BmepsGUI - A GUI for bmeps
Overview
The GUI allows you to perform the following tasks:
- Choose the directory where the images to convert reside.
- Set conversion options (choose output format and set format-specific options).
- Run the conversion.
Starting the program
After the program started successfully the main window is shown.
Below the logo you see the current working directory and the program state.
Choosing a directory
To choose a directory use either the "File => Directory" menu entry
or the "Choose a directory" button.
The dialog box to choose a directory is shown, navigate to the
directory containing your source images and use the button
"OK", "Open", "Öffnen"... (the button name depends on your system
and language).
The new directory is shown below the bmeps logo.
Setting options
Opening the "Bmeps GUI options" dialog box
To set options use either the "File => Options" menu entry or the
"Set options" button.
The "Bmeps GUI Options" dialog box is shwon.
The "General options" panel
- Make mode (check file modification times)
If this checkbox is enabled the program inspects the modification
times of input and output file (if the output file exists) and runs
a conversion only if necessary (the output file does not exist or
is older than the input file).
- Always open log window
Normally the BmepsGUI program opens a log window after doing the conversions
only if there was an error or an important message.
If the "Always open log window" checkbox is activated the program always
shows the log output after running the conversions.
The "Predefined configurations" panel
In the predefined configurations panel you can choose either one
of the builtin configurations or a configuration set up in the
bmeps.conf configuration file if this file exists.
The "Full-custom configuration" panel
Use this panel to choose a full-customized configuration.
Use the "Base output format" combobox to choose the base output driver.
When changing the base driver the remainder of the panel changes to
show output driver specific options.
The buttons
- OK
The "OK" button applies the settings made in the dialog box to the program
and closes the dialog box.

- Cancel
The "Cancel" button closes the dialog box without applying the settings.
- Reload
The "Reload" button loads the program settings into the dialog box
again (this is equivalent to the use of "Cancel" and opening this dialog
box again).
- Defaults
The "Defaults" button loads reasonable defaults into the dialog box.
Settings for PostScript/EPS output
- Draft mode
Draft mode can be used to produce small placeholder images only.
In draft mode all other PostScript/EPS-related settings are ignored.
- General PS/EPS options
- PS/EPS version
Choose a PS/EPS version. Normally this should correspond to the
PostScript level your printer is able to print.
Some of the settings below are enabled or disabled depending on
the PS level.
- Encapsulated PostScript
Enable this checkbox to produce EPS rather than PS.
- DSC comments
Use this checkbox to enable or disable DSC comments.
I recommend not to use DSC comments unless there is a reason to do so.
- Colored output
Use this checkbox to choose between colored and grayscaled output.
This checkbox is disabled for PS level 1.
- Image interpolation
Use this checkbox to enable image interpolation. Image interpolation
sometimes improves rendering if the image is scaled up.
This option is disabeld for PS level 1.
- for JPEGs too
Use this checkbox to enable image interpolation for directly re-used
DCT-encoded data from JPEG files.
This option is disabled if image interpolation is turned off.
- Image size and resolution
- 1 pixel -> 1 point
This is bmeps's default size translation, each input pixel is converted
into a small square of 1 point x 1 point.
- Use image resolution chunk if available
Use this setting to use image resolution chunks if the input file contains
such a chunk.
- Fit to media size
Use this setting to best fit an image onto a given papersize, choose the
paper size from the list beside.
- Compression and encoding
- Convert binary data to ASCII
There are two "final" encodings to convert binary data to ASCII: ASCII-Hex and
ASCII-85. ASCII-85 converts 4 binary bytes into 5 ASCII characters (file
size increases by 25%), ASCII-Hex converts each binary byte into 2 ASCII
characters (file size increases by 100%).
IF possible you should use ASCII-85 encoding.
PS level 2 is required to use ASCII-85 encoding.
- Run-length compression
Use this checkbox to enable run-length compression (requires PS level 2).
- Multiple data sources
Set this option to enable the use of multiple data sources for run-length
compression if there are lines of the same color in the input image.
Example: Without multiple data sources a red line is encoded as
0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00... This stream can not be run-length
compressed. Using multiple data sources there are 3 streams:
(0xFF, 0xFF,...), (0x00, 0x00,...) and (0x00, 0x00,...) which are
good candidates for run-length compression.
- Flate compression
Flate compression (requires PS level 3) is a lossless compression
providing good compression rates.
- Keep DCT encoding for JEPG images
Set this option to allow pass-through of DCT encoded data from JPEG files
to PS/EPS output. Only ASCII-Hex/ASCII-85 encoding is applied to the data
stream.
Passing the DCT encoded data to the output is much faster than decoding
it and recoding the image using run-length/flate/ASCII-Hex/ASCII-85.
- Allowed SOFs
Differerent encoding submechanisms are defined for DCT, not all of these
mechanisms are allowed in PS. The specification requires each PS
interpreter to support SOF 0 and SOF 1. Some interpreter manufacturers
provide support for additional SOF types.
I recommend to use SOF 0 and SOF 1 only unless you know your PS
interpreter can handle other SOF types.
- Alpha channel
- Mix against color
Set this option to use transparency information in alpha channels to mix
the image against a background color (click on the color show area beside
to choose a color).
- Ignore background chunk
When mixing against a background color you can use either the the background
color specified in the background color chunk in the input file (if available)
or ignore the background chunk and always mix against your specified color.
- Create image mask
When producing PS level 3 you can use transparency data in alpha
channels to create an image mask. Use the combobox beside to choose
one of the trigger levels:
- require alpha > 0
Each pixel having any opacity is drawn. Only alpha=0 pixels are masked.
- require full alpha
Only pixels having full opacity are drawn. All other pixels are masked.
- PostScript operators
- Use separated dictionary for image
Set this option to use a separated dictionary for all definitions
necessary for the image. The image is taken from the dictionary stack
after the image is drawn. So the PS interpreters garbage collector
knows the definitions and the associated data are not longer used
and can be released to regain memory.
I recommend to use this option.
- Use "vmreclaim" operatory
If the separated dictionary for the image is used we can append
"1 vmreclaim" to the output to suggest the PS interpreter to do
a garbage collection right now.
This option should be disabled unless there is a reason to use
it (print jobs or PS interpretation aborted due to memory problems).
Otherwise a PS interpreter might follow your suggestion and run a garbage
collection after each included image, this could slow down printing or
PS interpreation.
- Use "showpage" operator.
Set this option to add the "showpage" operator to PS output.
You should use this option only when producing PS/EPS files for
standalone viewing/printing.
Settings for PDF output
- Draft mode
Set this option to create small place holder images only.
If this option is set all other PDF-related options are ignored.
- General PDF options
- PDF version
Choose a PDF version your PDF viewer can handle. Some PDF-specific
options are enabled/disabled depending on the PDF version.
- Fit at open
When opening a PDF document viewers can automatically zoom in or out
to fit the page width, page height or the entire page into the viewers
window. Choose the appropriate setting from the combobox.
- Image interpolation
Setting the interpolation flag allows viewers to interpolate images. This
may improve rendering for large zoom factors.
- for JPEGs too
This option allows to set the interpolation flag also if DCT-encoded
data is passed-through directly.
- Image size and resolution
- 1 pixel -> 1 point
This setting (bmeps's default) converts each input pixel into a square
of 1 point x 1 point)
- Use resolution chunk if available
If an image contains a resolution chunk, this information is used.
If an input image does not contain a resolution chunk the
1 pixel -> 1 point setting is used.
- Fit to media size
use this setting to fit the image onto a given paper size, choose the
size in the combobox beside.
- Compression and encoding: Allowed SOFs for DCT
Choose the allowed DCT SOFs. I recommend to use 0 and 1 only.
- Alpha channel
Settings for the bounding box output
There are no settings required to produce bounding box output.
Running a conversion
Use the "File => Run" menu entry or the "Run a conversion" button
to start a conversion:
The status text color changes to red as long as the conversion
is running, the current file name is shown.
After the conversion was finished the status color changes back to green
(ready for next action) and the text changes to "Ready".
Exiting the program
Use the "File => Exit" menu entry or the "Exit the application" button
to close the application.
Adjusting GUI settings
Use the "Setup => GUI" menu entry to configure the GUI.
The "GUI options" dialog box is shown.
- Look-and-feel
You can decide whether to use the system look-and-feel or no specific
look-and-feel.
Using the system look-and-feel attempts to show the program using the
same display settings as all other programs on the system.
If no specific look-and-feel is selected Javas builtin default
look-and-feel (metal or ocean) is used, the appearance of the application
may differ from the appearance of other applications.
- Component border
Here you can set the number of pixels for space between GUI elements.
The number you should use depends on your screen size and resolution,
for me values in the range 5...10 are ok.
- Minimum font size
Here you can specify the application should not used fonts below the
spcified size.
- Replace font family / by
If some fonts in the user interface manager are not changed by the
look-and-feel setting you can give the application a hint to replace
all use cases for builtin default fonts by a specific font.
- The "Original fonts" and "Fonts in use" show the fonts which would
be used before and after applying the "Minimum font size" and
"Replace font family / by" setting.
- Use settings for all applications
Enable this checkbox to use the settings in this dialog box not only
for this application but also for other applications using GuiController
not yet configured.
The settings made in the dialog box will not be visible before you restart
the application.
Schmalkalden, 2008-06-24
Dirk Krause