The Print Options Page allows you to set up various printing options. Here are detailed descriptions of the options:
1. Page Overlap. This item sets the overlap between pages when you print multi-page plots of a cave. Multi-page printing is accomplished using the Print Preview window. The overlap is measured in millimeters. When the overlap is set to zero, no part of the plot from one page will appear on an adjacent page. If the overlap is set to a positive number, part of the plot from one page will overlap on to the adjacent page.
2. Border Options. This item allows you to select the type of border that will appear around the plot. If the "No Border, No Mark" option is selected, only the cave plot will appear on the page. If the "Mark Corners" option is selected, a short "L" shaped mark will appear in the corners of the plot. These are useful for aligning multi-page printouts. If the "Draw Border" option is selected, a rectangular border will be drawn around the whole plot. |
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3. Paper Compensation. There can sometime be problems printing with large format printers or plots. The problems usually occur if you using paper that is larger 32 inches (83 cm) in one direction. Turning on this option can correct the problem.
This is problem is usually caused by printer drivers that were written to use 16-bit math instead of the 32-bit math that is supposed to be used in current programs. Sixteen-bit math limits the size of numbers to 32,767. If a computer program sends a number that is larger 32,767 to a 16-bit printer driver, the image will be distorted. This is what happens with plots on large size paper.
Compass normally plots using a base scale of 1/1000 of inch. This means that on a piece of paper larger than 32 inches, the values sent to printer will be larger than 32,767 and will distort the image. If the driver uses “unsigned” 16-bit math, the problem is postponed until the paper size reaches greater than 65 inches.
The correct solution is for the printer manufacturer to rewrite the driver using 32-bit math. However, Compass offers a quicker solution. When you enable the “Paper Compensation” option Compass reduces the base scale from 1/1000 of an inch to 1/100 of an inch. This increases the paper size limit to at least 327 inches. The only disadvantage of this mode is that the line positions will be slightly less accurate and some of the figures will be slightly larger.