[R] resolution (dpi) problem

(Ted Harding)
Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:22:39 -0000

On 26-Apr-08 19:30:35, Chris Walker wrote:
> I am using R 2.4.1 with Windows XP.
>
> I use the plot command in a fairly simple script and I use
> the right mouse click on the plot and save as a postscript
> file. I used the resultant file in a paper which was submitted
> electronically. However, I get the following response from the
> journal:
>
> Your manuscript has been unsubmitted because you failed to meet
> the submission guidelines as indicated below:
>
> -Your figures must be submitted in TIFF or EPS format according
> to the following minimum resolutions:
>
> 1200 dpi for black and white line art (simple bar graphs, charts,
> etc.) 300dpi for halftones (black and white photographs) 600dpi
> for combination halftones (Photographs that also contain line art
> such as labeling or thin lines)
>
> Does anyone know how to produce the correct settings for the
> journal (i.e.1200 dpi)?
>
> Thankyou
> Chris W

I'm about to swim in (for me) murky waters here, since I don't
use R on Windows, so things may happen on that platform which
I'm not aware of.

But I just want to make general comments about PostScript and R.

1. R's postscript() device produces EPS, so that bit should
   be satisfied.

2. Normally, except when a graphic has been converted from a
   bit-mapped format, a PostScript (or EPS) file does not
   have any intrinsic resolution, so long as what it represents
   is vector graphics (which includes the rendering of letters,
   numerals, symbols, etc.). Any resolution applying to the
   result when a PS/EPS file is displayed/printed depends on
   the resolution of the "end device" (screen/printer etc.)
   which does the rendering. In principle, PS/EPS has "infinite"
   resolution (for instance, printing from EPS to photograpic film
   using a laser beam could have resolution as fine as 100,000).

3. It is of course possible that the software generating the
   graphic implements certain things as bit-maps in the first
   place, in which case what goes in the PS/EPS file will
   inevitably do the same.

You do not say what sort of graphic you have plotted, so one
cannot tell whether (3) applies. However, my feeling is that
either the journal has got the wrong impression of what you
sent them, or what was intended to be an EPS file in fact
got created/converted to some other (bit-mapped) format
before you extracted it and sent it off.

Sorry not to be more specifically helpful, but I especially
wanted to make points (1) and (2) above, for clarification.

Best wishes,
Ted.

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Date: 26-Apr-08                                       Time: 23:22:36
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