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Understanding Bitmap File Formats Avoiding That Funny Pattern In Screen Captures Screen Captures for Black and White Print
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Page 4: Graphics for Technical Communicators, by Tom Balazs Screenshots for black and white print When designing anything you can be the most efficient if you begin knowing what the finished product will look like. While color screenshots can be printed in a black and white publication they will look the best if you carefully prepare them to be printed black and white. If you don't do this then the windows that have white text on a blue background may print as a hard to read light gray on medium grey.
Yisrael van Handel at Tech-Tav Documentation Ltd. posted excellent instructions on how to change the color of the windows so the text will be readable when printed in black and white. "When making screen captures for black and white printing, you can greatly improve the quality by changing the Windows colors to black, white, and gray only. In fact, I work this way all the time. I'm color blind, and I find that I get better contrast when using only black, white, light gray, and medium gray. To change Windows colors: 1. From the Start menu, select Setting, Control Panel, Display, Appearance tab. 2. In the Item drop-down box, select the item whose color you wish to change. There are very many items, and this is work. I would do it once, and leave it that way. 3. Set the color. You have the choice of one of four colors: black, white, light gray, and medium gray. Dark gray does not print well. For instance, you probably want the Active Menu Bar to be black (with white lettering); the desktop light gray; Inactive Menu Bar medium gray (with black lettering); and Message Text black. Except for black lettering on white or light-gray background, make all lettering bold. By the way, many items have a color gradient (gradually changing color). By setting Color 2 the same as Color, you can get rid of the gradient, and further improve the quality of printed screens." (Yisrael van Handel) Conclusion There are many types of file formats and many ways to create quality graphics. Each format has its strenghts and its weaknesses. By learning what each format is best at and by keeping in mind what your final product will be you can consistently make high quality graphics, whether for print or for the web. Tom Balazs is a web designer and instructor who works closely with technical communicators. He has worked for many prominent Israeli hi-tech companies including Nice Systems, Marconi Medical Systems, and BlueBird Optical. He teaches classes in Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash and other web related topics at In Other Words. Additional Resources Websites Optimizing Your Images, by Tim Ziegler, Webmonkey Graphic Design Resources Center, File Formats Web Page Design For Designers, Graphics Formats Gif.com, Making Great GIFS With Photoshop WebMonkey.com, Graphics Overview WebMonkey.com Optimizing Your Images Books Taking Your Talent to the Web, by Jeffrey Zeldman
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Copyright © Tom
Balazs 2001
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