Daily Dose of DTP: 16. The Art and Science of Graphics

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Daily Dose of DTP 16. The Art and Science of Graphics From Jacci Howard Bear, your Guide to Desktop Publishing If our words paint a picture and a picture is worth a thousand words, which is most important in desktop publishing, the fonts or the graphics? I don't know the answer to that one but I can tell you that it is important to know the difference between bitmap and vector graphics. More important even than the difference between serif and sans serif fonts. Class Notes: This is not simply a word-a-day course. The lessons follow a specific order in roughly the following groupings: General concepts > Things you need > Font specifics > Image specifics > Prepress & Printing > Rules & Tutorials (bold indicates the stage in which this lesson falls) Today's Definitions Bitmap Everybody loves bitmaps. They are easy to understand. Easy to create. I mean, they're just a bunch of dots, right? Vector Your eyes may start to glaze over when you read that vector images are "composed of individual objects made up of mathematical calculations" but snap out of it! This is important stuff. Vector images may not have cute little pixels and they aren't very Web-friendly but they are a valued graphics format in desktop publishing circles. Today's Trivia Connect the Dots Critical Information Alert: This is more than just fun-to-know. • Printers print dots. > Bitmaps are dots. > Vectors are not dots. So how does a printer that prints dots print vector graphics? • Raster is another name for bitmap. > Printers have a Raster Image Processor (RIP). > RIP turns vectors into dots. > Turning vectors into dots is called rasterizing or RIPping. That's the non-technical quicky explanation. Learn more... This email is written by: Jacci Howard Bear Desktop Publishing Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Daily Dose of DTP' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement