Simulating CreatePatternBrush() on a High-Res Printer

Last reviewed: November 2, 1995
Article ID: Q74793

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows versions 3.1 and 3.0
Microsoft Win32 Application Programming Interface (API) included with:
```
    - Microsoft Windows 95 version 4.0
```

SUMMARY

When a pattern brush is used to fill an area of the page on the printer, the printer's high resolution will cause a fine pattern to lose definition and appear as a shade of gray.

Brushes that are created with the CreatePatternBrush() function are 8 pixels by 8 pixels (8 x 8 pixels) in size. On a 300 dots-per-inch (dpi) laser printer, the pattern will be 0.027 inches wide.

To create a pattern that gives similar effects on the screen as on the printer, it is necessary to compare the screen resolution to the printer resolution, and to compensate for the differences.

For example, if the video display is 100 dpi (typical of a VGA), and the printer is 300 dpi (a typical laser printer), the bit must be three times larger in each direction. The following compares a screen bitmap and a printer bitmap:

   10101010          111000111000111000111000
   01010101          111000111000111000111000
   10101010          111000111000111000111000
   01010101          000111000111000111000111
   10101010          000111000111000111000111     and so forth
   01010101          000111000111000111000111
   10101010          111000111000111000111000
   01010101          111000111000111000111000
                     111000111000111000111000
    Video            000111000111000111000111
                     000111000111000111000111
                     000111000111000111000111
                     111000111000111000111000
                     111000111000111000111000
                     111000111000111000111000
                     000111000111000111000111
                     000111000111000111000111
                     000111000111000111000111
                     111000111000111000111000
                     111000111000111000111000
                     111000111000111000111000

                              Printer

However, since the pattern brush is always 8 x 8 pixels, a different approach must be used when printing:

Use the StretchBlt() function to create, from the video bitmap, the 24 x 24 pixel bitmap for the printer.
Manually "tile" this bitmap into the region to be painted.

Additional reference words: 3.00 3.10 4.00 95
KBCategory: kbprint
KBSubcategory: GdiPrn

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: November 2, 1995
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.