and [Height] option.

Select [Maximum] to draw a square or rectangle with rounded corners of equal height and width dimensions.

The following figure shows examples of boxes.

Figure 3-9. Box examples

Note that square boxes appear distorted on the screen when the screen aspect ratio is not 1:1. However, these boxes will print correctly.

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Ellipse/Circle

DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

The Hollow or Filled Ellipse/Circle tool allows you to draw hollow or filled circles and ellipses. The width of the border around the circle or ellipse is determined by the [Border Width] option.

Ellipse/Circle options

Figure 3-10. Ellipse/Circle options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Circle/Ellipse shape

Select to draw a [Circle] or [Ellipse].

Ellipse/Circle origin

Select [Center] or [Box Around].

Select [Center] to draw an ellipse/circle from the center outward where the anchor point is the circle or ellipse center.

Select [Upper left quadrant] to draw an ellipse/circle that expands outward with one quadrant of the ellipse/circle remaining anchored in the starting position. This method allows you to place the shape more precisely in relation to another object.

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Ellipse/Circle segment

Select one or more of the four segments to display that segment of a circle or ellipse.

Ellipse/Circle type

Select [Hollow] or [Filled]. Selecting [Filled] draws circles and ellipses with the fill pattern displayed in the Pattern window.

Figure 3-11. Ellipse and circle examples

Polyline/Polygon

The Polyline tool is useful for drawing polylines, or filled and unfilled polygons.

To draw a polyline or polygon, move the screen pointer into the Work area, click in the image to start, and keep clicking and moving to draw the line segments of the polyline or polygon. To end a polyline or polygon, double-click the left mouse button.

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Polyline options

Figure 3-12. Polyline/Polygon options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Polyline/Polygon

Select [Open] or [Closed].

Select [Open] to draw a polyline. Select [Closed] to draw a polygon.

Polyline/Polygon direction

Select [Horizontal & Vertical] or [Free] line segments.

Select [Horizontal & Vertical] to draw lines that snap to horizontal or vertical lines.

Select [Free] to draw lines in any direction.

Polygon fill mode

Select [All] or [Alternate].

Select [All] to fill the entire polygon with the pattern displayed in the Pattern window.

Select [Alternate] to fill only areas that are accessible from the outside of the polygon by crossing an odd number of lines.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Figure 3-13. Alternate polyline

Polyline/Polygon type

Select [Hollow] or [Filled] when drawing a polygon. Selecting [Filled] draws polygons with the fill pattern

displayed in the Pattern window. Note that the border of the polygon is the color se-

lected in the [FG] button.

Figure 3-14. Polygon examples

Pencil

The Pencil tool draws a continuous line in black or white. Full-color users have the additional option of drawing in color.

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Pencil options

Figure 3-15. Pencil options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Pencil tip

Select [Square] or [Rounded].

Select [Square] to draw individual dots or a continuous line with squared ends.

Select [Rounded] to draw individual dots or a continuous line with rounded ends.

For high-precision work in magnified view, you should use the Pencil tool with a drawing width of 1.

To see the difference between a [Square] and [Rounded] pencil tip, select a border width of five dots or more.

Brush

The Brush tool paints continuous square or circular dots, or a series of horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines, depending on the drawing mode you select. Click and drag the "brush tip" to generate a shape.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

The Brush tool paints in black, white, or the currentlyselected fill pattern. Full-color users have the additional option of drawing in color.

Figure 3-16. Brush options

Brush options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Basic brush tips

Select [Square] or [Rounded].

Select [Square] to paint continuous square dots.

Select [Rounded] to paint continuous circular dots.

Special brush tips

Select [Horizontal], [Vertical], [Diagonal Right], or [Diagonal Left].

Select [Horizontal] to paint a series of continuous horizontal lines.

Select [Vertical] to paint a series of continuous vertical lines.

Select [Diagonal Right] to paint a series of continuous diagonal lines that slant to the right.

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Select [Diagonal Left] to paint a series of continuous diagonal lines that slant to the left.

The following figure is an example of the effect of the [Horizontal], [Vertical], [Diagonal Right], and [Diagonal Left] brush tips.

To achieve a continuous painting action, draw slowly so that brush tips overlap.

Figure 3-17. Samples of brush drawing

Brush type

Select [Dots] or [Pattern].

Select [Dots] to paint in black, white or color dots, depending on the selection in the [FG] button.

Select [Pattern] to paint with the pattern displayed in the Pattern window.

Airbrush

The Airbrush tool simulates the effect of an airbrush by "spraying" dots or patterns on the image.

To spray, click and hold the mouse button.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Figure 3-18. Airbrush options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Spray type

Select [Dots] or [Pattern].

Airbrush options

Select [Dots] to spray black, white or color dots, depending on the selection in the [FG] button.

Select [Pattern] to spray with the pattern displayed in the Pattern window.

Spray size

The [Area Height] and [Area Width] options set the dimensions of the spray area (the area in which dots are randomly sprayed). You may want to experiment with thin spray areas (for example, width 6; height: 15 to 99) first.

Use the up and down arrows in the [Area Height] and [Area Width] boxes to set the size of the spray in dots. Alternatively, click in the box and type a value.

Spot characteristics

Use the up and down arrows in the [Spot Size] and [Spot Border] boxes to set values in dots. Alternatively, click in any of the boxes and type a value.

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DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

The [Spot Size] sets the size of the spots the Airbrush sprays.

The [Spot Border] sets the border width of the spots. You can use this feature to create special effects. For example, try a spot size of [9] with a border of [1] and paint using a gray tone pattern.

Figure 3-19. Airbrushing examples

Floodfill

The Floodfill tool allows you to fill an area bound by the current foreground color, or fill an area having the current foreground color. You can use the current background color or pattern as floodfill.

Note that this function may not work correctly if ElixirImage is running under the Windows 95 operating system and the image is 64 KB or larger.

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Figure 3-20. Floodfill options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Floodfill mode

Select [Interior] or [Solid].

Floodfill options

Select [Interior] to fill an area bound by the current foreground color with the current pattern or the background color depending on your [Floodfill Type] selection.

Select [Solid] to fill areas having the current foreground color with the current pattern or the background color depending on your [Floodfill Type] selection.

Floodfill type

Select [Color] or [Pattern].

Select [Color] to fill an area with the current background color displayed in the [BG] button.

Select [Pattern] to fill an area with the current pattern.

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The following figure shows the beach flood-filled with a brick pattern.

Fig 3-21. Floodfill example

Note that if an area is already filled, you can replace that area with another pattern or color only if the area is defined by a border color that is different from the fill color or pattern.

For example, if you have a shape with a color border, and a black and white pattern fill, you can replace the black and white pattern with another black and white pattern, solid black or solid white. However, if the shape border is black or white, you can not replace the black and white pattern because the border color is the same as the color contained in pattern.

Eraser/Replacer

Use the Eraser tool to clear portions of an image to white, black, color or the current pattern.

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Figure 3-22. Eraser options

Select from the following options in the Toolbox:

Eraser mode

Select [Stretchy Box] or [Moving Box].

Eraser options

Select [Stretchy Box] to draw a rectangular box in the Work area. Press and hold the mouse button to start drawing the box. Then, as you move the mouse, the box stretches and erases the area contained in the box.

Select [Moving Box] to display a square with the dimensions set in the [Border Width] option. While holding down the mouse button, drag the pointer. The area covered by the square is erased.

Eraser direction

If [Moving Box] is selected, select [Horizontal], [Vertical], [Both], or [Free].

Select [Horizontal] to erase in a horizontal direction only.

Select [Vertical] to erase in a vertical direction only.

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Select [Both] to erase in a horizontal or vertical direction only.

Select [Free] to erase in any direction.

Pixel replacement

Select [All] or [Color Replace].

Select [All] to clear the whole area with the current background color, or pattern (if the [Eraser/Replacer Type] option is set to [Pattern]).

Select [Color Replace] to replace sections having the current foreground color with the current background color, or pattern (if the [Eraser/Replacer Type] option is set to [Pattern]).

Eraser/Replacer type

Select to [Erase with [BG] Color] or [Erase with Pattern].

Select [Erase with [BG] color] to erase with the current background color.

Select [Erase with Pattern] to erase with the current pattern or color.

Text tool

The Text tool allows you to import clip art images and to insert text in your images. Using the Text tool is described in the "Using text and clip art" chapter.

Transform tool

The Transform tool is used for copying, moving, creating clip art, and for transforming an image or a marked image area. Using the Transform tool is described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" and "Using text and clip art" chapters.

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Drawing modes

You can select the drawing mode options by clicking on one of the drawing mode icons in the Toolbar. These options affect all drawing tools.

The three options are (from left to right) [Replace] (Opaque), [Transparent] and [Reverse]. The following figure shows the effect of superimposing a filled rectangle using (from top to bottom) the [Replace], [Transparent], and [Reverse] options.

The drawing modes work for copy operations and all the drawing tools except the Eraser.

Figure 3-23. Drawing modes

In replace (opaque) mode, drawing over another shape replaces the shape.

In transparent mode, drawing does not erase any shapes underneath it.

In reverse mode, drawing reverses the color of the shapes underneath it.

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Drawing patterns

Click on the Pattern button to display the Pattern window. The Pattern window displays a number of predefined black and white shading patterns. If you are creating a full-color image and want to select from the color palette, click on [Full...]. The Pattern window displays the full-color palette.

Note that the [High...] option is not a valid option for this version of ElixirImage.

Placing the cursor over a pattern or color displays the name in the Pattern Name box. Select a pattern or color from the Pattern window by clicking on it. The pattern or color displays in the Pattern button and is available for use with the appropriate drawing tools described earlier in this chapter.

To close the Pattern window, click on the [Close] button. To move the Pattern window, select the Pattern header and drag the box to the desired location.

Close button Pattern name

DISPLAYING AND DRAWING AN IMAGE

Pattern header

Patterns

Figure 3-24. Pattern window

Editing patterns

To edit the currently selected shading pattern or color, click on the Pattern button using the right mouse button. The Shading Pattern window displays from which you can edit the current pattern.

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Figure 3-25. Editing patterns

The right side of the window shows the pattern at normal magnification. The left side of the window displays a magnified image of the pattern bitmap.

The edit area is within an 8 x 8 dot grid at the center of the magnified bitmap area.

When you edit a shading pattern and save your changes, the changes are saved to memory only, they are not saved to your hard disk. To store the edited bitmap with other program settings, you can save the current configuration by pulling down the

System

menu and selecting [Save Configuration]. Although you can use all the drawing tools to edit the

pattern bitmap, it is easiest to use the Pencil tool with a width of [1] for precision editing.

You can also apply the transformation operations described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter to a pattern bitmap.

You change the color that you edit a pattern bitmap by selecting black, white or a color in the [FG] button.

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4. Manipulating images and image areas

ElixirImage includes features that allow you to manipulate (transform) a loaded image or a marked rectangular area within a loaded image.

You can perform the following transformation operations on the whole image: move, resize, rotate, mirror, distort, clear, reverse, shift, halftone, outline, darken, lighten, filter, or copy to and from the Windows Clipboard.

You can perform the following transformation operations on an area in an image: all the above operations plus moving, copying, and saving marked areas in the image.

The import and export functions allow you to create or use clip art images. these functions are described in the "Using text and clip art" chapter.

All the transformation operations described above are performed using the Transform menu or the Transform toolbox, except copying to and from the Clipboard which is performed using the Edit menu.

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Click on Transform

icon to display the

Transform toolbox &

options.

Select a transformation operation from the Transform toolbox or menu

Figure 4-1. Select a transformation from the Toolbox or menu

Procedures

To move, copy, transform, cut, paste or save an image area, you must first mark the area. To do this, select the Transform tool, and then drag the mouse in the Work area. A dashed box displays around the marked area. The marked area can then be moved, copied, transformed, cut, paste or saved using the procedures described in the subsequent sections of this chapter.

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MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

Mark an area

Figure 4-2. Marking an area

You do not have to mark an area if you are copying, moving, transforming, cutting, pasting or saving a whole image.

Moving

When moving a marked area, the area attaches to the screen pointer allowing you to place it elsewhere on the image. A blank space is left in place of the marked area.

To move an area, click in the marked area (the screen pointer changes to a hand) and drag the mouse. Release the mouse button to place the area in a new location. A blank space is left in place of the marked area.

Copying

The copy operation allows you to make single or multiple copies leaving the original image or marked area in place.

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To make a single copy, <Ctrl>-click in the marked area (the screen pointer changes to a hand) and drag the mouse. Release the mouse button to place the area.

To create multiple copies, repeat the procedure.

Saving

To save a marked area as an Elixir (.LP3) or Bitmap (.BMP) image, pull down the [Save Area]. The Save Area into Image dialog box displays allowing you to specify a file name for the marked area.

The new image file is written to the drive:\ELIXIR\PICS\PRINTER directory.

menu and select

File

Transforming images and image areas

To transform an image area, select one of the Transform operations described in the following sections. Click on the [Go] button after marking an area and selecting the desired transformation options.

If you are transforming an entire image, simply click on the [Go] button without marking an area. Alternatively, pull down the Edit menu and choose [Select All] to outline the entire image and then click on the [Go] button to apply the transformation. To deselect the image, pull down the Edit menu and choose [Unselect] (or press <Ctrl> + <A> to toggle between selecting and unselecting an image).

Successively click on the [Go] button to reapply transformations.

You can also apply all transformations except the Resize, Clear, and Shift transformations to an image area "on the fly" while moving or copying the area, by using the appropriate <Ctrl>-fast key combination. Note that the current Toolbox option settings for a transformation are applied when using this method. See the "Keyboard shortcuts" appendix for a list of the transformation fast keys you can use "on the fly."

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Resize

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

This operation allows you to resize an image or image area up or down in independent horizontal and vertical percentages which you specify by clicking on the up or down arrows in the [% In Horizontal] or [% In Vertical] options. Alternatively, click in the box next to the up and down arrows and enter a new percentage.

Figure 4-3. Resize options

Click on the Go button to apply a Resize option

Specify horizontal or vertical resize

If you are upsizing image areas, make sure you have enough space on the right and below the image area to place the resized area.

Figure 4-4. Resizing examples

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You can obtain better results (less distortion) by resizing in one step rather than repeatedly resizing.

Rotate

This operation allows you to rotate an image or image area clockwise or counter-clockwise in 90 degree increments, or 180 degrees.

To specify rotation direction, select the [Clockwise], [Counterclockwise], or [180 degrees] option in the Toolbox.

Click on the Go button to apply a Rotate option

Specify a direction

Figure 4-5. Rotating options

If you are rotating image areas, make sure you have enough space on the right and below the image area, as the image is rotated into this area.

The following figure shows the effect of rotating in the [180 degrees] direction.

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Mirror

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

Figure 4-6. Rotating example

This operation allows you to flip an image or image area in horizontal or vertical directions.

Select the [Horizontal] or [Vertical] option to specify the direction in which you want the image flipped.

Click on the Go button to apply a Mirror option

Specify horizontal or vertical mirroring

Figure 4-7. Mirroring options

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The following figure shows horizontal mirroring.

Figure 4-8. Mirroring examples

Distort

This operation allows you to distort an image or image area in any direction.

Distortion is specified by direction and number of pixels. If you slant the area 28 pixels to the right, the top row of the area will be distorted to the right by 28 pixels. Each successive row will be distorted less until the last row is not distorted at all.

A benefit to this operation is that through combinations of distortions to the right and upward or to the left and downward, you can perform arbitrary bitmap rotations.

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Click on the Go button to apply a Distort option

Specify direction and the number of pixels

Figure 4-9. Distorting options

The following figure shows an example of distortion.

Figure 4-10. Distort example

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Clear

This operation allows you to mark an area in the image and then clear that area or the area outside the marked area to the current background color.

Select [Inside Area] to clear the marked area, or select [Outside Area] to clear the image outside the marked area.

Click on the Go button to apply a Clear option

Specify clearing inside or outside an area

Figure 4.11. Clearing options

If a large image is loaded, only the part of the image that displays in the current window will be cleared.

The following figure shows the effect of clearing outside an image area.

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Reverse

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

Figure 4-12. Clearing outside an area

This operation changes all black dots in an image or marked area to white, and all white dots in the area to black.

This operation does not require you to set options in the Toolbox. Simply click on the [Go] button to perform the operation.

Figure 4-13. Reversing example

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Shift

This operation allows you to precisely move an image area or the whole image with respect to its borders.

Select a direction to shift using the up, down, left, or right arrow, and set the number of pixels you want the image to shift.

Specify whether you want a [Normal] or [Circular] shift. [Normal] replaces the area that was moved with the current background color. [Circular] begins replacing the area that was moved with a new version of the image with each click of the [Go] button.

Click on the Go button to apply a Shift option

Specify shift direction, number pixels, and shift type (Normal or Circular).

Figure 4-26. Shift options

The following figure shows an example of a circular shift with the bigcat logo.

Figure 4-14. Circular shift example

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Halftone

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

This operation allows you to apply line or shading patterns to whole images or image areas.

You can apply halftoning as horizontal, vertical, and slanted (45° and 135°) lines, or as a shading pattern.

Select [Lines] when applying lines for halftoning. The [Width] and [Separation] options control the width and frequency of lines on the screen, thus varying the lines per inch of the halftone.

The color of the halftoning lines is the current foreground color which you can set by clicking on the [FG] button.

If using a shading pattern to halftone, select [Pattern] and load the desired shading pattern as described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

Click on the Go button to apply a Halftone option

Specify Pattern or Lines Specify line type

Specify Width & Separation

Figure 4-15 . Halftone options

The following figure shows the effect of applying halftoning to the individual characters in an image.

Figure 4-16. Halftone examples

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You can apply different halftone screens to the same area repeatedly to achieve different effects.

Outline

This operation enables you to produce an outlined (hollow) version of an image or image area.

Select the width of the outline from the Toolbox.

Click on the Go button to apply an Outline option

Specify ouline width

Figure 4-17. Outline options

Figure 4-18. Outline example

Darken

This operation allows you to darken an image or image area by adding one or more pixels next to existing pixels in the image.

Select the number of pixels and the direction in which you want pixels added.

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MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

Click on the Go button to apply a Darken option

Specify a direction and the number of dots

Figure 4-19. Darken options

Figure 4-20. Darkening examples

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Lighten

This operation allows you to lighten an image or image area. Each black area in the image or image area is contracted by the number of pixels and the direction specified in the Toolbox.

Note that you cannot reverse a lighten operation using the [Darken] option, however, you can use the [Undo] option to restore the pre-lightened image.

Click on the Go button to apply a Lighten option

Specify the side and the number of dots

Figure 4-21. Lighten options

Figure 4-22. Lightening example

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Filter

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

This operation allows you to apply up to six filtering algorithms to an image or image area.

Click on the Go button to apply a Filter option

Apply filtering algorithims

Figure 4-23. Filter options

The following figure shows the features you can filter: sharp corners, hanging or "ragged" dots, and single bits. Filtering a sharp corner removes the corner dot.

Figure 4-24. Filtering

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To clean up rough edges on black and white signatures and logos, apply all six filtering algorithms by selecting each one in the Toolbox.

The following figure shows the effect of applying all filters to a halftone image area. The result is more contrast to the image.

Figure 4-25. Filtering example

Import and Export

The Import and Export transform operations are described in the "Using text and clip art" chapter.

Copying to and from the Clipboard

You can copy an image or marked area to and from the Windows Clipboard by using the

Copying to the Clipboard

When copying to the Windows Clipboard, pull down the Edit menu and select either [Cut] or [Copy] (or press <Ctrl> + <X> for [Cut], or <Ctrl> + <C> for [Copy]).

Selecting [Cut] leaves a blank space in the marked area.

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Edit

menu.

MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

Selecting [Copy] places the image on the Clipboard without changing the original image.

You can also copy an area to the Windows Clipboard using the [Copy Screen Area] option. To use this option you must have the screen area you want to copy visible. Use the [Copy Screen Area] option as follows:

1. Pull down the Edit menu and select [Copy

Screen Area].

The cursor changes to a hand pointer.

2. Place the finger tip of the hand pointer at the

top left corner of the area you want to copy, and drag the mouse to the bottom right corner of the area.

A temporary box is drawn around the area.

3. Release the mouse button to copy the area to

the Windows Clipboard.

The message "Block copied to Clipboard" displays in the Message area.

Pasting from the Clipboard

If you want to paste an image to a specific area, you must first select the Transform icon and mark the area where you want the image pasted.

You must also pull down the Paste mode from the

Set Paste Mode

menu and select a

Edit

sub-menu:

Select [Not Clipped] to paste the image in the marked area at the actual size. If the image is larger than the marked area, the image extends beyond the marked area.

Select [Clipped to Area] to paste the image in the marked area. If the image is larger than the marked area, only part of the image displays in the marked area.

Select [Fit to Area] to paste the image in a marked area. If the image is larger than the

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MANIPULATING IMAGES AND IMAGE AREAS

marked area, the image is reduced so that it fits in the marked area.

To paste an image from the Clipboard to a marked area, pull down the Edit menu and select [Paste] (or press <Ctrl> + <V>).

If you do not mark an area, the image is pasted in the top left hand corner of the Work area.

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5. Using text and clip art

This chapter describes the following:

Entering text

ElixirImage allows you to enter text into an image area using Windows alpha-numeric TrueType fonts, or Elixir-format fonts. Note that as ElixirImage is a bitmapped image editor, the text can only be edited while placing it in the image. Once it is placed, it can only be edited as a bitmap using the drawing tools described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

How to enter text into an image. Using and creating clip art. How to tile an image into a font. How to cut and convert an image area to a char-

acter in a font.

If you plan to use Elixir-format fonts, make sure they are installed in the \ELIXIR\FONTS\ELIXIR directory. Some fonts are installed in this directory during installation.

If you are using the Elixir Desktop, you can also generate Elixir fonts from outline fonts by using the Elixir Font Factory supplied with the desktop. See the Elix- irFont for AFP User Guide for more information about Elixir fonts and the Elixir Desktop and Converters for AFP User Guide for information about generating fonts with the EFont Factory.

You can also use the converters in the Elixir Desktop to convert AFP-format fonts to Elixir-format fonts for use in ElixirImage.

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You insert text into an image by entering text from the keyboard and selecting text properties from the Text toolbox.

To display the Text toolbox, select the Text tool in the Toolbox or select [Text] from the Tool menu. The Text toolbox displays.

Text properties

Font Selection option

The Text toolbox allows you to select text properties and displays the current Windows or Elixir-format font in the Font window.

To enter text, click in the Work area. The Enter New Text dialog box displays.

Figure 5-2. Enter New Text dialog box

Font window

Soft Keyboard option

Preview selected font

Figure 5-1. Text toolbox

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USING TEXT AND CLIP ART

Enter characters from the keyboard using the <Backspace> key or <Delete> key to edit text, and using <Ctrl> + <Enter> to insert a carriage return (CR). Click on [OK] to display the text in the image area with a box around it if you selected [Box Text], or a crosshair pointer if you selected [Free Text]. See the "Specifying text properties" section of this chapter for a description of the [Box Text] and [Free Text] options.

When the text displays with a box around it or a crosshair pointer next to it, the text is in Blend Text mode. Blend Text mode allows you to edit the text, and to position it anywhere in the Work area.

You can also enter characters from the Soft Keyboard while in Blend Text mode. Select the Soft Keyboard to open it, then click on the desired characters. The characters display at the end of the text you entered with the standard keyboard. Ensure that the box around your text is large enough to view these additional characters.

Figure 5-3. Box and Crosshair pointer

To position the text when in Blend Text mode, move the cursor inside the box or crosshair pointer until the cursor changes to a hand; then click and drag the mouse to move the text, and release the mouse button to position the text.

Figure 5-4. Cursor changes to a hand

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To edit the text when in Blend Text mode, move the cursor inside the box or crosshair pointer until the cursor changes to a hand, then click on the right mouse button to display the Change Text dialog box. Edit the text and click on [OK] to accept your changes.

Once you are sure of where you want your text positioned, place the text by clicking outside the text block and selecting [Cancel] from the Enter New Text dialog box, or by selecting another drawing tool. Once text is placed, you can only edit it as a bitmap using the drawing tools described in the "Displaying and drawing an image" chapter.

Specifying text properties

Specify text properties by selecting the options in the Text toolbox.

Font type

This option allows you to select [Windows] to use Windows fonts (including symbolic fonts such as Wing Dings), or [Elixir] fonts. Note that you can only load an Elixir-format font into ElixirImage if you have a screen version of the font. See your Elixir Desktop and Con- verters for AFP User Guide for information about generating a screen version of a font.

To use Windows fonts:

1. Select the [Windows] option.

2. Click on the [Font Selection] button.

The dialog box that displays depends on the [Use Elixir Font Selector] option in the Preferences dialog box. See the "ElixirImage basics" chapter for more information about the Preferences dialog box.

If the [Use Elixir Font Selector] option is not selected, the Font dialog box displays allowing you to select a font name, style, size and script type from the fonts available within Windows.

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Figure 5-5. Font dialog box

If the [Use Elixir Font Selector] option is selected, the Choose Font dialog box displays allowing you to select the font name, style, height and width.

Figure 5-6. Choose Font dialog box

3. Select the font you want to use and click on

[OK].

To use Elixir fonts:

1. Select the [Elixir] option.

The Load Font dialog box displays the Elixirformat fonts currently available in the drive:\ELIXIR\FONTS\ELIXIR directory.

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If an Elixir-format font is already loaded, click on the [Font Selection] button to display the Load Font dialog box.

Note that you cannot load C0 or C1 - C4 fonts, and you can only load an X0 or X1 - X4 font if you have a screen version of the font and a PC mapped version of the font in drive:\ELIXIR\FONTS\ELIXIR. You can create a PC mapped version of a font when importing an AFP font into Elixir by selecting the [PC Mapped Font] button in the Font Converter Options dialog box. See the Elixir Desktop and Converters User for AFP User Guide for more information.

The Load Font box also displays ElixirImage clip art fonts (described later in this chapter). To avoid confusion, ElixirImage clip art fonts are prefixed with a caret (^).

2. Select an Elixir-format font and click on [OK].

The currently loaded font displays in the Font window.

You can view an Elixir-format font before entering it in the Work area by selecting the [Soft Keyboard] option. The font displays at the correct size in proportion to the image in a window below the Work area. Use the scroll bar or <PgUp> and <PgDn> keys to scroll through the font.

While in Blend Text mode, you can enter text from the Soft Keyboard by selecting individual characters. Note that you cannot enter Null or grayed out characters in a font.

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Figure 5-7. Displaying an Elixir font

To close the window, click on the [Soft Keyboard] option again.

Text boundaries

Select [Box Text] or [Free Text]. Box text is bound by columns. If you select the [Box

Text] option, you must also select the [Text Wrap] option (described later in this section) and define the column.

To define a column:

1. Select the [Box Text] and [Wrap Text] option.

2. Click and drag the mouse in the Work area.

A column displays in the Work area.

3. Release the mouse button when the column is

the correct size.

The Enter Text dialog box displays.

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4. Type the text in the Enter Text window and click on [OK].

The text displays inside the column.

5. To resize the column, click and drag any of the handles around the box.

[Free Text] is not bound by columns; only by the width of the image.

To enter [Free Text]:

1. Click in the Work area.

The Enter Text dialog box displays.

2. Enter text and click on [OK].

The text displays as a continuous text string in the image area.

Note that you can switch between [Box Text] and [Free Text] until the text is placed. However, if the [Wrap Text] option is deselected when entering free text, and you toggle to [Box Text], the [Wrap Text] option is not automatically activated. To activate the [Wrap Text] option in this situation, select the [Wrap Text] option and click inside the column.

Text Baseline Rotation

Select the text rotation: [Left to right], [Bottom to top], [Upside down], or [Top to bottom].

Due to Windows limitations, not all fonts can be rotated. If a font does not rotate, select a different font and try the rotate operation again.

Text Justification

You can justify text when the [Wrap Text] and [Box Text] options are selected. Specify the justification for each text block: [Left Justified], [Center Justified], [Right Justified], or [Full Justified].

Text Positioning

When the [Wrap Text] and [Box Text] options are selected, specify the vertical positioning of the boxed text: [Top], [Center], or [Bottom].

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You can use this option with [Text Justification] and [Box Text] to place the text in twelve positions within the box.

Note that this option is not available if you have the [Box Text] option selected for a Windows font type.

FG and BG buttons

Click on the [FG] button to toggle between entering black, white or color text.

Click on the [BG] button to toggle between entering text on a black, white or color background.

Font Selection

Select this option to bring up the Windows or Elixir font selection boxes, from which you can select a font to load.

Soft Keyboard

Select this option when an Elixir font is loaded to display the Elixir font in a window below the Work area.

Wrap Text

Select this option to toggle between setting [Wrap Text] on or off. When you select [Wrap Text], any text you enter is bound in the box you define in the [Box Text] option.

Intercharacter Spacing (for Windows fonts only)

Intercharacter spacing allows you to justify text by adding or deleting spaces between characters.

Enter a value in the [Intercharacter Spacing] option by using the up and down arrows next to the box, or clicking in the box and typing a new value.

As you increase the value, the spacing between characters increases. As you decrease the value, the spacing between characters decreases.

Drawing Mode

You can enter text using [Replace], [Transparent] or [Reverse] mode by selecting the appropriate icon in the Toolbar. The following figure shows examples of entering text in the three drawing modes.

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Figure 5-8. Entering text in an image

Clip art

ElixirImage clip art is a collection of images stored as characters in Elixir-format fonts. You can think of each font as a "library" of related clip art. Because the clip art is an Elixir-format font, you can convert it to AFP printer format and print the clip art as characters on the AFP printer.

To avoid confusion with normal fonts, ElixirImage clip art file names are prefixed with a caret (^). During installation, some clip art fonts are written to the \ELIXIR\FONTS\ELIXIR directory.

You can import clip art into your image from an existing clip art library, or you can create your own clip art library. This section describes how to import clips out of an existing clip art (font) library and place them in an image. See the "Converting an image to a font" section for information about creating your own clip art library.

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Importing clip art

USING TEXT AND CLIP ART

This section describes how to import clips from an existing clip art (font) library and place them in an image.

Refer to the following figure when importing a clip art item into a displayed image.

Figure 5-9. Importing clip art options

Clip art library button

Load button

To import a clip art item into a displayed image:

1. Pull down the Transform menu and select [Import] or select the Import tool in the Transform toolbox.

2. Click on the [Clip Art Library] button.

3. Click on the [Load] button to display the Load Clipart Library dialog box with all the currently-available clip art libraries (fonts) in the drive:\ELIXIR\FONTS\ELIXIR directory.

4. Select a library to display the first "page" of clips in the library and click on [OK].

5. Position the cursor over a clip art item until the clip art cell is highlighted then click the mouse button.

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The screen pointer changes to a hand.

6. Drag the image to the Work area and release the mouse button to position the item.

Just as with text, you can continue positioning the clip art item until it is placed.

7. Click the mouse outside the clip art item to place it.

8. Select and position another clip art item or select another tool.

Figure 5-10. Placing clip art in an image

The above figure shows how you can create diagrams using clip art images.

You cannot place a clip art item outside the image. Areas falling below or to the right of the viewable image area are discarded.

If you want to cancel the current clip you are dragging, release the mouse button before the image reaches the Work area.

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Just as with text, clip art can be added in any of the three drawing modes. Select an icon to add clip art in [Replace], [Transparent], or [Reverse] mode.

You cannot place grayed out or "null" areas in a clip art library.

Converting an image to a font

ElixirImage allows you to convert all or part of an image into an Elixir-format font. Using converters in the Elixir Desktop, you can convert the Elixir-format font to AFP format and print the font on an AFP printer.

You can convert an image into a font by creating a clip art library, tiling an image into a font, or creating a font from image portions. If you are converting an image area, you must mark the area first, as described in the "Manipulating images and image areas" chapter.

To perform any of these operations, you must select the Transform tool to display the transformation options in the Toolbox. The following sections explain the above procedures in detail.

USING TEXT AND CLIP ART

Creating clip art

Refer to the following figure when creating a clip art item from an area in existing image.

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Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual