We have been using Graphics Device Interface (GDI) functions since Chapter 1, when we first started writing to the client area of our windows. Now it's time for a more formal coverage of the subject. This chapter discusses the preliminaries of GDI but stops short of drawing graphics, which is the subject of Chapter 12. Chapter 13 covers bitmaps and metafiles, which are means of storing graphical information; Chapter 14 discusses text and fonts; and Chapter 15 deals with printing.