How to create ppm-files of a p.map-ouput ?

[Chris Murphy]

> 
> Hello,
> how can I pipe the p.map-output in a ppm-file ?
> Or better: How can print out a GRASS-map on a printer like the
> HP PaintJet or simply the LaserJet ?
> Bye
>    Andreas Wytzisk
> 

In our lab we've had good results using the PBMPlus utilities ppmtoxwd and
xpr to print to our HP PaintJet.  The utility pnmtoxwd converts pnm or ppm 
formats to xwd (X window dump) format, and we pipe the output to xpr which 
prints xwd format.  E.g.,

pnmtoxwd paint.ppm | xpr -device pjetxl -height 17 -width 11 -density 180 | lpr -Ppablo  [pablo is our PaintJet's name].

You can also use xwd (X window dump utility) to save your window directly to 
a file, then print the xwd directly.  E.g.,

cat image.xwd | xpr -device pjetxl -height 17 -width 11 -density 180 -landscape | lpr -Ppablo.

These utilities come with the GRASS distribution or can be retrieved via
anonymous ftp (I can't remember the site; I can look it up, or perhaps someone
else remembers it).  The latest version of the PBMPlus utilities contains a
more specific utility, ppmtopj, which converts a ppm to an HP PaintJet file
which can be printed directly.  E.g.,

ppmtopj paint.ppm | lpr -Ppablo   [there are various options available
here, too].

I've had a little better luck getting the image I want using the xpr route,
probably because I have not taken the time to play with the options available 
with ppmtopj.


Hope this helps,

Chris Murphy  murphyc at bcc.orst.edu              Oregon State University
Dept. of Entomology                             Corvallis, Oregon USA