Printing/Exporting

# Printing and Exporting

- Print
- Export
- LaTeX and Xfig
- Generating an HTML Image Map

To export or print a Fig file, xfig calls fig2dev, the post-processor which converts the Fig file to the desired output language. For printing, this is PostScript. For exporting, there are a dozen or so languages, including PostScript, EPS, LaTeX, MetaFont, and bitmap formats such as GIF, JPEG, PPM and several others. See the Language description of the Exporting section.
This means that you must have fig2dev installed on your system along with xfig. Fig2dev is always available where you find xfig. See Getting and Installing Xfig for details.

## Printing

The Print... entry in the File menu (or accelerator `Meta-P`) provides the facility to print figures to PostScript printers. Use File/Export if you want to store the output to a file.
The accelerator `Shift-Meta-P` will print using the previously set paramters (i.e. the print panel isn't popped up, but the figure is printed).

Magnification
  Specify the magnification when printing figure in percent of full size (%). The default is 100% and may be set by the `Fig.magnification` resource.

Fit to Page
  Clicking this button will set the Magnification automatically so that figure size will just fill current Paper Size with at least 1/2 inch margin all around.

Orientation
  Specify the orientation of the output as Landscape (horizontal) or Portrait (vertical). The default orientation is same as the orientation of the canvas which may be changed by Portrait/Landscape in the View menu.

Justification
  Specify if the figure should be Flush Left or Centered on the paper of size selected by Paper Size.

Paper Size
  Specify the size of the paper. The following paper sizes are available:
  Letter (8.5in x 11in)
  Legal (8.5in x 14in)
  Tabloid (17in x 11in)
  ANSI A (8.5in x 11in)
  ANSI B (11in x 17in)
  ANSI C (17in x 22in)
  ANSI D (22in x 34in)
  ANSI E (34in x 44in)
  ISO A9 (37mm x 52mm)
  ISO A8 (52mm x 74mm)
  ISO A7 (74mm x 105mm)
  ISO A6 (105mm x 148mm)
  ISO A5 (148mm x 210mm)
  ISO A4 (210mm x 297mm)
  ISO A3 (297mm x 420mm)
  ISO A2 (420mm x 594mm)
  ISO A1 (594mm x 840mm)
  ISO A0 (840mm x 1189mm)
  JIS B10 (32mm x 45mm)
  JIS B9 (45mm x 64mm)
  JIS B8 (64mm x 91mm)
  JIS B7 (91mm x 128mm)
  JIS B6 (128mm x 182mm)
  JIS B5 (182mm x 257mm)
  JIS B4 (257mm x 364mm)
  JIS B3 (364mm x 515mm)
  JIS B2 (515mm x 728mm)
  JIS B1 (728mm x 1030mm)
  JIS B0 (1030mm x 1456mm)

Pages
  If Multiple is selected here, the figure will be split into multiple pages if the size of the figure is larger than Paper Size. It allows the user to output a figure larger than paper size by pasting those papers together (to make it easier, xfig generates output so that the parts of the figure will be overlap).

  If Single is selected here, this facility will not be used; any part of the figure outside the paper boundary will be clipped.

Background
  This will set the background color of the whole figure when printing. The default is white.

Grid
  You may print a light-gray grid on the page by choosing a minor (thin) and/or a major (thick) grid spacing from pulldown menus or entering the spacing directly in the entry. The units of grid spacing are inches or mm, depending on the units of the figure.

Printer
  Specify the printer name output should be directed to. If this field is empty, output will be directed to the default printer.
  The default value is specified by the resource `Fig*printer*string` or the environment variable `$PRINTER`.

  If your system uses /etc/printcap to define printers, xfig will make a pulldown menu of printers next to the entry.

Print Job Params
  The string specified here will be passed as command-line options when executing `lpr` (`lp` on System V system). If `%f` is included in the string, (it may appear more than once) it will be replaced by the name of the figure.

  The default is empty, but it may be specified by `Fig*job_params*string` resource.

Figures in batch
  This indicator shows how many figures have been put in the batch file for printing. Figures may be printed into the batch file by Print FIGURE to Batch, and those figures may be sent to the printer as one print job by clicking on Print BATCH to Printer.

Dismiss
  Clicking this button will close the Print panel. The accelerator `Meta-C` will also perform this function.

Print all layers/Print only active
  You may print the whole figure (all layers) or just the layers that are active according to the layer manager.

Print FIGURE/BATCH to Printer
  Clicking this button will spool the figures in the batch file if any, or the current figure if none, to the printer. The accelerator `Meta-P` will also perform this function.

  The label of this button will be Print BATCH to Printer if there are any figures in the batch file, or Print FIGURE to Printer if there are none.

  When printing to the printer, xfig will first convert the figure to PostScript with fig2dev program, and pass the result to `lpr` (`lp` on System V system). When executing `lpr` (or `lp`), the printer name specified by PostScript Printer field and options specified by Print Job Params will be passed as command-line options.

Print FIGURE to Batch
  Clicking this button will append the current figure to the batch file. The accelerator `Meta-B` will also perform this function.

  The figures stored in the batch file will be printed to the printer when Print BATCH to Printer is clicked later. You can use this facility when you want to send some figures to the printer at one time.

Clear Batch
  Clicking this button will erase the accumulated figures in the batch file. The accelerator `Meta-X` will also perform this function. The figures are automatically deleted from the batch file when Print BATCH to Printer is clicked.

## Exporting

The Export... entry in the File menu (or accelerator `Meta-X`) provides the facility to output the figure in various format such as PostScript, GIF, JPEG, HP-GL, etc. to a file. This is useful when you want to read figures by other applications (LaTeX or FrameMaker, for example). See LaTeX and Xfig for hints about using xfig with LaTeX.
The accelerator `Shift-Meta-X` will export using the previously set paramters (i.e. the export panel isn't popped up, but the figure is exported).

Use File/Print if you want to print the figure to a PostScript printer.

Language
  Specify the format (language) to be generated as output. The default is Encapsulated PostScript, but may be changed with the resource `Fig.exportLanguage`.

  The following formats are available:

  Vector formats:

  PostScript
  Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
  PDF (Portable Document Format)
  EPS and PDF (two files)
  LaTeX box (figure boundary)
  LaTeX picture environment
  TeX/LaTeX with tikz macros
  LaTeX with pstricks macros
  Combined PostScript/LaTeX
  Combined PDF/LaTeX
  Combined PostScript/PDF/LaTeX (three files)
  PicTeX macros
  IBMGL (HP-GL)
  DXF (Drawing Interchange Format)
  GBX (Gerber, RS-247-X)
  Textyl \special commands
  TPIC
  PIC
  HTML Image map
  MF (MetaFont)
  MP (MetaPost)
  CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile - useful to import into Microsoft WORD, etc.)
  EMF (Enhanced Metafile)
  SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
  Tk (Tck/Tk toolkit canvas)
  Perl/Tk

  Bitmap formats:

  GIF Graphic Interchange Format
  JPEG
  PCX Paintbrush format
  PNG Portable Network Graphics
  PPM Portable Pixmap
  SLD (AutoDesk slide format)
  TIFF Tag Image File Format
  XBM X11 Bitmap
  XPM X11 Pixmap

  As a variation of the LaTeX format, epic, eepic and eepicemu macros are also available. It is also possible to output the text part of the figure in LaTeX and the graphics part in PostScript using Combined PostScript/LaTeX. This is especially useful when complex numerical formulas are included in the figure (see also TEXT FLAGS).

  Not all of the features in xfig are supported by all export languages. For example, imported pictures are not supported for IBMGL export. The PostScript export language supports all features of xfig and a fairly high quality output will be generated.

  The fig2dev program, part of the Fig2dev package available with xfig does the actual conversion from Fig to the output language.

  To export the figure in a bitmap format such as GIF or JPEG, you must have the GhostScript and netpbm packages on your system.

Magnification
  Specify the magnification when exporting figure in percent of full size (%). The default is 100% and may be set by the `Fig.magnification` resource.

Export all layers/Export only active
  You may export the whole figure (all layers) or just the layers that are active according to the layer manager.

Border Margin
  When exporting to PostScript, Encapsulated PostScript, HTML MAP, or any of the bitmap formats (e.g. GIF, JPEG, etc.), you may add a margin space around the figure. The size of the margin is in pixels or 1/80th inch.

Background
  This will set the background color of the whole figure when printing. The default is white.

Grid
  You may add a light-gray grid to the page by choosing a minor (thin) and/or a major (thick) grid spacing from pulldown menus or entering the spacing directly in the entry. The units of grid spacing are inches or mm, depending on the units of the figure.
  The grid option is available for PostScript, Encapsulated PostScript, PDF, PSLatex, PDFLatex, pstricks, tikz and all the bitmap export formats.

  The default is None.

PostScript Options - These options will appear below the Grid options when PostScript is selected as the export language.

Paper Size
  Specify the size of the paper. See description in Print Panel about available paper sizes. This is effective only if PostScript is selected at Language.
Fit to Page
  Clicking this button will set the Magnification automatically so that the figure size will just fill current Paper Size with at least 1/2 inch margin all around. This is effective only when PostScript is selected as Language.
Orientation
  Specify the orientation of the output as Landscape (horizontal) or Portrait (vertical). The default orientation is same as the orientation of the canvas which may be changed by Portrait/Landscape in the View menu.
Justification
  Specify if the figure should be Flush Left or Centered on the paper of the size selected by Paper Size. This is effective only if PostScript is selected at Language.
Pages
  If Multiple is selected, the figure will be split into multiple pages if the figure is larger than Paper Size. If Single is selected, this facility will not used. This is effective only if PostScript is selected at Language.
Offset
  When exporting figure, the figure will be shifted to the right or down by the amount specified here. Use negative numbers to shift it left and/or up. The unit of the amounts may be selected from Inches, Centimeters, and Fig Units(1/1200 inch in version 3.x).

Bitmap Options - These options will appear below the Grid options when any bitmap format is selected as the export language.

Smoothing
  This will smooth the image by calling fig2dev with either the ``-S 2`' (Some smoothing) or `-S 4` (More smoothing) option to tell GhostScript to render at 2x magnification which improves font rendering, then passes through `pnmscale` to reduce to original size, which also smooths the image by averaging colors of adjacent pixels.
  The default is No smoothing.
Transparent Color
  For GIF export, it is possible to specify one of the colors as "transparent". When displaying the figure with GIF viewers that support Transparent GIF (such as Netscape Navigator, for example), the color will not appear but the background of the viewer will show through in place of the color.
  The default is None.
JPEG Image quality
  If the export language is JPEG, an entry to select the "quality factor" appears.
  The default is 75.

Default File
  Output will be written to this file if Output File is empty.

  This file name is the figure name plus an extension that reflects the output format at the default, and it will be changed to the specified file name if export has been performed by specifying a file name in Output File.

Output File
  Specify the file name the output should be written to. If this field is empty, the file name in the Default File field will be used.

  The file name in the Output File field may be changed by selecting a file name in the Fig Files list, or typing the file name from keyboard directly. If Return is typed after file name is entered, export to the file will be performed as if the Export button was clicked.

Alternatives
  The list of files in the current directory (only files matching the pattern specified by Filename Mask) are displayed, and users may select a file for output from the list.

  Clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will copy the file name to the Output File field. Double-clicking a file name in this list with mouse button 1 will cause exporting to the file as if Export button was clicked. Note that exporting to the existing file will over-write the old contents of the file.

Filename Mask
  Only the files matching this pattern will be put in the File Alternatives list. The pattern is similar to the one used by the UNIX shell, and it is possible to use meta-characters like "`*`" or "`?`".

  Typing Return in this field will cause rescan of the current directory as if Rescan button was clicked. This string will be changed according to the language selected with the Language menu.

Current Dir
  This shows the current directory, and files in the directory will be displayed in the Alternatives list.

  The directory name in the Current Dir field may be changed by clicking a directory name in Directories list, or by typing the directory name from keyboard directly. If Return is typed after directory name is entered, the directory will scanned as if Rescan button was clicked and the contents of Alternatives list will be updated.

Directories
  The list of directories in the current directory is displayed here, and clicking any item in this list with mouse button 1 will cause a move to the directory. Normally, hidden directories are not displayed here, but this may be toggled by Show Hidden button.

  "`..`" indicates the parent directory. Moving to the parent directory may also be performed by clicking mouse button 3 on the Alternatives list or the Directories list.

Home
  Clicking this button will move to the home directory of the user.

Show Hidden
  This button controls if hidden directories (directories whose names start with "`.`") should be displayed or not. Clicking this button will toggle the state. Normally, hidden directories are not displayed.

Rescan
  Clicking this button will scan files in the current directory and update the Alternatives list. The accelerator `Meta-R` will also perform this function.

Cancel
  Clicking this button will close the Export panel. The accelerator `Meta-C` will also perform this function.

Export
  Clicking this button will export to the file specified by Output File field if any, or the file in Default File. The accelerator `Meta-X` will also perform this function.

  When trying to export to an existing file other than Default File, popup panel will appear and the user will asked to confirm the export operation. If the figure is exported to a file other than Default File, then Default File will be set to the actual export file name.

## Generating an HTML Image Map

It is possible to generate image map (clickable map) of HTML 3.2 by selecting HTML Image Map as Language on the Export panel.

To use this facility, using Comments on the Edit panel, comment like:

> `HREF="url" ALT="string"`

must be set for objects you want to make it clickable. Here, `url` is URL of the target of the link, `string` is alternative string for browsers which will not display images (`ALT` attribute is required in HTML 3.2). `string` will be used as label of alternative text links xfig will generate with the image map, too.

TEXT objects can't be used for links. CIRCLE, ELLIPSE, SPLINE and ARC will be approximated with polygons. Open objects such as POLYLINE or OPEN SPLINE will be treated as if it is closed. ARC-BOX will treated as if is is a BOX.

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