1. What is the tradeoff between image quality, and image speed?
2. How do I change to different resolutions?
3. What is the best way to view these files?
4. What file type do you recommend for emailing? How about for document storage?
5. How do I make my JPEG file size smaller?
6. What is the difference between 1 bit, 8 bit, and 24 bit?
7. If I have a problem, how do I contact you?
8. I'm a software developer. Is there a way to incorporate the print driver into my custom application?
9. I'm in corporate IT. Is there a way to automate the conversion of thousands of documents?
10. What are the different file naming conventions, and how would I use them?
11. How do I make the file Print Dialog come back after I tell it to disappear?
12. How do I remove the print driver?
13. Is it possible to install more than one printer?
14. Can I share this print driver over the network?
15. If I want to launch an application after printing, how do I do that?
16. What file format do I need to create in order to be able to fax this document?
17. Is there a way to install the driver without being a local administrator?
18. What is the smallest file format?
19. Do you do custom integration work?
20. How do I combine multiple single page documents into a single multi-page document?
21. How do I do a silent install?
22. How do I change the custom default settings before doing an install?
23. How can I set ImagePRINT to use the same options each time?
24. I created the image with ImagePRINT yesterday. How can I email the image now?
25. I want a different page size. How can I change it?
26. I want a clearer image (better resolution). How can I do this?

1) What is the tradeoff between image quality, and image speed?

You know the old joke: "Good, Fast, Cheap: Pick two"? This is much the same sort of situation. In order to improve the image quality, you have to increase the sheer amount of information; that causes the image to be larger in memory so it takes longer to generate it and longer to send it to someone.

Let's put some real numbers on there. This only matters, by the way, if we are talking about photographs or other colored or grey-scaled (so-called "continuous-tone") images. If we are talking about producing monochrome files, straight black and white, we have to do something to change those grey tones to a mix of black and white dots; this process is called "dithering." There are a number of different techniques used in dithering, but the one that looks best is error diffusion. The problem is that in order to look good, it ends up generating much larger files than almost any other dithering technique -- potentially up to 30 times as large. It is also much slower -- where using the fastest possible dithering technique, Windows Fast Dither, will allow generation of as many as 20 pages per second on a relatively fast machine, Error Diffusion generates only about one page a second.

2) How do I change to different resolutions?

3) What is the best way to view these files?

4) What file type do you recommend for emailing? How about for document storage?

For emailing, what is important is the size of the image -- most people do not have broadband, and cannot sit waiting for ages for an image to download. Extreme accuracy of image is generally not required. For emailing, we recommend a lossy compression, something like JPEG. Some image quality is lost in the transfer, but the resulting file is much smaller and transfers much faster. For the same reason, we suggest JPEG if you are preparing images to be shown on the Web.

For document storage and archiving, accuracy of the image is critical; the only real option is to use one of the lossless image compression types. The TIFF file type has stood the test of time; it has been in use for decades, and is viewable by a very large assortment of programs. Another good choice for document archiving is the PDF file format, published and supported by Adobe.

5) How do I make my JPEG file size smaller?

6) What is the difference between 1 bit, 8 bit, and 24 bit?

7) If I have a problem, how do I contact you?

8) I'm a software developer. Is there a way to incorporate the print driver into my custom application?

9) I'm in corporate IT. Is there a way to automate the conversion of thousands of documents?

Of course. You can write a program that invokes OLE or DDE to use the parent application for each file, and prints that file through our printer; then, when the output file appears,you can do whatever you need to do with it.

A better and faster solution is to purchase that application already written. Visit the ImageMAKER Conversion Server site for our version of that software.

10) What are the different file naming conventions, and how would I use them?

11) How do I make the file Print Dialog come back after I tell it to disappear?

12) How do I remove the print driver?

13) Is it possible to install more than one printer?

14) Can I share this print driver over the network?

15) If I want to launch an application after printing, how do I do that?

16) What file format do I need to create in order to be able to fax this document?

17) Is there a way to install the driver without being a local administrator?

18) What is the smallest file format?

19) Do you do custom integration work?

20) How do I combine multiple single page documents into a single multi-page document?

21) How do I do a silent install?

22) How do I change the custom default settings before doing an install?

23) How can I set ImagePRINT to use the same options each time?

You can set ImagePRINT options as defaults in the ImagePRINT preferences and properties. (From the Start button, select Settings > Printers. Right-click ImagePRINT and select Printing Preferences or Properties).

These ImagePRINT options remain in effect unless you reset the option in your application's page setup or print preferences or reset them in the ImagePRINT control dialog (the screen that appears when you select the ImagePRINT printer driver when printing from your application).

If you change an ImagePRINT related option in your application, the option remains in effect until you reset it or exit the application. If you change an option in the ImagePRINT control dialog, the option remains in effect until you reset it.

24) I created the image with ImagePRINT yesterday. How can I email the image now?

You need to know the name of the ImagePRINT file and where it is stored. Use the Windows search function (from the Start button, select Search > For Files or Folders) if you have difficulty loacating the file.

Then open your email program (such as Outlook or Netscape), and use its file attachment feature to locate and attach the ImagePRINT file. Or, as you are composing the message, simply drag and drop the image file into the message.

25) I want a different page size. How can I change it?

Set the Page Size option in the ImagePRINT printer preferences.

You can change the size of the image that ImagePRINT produces. You can select any paper size that is supported by your copy of Windows.
Page sizes include:

• Letter: 8.5x11 inches
• Legal: 8.5x14 inches
• A4: 210x297 inches
• A3: 297x420 inches
• B4: 257x364 inches
• Tabloid: 11x17 inches
• Custom defined page sizes up to 40x40 inches

To set the paper size:

1. From the Windows Start menu, select Setting > Control Panel, then select Printers.
2. Right-click the ImagePRINT driver and select Printing Preferences (on an NT system, select Document Defaults).
3. Under Paper/Output, click the arrow in the Page Size drop-down list and select a paper size.
4. Click OK.

Note: If you select Low Fax, Fine Fax, or 200x200 dpi for the resolution, page sizes that are close to the sizes supported by standard fax machines are slightly distorted to make them work with these fax machines. Page sizes narrow than 8 1/2 inches; page sizes within 10mm of A3 and B4 are rounded to A3 and B4 respectively. Other page sizes may not be in a format that your software can use.

26) I want a clearer image (better resolution). How can I do this?

You can obtain a clearer image by setting the appropriate resolution for the application you are using.

To set resolution and dithering options:

1. From the Windows Start menu, select Setting > Control Panel, then select Printers.
2. Right-click the ImagePRINT driver and select Printing Preferences (on an NT system, select Document Defaults).
   
   
   Note: You can also set the resolution and dithering options when printing an image file from an application. In the Print dialog, click the Properties button, then click the Advanced button.
3. Click theAdvanced button.
4. Set options for the driver you selected as follows.
   
   For the TIFF driver, under Resolution, select an option as follows
   • True 200 x 200 DPI (Office 97): if you are printing documents from Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, WordPerfect, or Adobe Acrobat, select this option for the best rendering of tables, foreign characters, and other document properties. Note that the image prints at 2% narrower and longer than normal.
   • Low Fax (204 x 98 DPI): poorer quality, but higher transmission time than High Fax. Note that many applications, such as WordPerfect and Adobe Acrobat require square pixels and the output will not be readable with this option.
   • Fine Fax (204 x 198 DPI): Best resolution for conventional fax machines, but causes problems for applications that require square pixels such as WordPerfect and Adobe Acrobat.
   For the TIFF driver, under Image Rendering Options, set Color Mode options as follows
   • Color - Error Diffusion Dithering (24-bit):
     • Provides optimal quality for colored images you are converting to black and white.
     • Looks good if printed or converted to a different resolution
     • Provides optimal output for PDF and Powerpoint.
   • Monochrome (faster, less memory): Creates a file with no greyscales.
   • Color - All Colors to Black: Creates a line art file by replacing colors with black.
   • Color - All Colors to White: Creates a line art file by replacing colors with white.
   • Color - Dither From 256 Colors: Reduces the image to only a few shades. You should use this option when printing AutoCAD drawings. If you select this option, you can set the dither pattern and the intensity.
   • Fast Windows Dithering:
     • Creates files quickly
     • Requires minimal memory for conversion.
     If you select this option, you can set the dither pattern from the selections offered by Windows.