NAME

       ra_ps - convert RADIANCE picture to a PostScript file

SYNOPSIS

       ra_ps  [  -b|c  ][  -A|B|C ][ -n ncopies ][ -e +/-stops ][ -g gamma ][ -p paper ][ -m[h|v]
       margin ][ -d dpi ] [ input [ output ] ]

DESCRIPTION

       Ra_ps translates a RADIANCE picture to a color or  greyscale  Adobe  PostScript  file  for
       printing  on  a  laser printer or importing to a page layout program.  The -b option tells
       ra_ps to produce greyscale  output.   (The  default  is  color,  which  may  be  specified
       explicitly with the -c option.)

       The  -A  option specifies that the output should be in uncompressed ASCII hexstring format
       (the default).  The -B option specifies that the output should be in  uncompressed  binary
       string  format.  The file size will be roughly half that of the ASCII equivalent, but some
       printers and especially some printer connections do not support binary transfer,  so  this
       option  should be used with caution.  The -C option specifies that the output should be in
       run-length compressed ASCII format.  The file size will be one half to one tenth as  large
       as  the  hexstring  equivalent  and  can  be sent over any network or by e-mail.  The only
       disadvantage is that it will actually take longer to print on  some  printers,  since  the
       "readhexstring" procedure is generally faster than a custom replacement.

       The  -n  option  specifies  the  number  of  copies  to  print of this image.  It is often
       preferable to use this option instead of the multiple copy option  of  the  print  spooler
       program,  since  the  latter  often  results in duplication of the input file with a large
       associated cost.

       The -e option specifies an exposure compensation in f-stops (powers of two).  Only integer
       stops  are  allowed,  for efficiency.  The -g option specifies a power law for the printer
       transfer function.  The default gamma setting for greyscale printers is 1.0 (linear),  and
       the  default  gamma for color printers is 1.8 (commonly used in prepress).  If your output
       seems to have too much contrast relative to its screen  equivalent,  print  out  the  file
       "ray/lib/lib/gamma.hdr"  to  your  printer  without  any gamma correction and using the -d
       option to set the dots-per-inch (see below).  The best match between the small  lines  and
       the grey patch next to it indicate the approximate gamma of your printer, which you should
       use with the -g option for best contrast reproduction in subsequent conversions.

       The standard print area assumes 8.5 by 11 inch (U.S. letter) paper, with 0.5 inch  margins
       on  all  sides.   The  image  will be rotated 90 degrees if it fits better that way in the
       available print area, and it will always be centered on the page.  The -p and  -m  options
       to control the paper size and margins, respectively.  The argument to the -p option is the
       common name for a given paper size, or WWxHH, where WW is the width (in inches) and HH  is
       the height.  If millimeters or centimeters are the preferred measurement unit, the 'x' may
       be replaced by 'm' or 'c', respectively.  The WW and HH values are decimal quantities,  of
       course.   The  current  paper  identifiers  understood by the program may be discovered by
       giving a 0 argument to the -p option.  They are currently:

       _Name________Width_Height_(inches)
       envelope      4.12   9.50
       executive     7.25  10.50
       letter        8.50  11.00
       lettersmall   7.68  10.16
       legal         8.50  14.00
       monarch       3.87   7.50
       statement     5.50   8.50
       tabloid      11.00  17.00
       A3           11.69  16.54
       A4            8.27  11.69
       A4small       7.47  10.85
       A5            6.00   8.27
       A6            4.13   6.00
       B4           10.12  14.33
       B5            7.17  10.12
       C5            6.38   9.01
       C6            4.49   6.38
       DL            4.33   8.66
       hagaki        3.94   5.83

       The paper size name may be abbreviated with three or more letters, and character  case  is
       ignored.   The  argument  to  the  -m  option  is the margin width, which is 0.5 inches by
       default.  A  millimeter  or  centimeter  quantity  may  be  given  instead  of  inches  by
       immediately  following  the  value  with  a 'm' or 'c' character, respectively.  (Leave no
       space between the quantity and its unit letter.)  If you wish to  specify  the  horizontal
       and vertical margins separately, use the -mh and -mv options, instead.

       The  -d option may be used to explicitly set the print density (in dots per inch).  If the
       input picture is lower resolution than the printer and has square pixels, then ra_ps  will
       adjust  the  image  size  so that pixels map to dot regions exactly.  This may improve the
       appearance of fine detail, and may speed up the printing process as well, at  the  expense
       of  a slightly smaller image area.  If you wish to maximize print area and the input image
       contains no fine detail, then do not specify this option.

       The output from ra_ps is designed  to  be  compatible  with  the  Encapsulated  PostScript
       standard,  which  means that the resulting file may be incorporated into documents by page
       layout programs that can read in EPS files.  Unfortunately, there is currently  no  option
       for  generating a preview bitmap, so the image will show up on the screen as a rectangular
       area only.  To control the EPS image size directly, use the -p option as  explained  above
       with the WWxHH specification, and set -m 0 to turn off the margins.

AUTHOR

       Greg Ward

SEE ALSO

       pfilt(1),  ra_bmp(1),  ra_bn(1),  ra_pr(1),  ra_pr24(1),  ra_t8(1),  ra_t16(1), ra_ppm(1),
       ra_tiff(1), ximage(1)