Print Quality

[llnck]

Hi there,

it seems an ongoing issue for years now, that the quality of output created with the build-in functions in Teechart is poor (to say the best).
I would expect from a product of such reputation (Teechart), that what's shown on the screen should be printable in a quality which is
suited for high quality reproductions. A pixel output even in formats that are capable of vector graphics is not what I would expect.

So: Is it possible (or intended in a foreseeable future) to export graphs in a format of acceptable quality?

Hope for help

Norbert

[Narcís]

Hi Norbert,

Have you looked at the printing better article here? Does this answer to your problems? If it doesn't please provide more detailed information about your issues.

Thanks in advance.

[llnck]

Hi Narcís,

OK: the article claims that the built-in output is via EMF (which is Windows standard to
draw lines and polygons to the printer's canvas).
BUT, if I create a WMF-File (even with "enhanced" checked) the print editor asks for a resolution
(in pixels) and the output is pixel, not vector (I can send an example).
If I Print to a PDF-printer (Adobe, Bullzip, etc.) the result is also pixels not vector.
I can increase resolution, but then huge files are created,but those are still not losslessly scalable.

Am I missing something??

Best

Norbert

[Narcís]

Hi Norbert,

What about exporting the chart to a PDF or PostScript, using the built-in functionality, and printing the image later? For exporting information please have a look at the import/export related tutorials. Tutorials can be found at TeeChart's program group.

[llnck]

Hi Narcis,

I managed to produce a vector file (EMF) through the TeeCreateMetaFile-function. Unfortunately,
the quality (layout) differs quite a lot from "wysiwyg" (as mentioned in article you recommended above):
Font type/size, tics, grid, scaling... is completely messed up (why???).

I cannot get a grip on exporting to PDF/PS since I lack the corresponding export formats (only bmp and wmf
are offered with pixelled output, see above). I ran into that RegisterTeeExportFormat-procedure, but there
seems to be nothing to register (no format file available).

I guess we're approaching a solution, but why has this to be so intricate? A simple "Draw" to any canvas
should produce a satisfying result, shouldn't it? The rest is usually dealt with by the operating system, no?

Sounds like a fair portion of detention for your programmers

Best

Norbert

[Narcís]

Hi Norbert,

I cannot get a grip on exporting to PDF/PS since I lack the corresponding export formats (only bmp and wmf
are offered with pixelled output, see above). I ran into that RegisterTeeExportFormat-procedure, but there
seems to be nothing to register (no format file available).

You need to include corresponding units in your project uses section, eg.: TeePDFCanvas. Examples of this are available at the new features demo, available at TeeChart's program group.

[llnck]

Hi Nacris,

I did not have much time recently, but now I'm back with my problem.
I managed to print/save vector files (EMF and PDF), but the quality
issue is still there in terms of messed up scaling and fonts. The
screen output looks pretty nice, but the saved file does not!
I added an example which demonstrates the problem.

Hope you can help

Norbert

[Yeray]

Hello Norbert,

It seems that the resolution in the pdf is bigger than in the screen. This could explain why the fonts look smaller in the pdf.
Try setting a bigger font for axes labels and titles just before the exportation, and restore it after.