The Windows 32-bit API includes a significantly improved GDI. It incorporates significant improvements based on feedback from software vendors who found 16-bit GDI lacking. While much of the feedback refers to new functionality, a significant amount addresses rough edges in the existing functionality.
Specific improvements to address rough edges or holes in existing Win3.1 functionality include:
| Wideline support | Win32 provides improved wideline functionality, including brushed widelines, a selection of line joins, and multiple line styles. |
| Fractional character widths | This is critical for word processors and other applications whose ultimate goal is to provide perfect correspondence between what is displayed on the screen and what will appear on the printer. If the application can not find out the fractional component of a character width, it is difficult to achieve full WYSIWYG. |
| Metafiles | 16-bit metafiles have a number of problems which make them sub-optimal in their role as a graphics interchange format. GDI32 provides a revamped 32-bit metafile format that provides device/configuration-independence across machines. In addition we provide functions to allow applications to convert to/from the 16-bit metafile format. |
| Improved font mapping | We provide a new, Panose-based font mapper which will do a much better job of finding a good substitute if the requested font is not available. |
| Brushed Text | We will add the ability to specify a brush for filling text. |
We also add new functionality:
| Paths | The system provides support to make it easy for applications to manage multiple shapes (consisting of lines and curves) efficiently. Applications can draw, fill, and clip through these shapes. |
| Bezier curves | These curves are fast and predictable. |
| Additional transforms | We provide an additional transform layer to allow rotation and shearing of objects. |
| Improved bitmap support | We provide additional options for blending and halftoning on stretchblt, bitmap rotation/distortion, and masking. |