[R] resolution (dpi) problem

[(Ted Harding)]

On 29-Apr-08 12:09:39, Marc Schwartz wrote:
> Chris Walker wrote:
>> To all those who helped with this problem (Ted, Jon, Marc and
> Prof. Ripley).
>> When I submitted the postscript files to the journal, I had
>> given them the extension ".ps" even though they were (of course)
>> encapsulated postscript. I decided to simply rename the files
>> with the .eps extension and resubmit.
>> This time the images were accepted without question. It would
>> appear to be a case of someone assuming that I had submitted
>> postscript without bothering to check that it was encapsulated.
> 
> It looks like the default extension on the 'Save as postscript'
> menu is '.ps'. That's both from the 'File' menu and the right
> click menu over the graphic device.
> 
> I wonder if it might make sense to change that to '.eps', since
> the output is encapsulated postscript. Might help to avoid this
> in the future.
> 
> Marc

I think it does make sense. Generally, someone will save a plot
to PostScript for the purpose of including it in a document,
and ".eps" will certainly help hapless editors to recognise
it for what it is.

?postscript tells me:

postscript(file = ifelse(onefile, "Rplots.ps", "Rplot%03d.ps"),
[etc.]

so even if you invoke postscript() from the R command line
you will get a default ".ps" extension. But here I think
the danger is less, since I think most people will give
an explicit (informative) filename when they save a plot,
and can then choose to give it ".eps".

Perhaps the defaults here should read

postscript(file = ifelse(onefile, "Rplots.ps", "Rplot%03d.eps"),
[etc]

Certainly for Windows users, the suggested change could be
wise, since Windows (for reasons best known to someone who
should have known better) conceals the extension from the
user, unless the user submits to cruel and unusual requirements
such as (a) right-clicking on the file icon; (b) clicking
on "Properties"!

Possibly, on some Windows systems (I'm not a Windows user),
hovering the mouse over the file pops up a little box which
says "PS file" if the extension is ".ps", and "EPS file"
of the extension is ".eps"; and conceivably something like
this may be the source of Chris's publisher's misapprehension.

Certainly, the filename should not matter when it comes to
actually importing the EPS into a document. For example,
in 'groff' I can import as EPS a file which has any name
and any extension whatever, just so long as it has a valid
"%%BoundingBox:" line in it.

But maybe, again, some software will only look at the extension
in the first instance, and sulk if that is not ".eps".

Just some thoughts ...
(And felicitations to Chris for getting his article through
the door).

Ted.

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Date: 29-Apr-08                                       Time: 13:55:58
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