SOFTSCENE PCX ARTWORK VERSION 3.0 NOTE: Due to light registration, this may be the last disk of graphic images I distribute as shareware. However, I want to sincerely thank all of you who did register their use of HORNBACK PCX ARTWORK and SOFTSCENE PCX ARTWORK VERSION 2.0. Your favorable comments were the bright spot of many of my days; and, again, my thanks. Also, I want to thank in advance all those who will register this version (or volume) of PCX images. These hand-drawn 29 graphic pictures are provided in the PCX file format. YOU WILL NEED A SEPARATE PROGRAM (NOT PROVIDED ON THIS DISK) TO PRINT OR EVEN VIEW THESE PICTURES. If you don't already have a program that accepts PCX format files, there are many programs available both as shareware and commercially which accept PCX format graphic images. Some programs that accept PCX format files are as follows: DESK TOP PUBLISHING PROGRAMS 1) Ventura Publisher 5) Publish It! 2) Aldus Pagemaker 6) Many others 3) First Publisher versions 2 and 3 4) Key Publisher WORD PROCESSORS 1) Wordstar version 5.0 or later 2) Word Perfect versions 5.0 or later 3) Microsoft Word versions 5.0 or later DRAWING/PAINT PROGRAMS 1) PC Paintbrush (&Plus) 3) Turbo Paint (Shareware) 2) Microsoft Paintbrush 4) Windows 3.0 Paint 3) Desktop Paint (Shareware) GRAPHIC TOOLS/UTILITIES (!ALL SHAREWARE!) 1) GrafCat - graphic catalog printer 2) Graphics Workshop - views, converts, prints graphics 3) CompuShow - views and prints graphics 4) IConvert - views and converts graphics 5) VPic - views with slide show option 6) Optiks - view, edit, convert, print These are just some of the programs that accept PCX format files. If your program accepts other file formats, you may be able to convert these PCX files to the format you need using one of the utility programs listed above. ____________________________________________________________ The graphic pictures on this disk(s) are copyrighted and are to be distributed as shareware. You are encouraged to make copies for your friends (make sure this README.DOC and REGFORM.DOC files accompany any copies). You are strongly asked, begged, pleaded to register your use with SoftScene. Registration helps to support the shareware concept (and to pay for my groceries and new computer!) ____________________________________________________________ The graphic pictures on this disk(s) are most often used to enhance letters, newsletters, and other periodicals that are produced using desk top publishing (DTP) programs or a word processing (WP) programs that allow you to import PCX images (though technically called "word processors", some of the commercial WP programs have evolved into DTP programs). ____________________________________________________________ THE ARTWORK All of the graphic images on this disk consist of black and white images that were hand drawn by Steve Hornback. I have tried to produce high quality artwork. If you obtained the first or second disks of graphics I produced, you should like these pictures even better. The aspect ratio (see below) can be preserved when resizing. The pictures consist mainly of outdoor scenes. ASPECT RATIO The ASPECT RATIO is the height of the picture compared to its width. These pictures were created using patterns (of dots) to give grays for shading effects. If you resize the picture by increasing the height without increasing the width proportionally by the same amount, the patterns may become distorted resulting in "tartan bands". If you see this occur, most DTP programs have an option to preserve or ignore the original aspect ratio (in Ventura you pick "Aspect Distorted" to ignore the aspect ratio). If you preserve the aspect ratio, you can still resize the picture (make it bigger or smaller); but the height and width will remain correct proportionally - banding of patterns will be avoided. But you can often ignore the aspect ratio with satisfactory results, so experiment. With all the pictures on this disk, you can preserve the aspect ratio (or not). HINT!! **** IMPORTANT NOTE **** HINT!! If you don't have Aspect Ratio control, or even if you do, I have found a formula for printing the pictures perfectly based on the resolution of your printer. First you must know the resolution of your printer in dots per inch (DPI). Your printer manual should tell you this. For laser printers this resolution is often 300 x 300 DPI. For my 24 pin dot matrix printer the resolution is 180 x 180 DPI. All but two of these pictures are 640 pixels (or dots) wide by 480 pixels high (one VGA screen full). So use the following formula to calculate the height and width you should make the picture: 640 pixels (or dots) ------------------------------ = PICTURE WIDTH IN INCHES PRINTER RESOLUTION WIDTH (DPI) 480 pixels (or dots) ------------------------------ = PICTURE HEIGHT IN INCHES PRINTER RELOLUTION HEIGHT (DPI) If I use the 300 x 300 laser resolution as an example in the above equations, I come up with 2.133 inches wide and 1.60 inches high. If I then make my picture just this size, it will print perfectly. If your resolution has some strange numbers (such as 140 x 175) and you don't know which is the height and width, try it both ways (one will be the right way). After you calculate the height and width of the picture, you can then double, triple, etc. these heights and widths to make the picture larger. So we could double the picture size in the laser example above to 4.266 inches wide and 3.2 inches high, and we'd get a larger picture that still prints perfectly. I have been asked to provide an instruction manual on how to use these graphics with all or most DTP and word processing programs. I'm sorry, but I'm not expert enough with enough programs to provide such comprehensive help. I can't even afford Ventura or Aldus, much less tell you how to use them. MORE ON PRINTERS The resolution of your printer will significantly affect the printed output of these graphics. As you make the image smaller with lower resolution printers, grays may appear as blacks (this is a common occurrence with many dot matrix printers). What happens is that the individual printed dots run together making blacks. This can be solved by making the image larger before printing. Again, experiment. Higher resolution printers (such as laser printers) do not have a problem here unless the image is made exceedingly small. ____________________________________________________________ I do hope you like and use the PCX artwork on this disk. If you do like them, I'd love to hear from you (especially if a registration fee is included. There is a registration form included on this disk with the file name: REGFORM.DOC. The form can be printed simply by typing: COPY REGFORM.DOC PRN Or just type in "REG" from the DOS prompt and press enter (make sure your printer is on). The registration fee is $10.00 if you like and use these pictures. Your support is sincerely appreciated. Thanks! Stephen A. Hornback SoftScene P.O. Box 390 Orrville, Ohio 44667 Phone: (216) 683-2436 (After 5 pm EST) Please Make checks payable to Stephen A. Hornback REGISTRATION IS $10.00 IN USA ( œ7 IN UK ) If this information scrolled off the screen before you could read it, you can print this file by typing: COPY README.DOC PRN