bitmap2eps user manual
This is a little tool for converting bitmaps into EPS files. It can
convert bitmaps of type BMP, JPEG, or PNG into EPS files (either color
or grayscale).
Usage
You can simply call it by
bitmap2eps [-c coding_type] [-t type] [-o output_file] filename
- filename
- is the name of the bitmap file.
- coding_type
-
is one of:
- hex
means that the bitmap data is encoded as hexadecimal
digits. This coding requires a lot of space, but it is very readable
for humans.
- asc85
encodes the bitmap data to a range of 85
characters. It uses about 30% less space than the hex coding,
but is not as readable.
- runlength
first compresses the bitmap by a runlength
coding method. It is useful mostly for gray-scale images that contain
large homogeneous areas. It should not be used for color images since
the R, G, and B channels are interleaved, so that runlength coding is
ineffective.
- jpeg
uses the JPEG compression facility built into the
PostScript Level 2 standard. It uses a lossy compression technique, but the
quality is sufficient for most applications.
- deflate
uses the deflate compression algorithm (same as in gzip). The
corresponding decompression method is part of the PostScript Level 3
standard, which is not implemented by most current printers. This is a
lossless compression method.
The default value is asc85.
- type
- is the type of the resulting EPS file:
- rgb
creates an RGB color EPS file.
- gray
creates a grayscale EPS file. Use this for creating
files that are printed on grayscale printers - It saves a lot of space
for the uncompressed codings.
The default is rgb.
- output_file
- overrides the name of the output file. The default
output filename is the name of the source file with its extension
replaced by ".eps".
Errors
There are two possible sources of errors:
- The file does not exist, or does not end in ".png", ".bmp", or
".jpg". The resulting error message is "Invalid parameters".
- There is something wrong with the image file. The resulting error
message should describe the problem.