256-Color Bitmap Pastes into Word Smaller Than Expected

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1

SYMPTOMS

When imported into Word for Windows, bitmap (.BMP) files created by HiJaak Pro look smaller than the same .BMP files produced by Microsoft Windows Paintbrush.

CAUSE

If you load a .BMP file into HiJaak Pro and select FILE and INFO, you can determine the pixel dimensions of your .BMP file. A typical VGA screen dimension is 640 pixels by 480 pixels. This is the number of dots horizontally and vertically that make up the image, and as long as you view it at 100-percent size, it will look exactly the same as the original image. Because Paintbrush also defaults to a pixel-for-pixel display, if you were to load the image into Paintbrush, the image would look identical.

On the HiJaak INFO screen, there is note describing the resolution. Typically, this defaults to 301, which is a rounding error in Windows; the value is actually 300 dots per inch. This resolution, by itself, has no bearing on the content of your image. The content is determined by the 640 x 480 pixels. This value is variable, but 300 is the default in HiJaak.

Paintbrush writes .BMP files at 96 dots per inch. The pixel dimension is the same (640 x 480), but the resolution (DPI) is 96.

This is important in Word because when you import a .BMP file into Word, Word will determine the pixel width (in this case the 640 pixel width) and it will also determine the dots per inch (the resolution). Because HiJaak is writing the file as 300 dots per inch, the image will import into Word with a width of 2.13 inches (640 pixels divided by 300 dots per inch). To verify this:

1. Click the image to select it.

   inches.

WORKAROUND

You can resolve the problem in one of two ways.

Method 1: Scale the HiJaak or Paintbrush image to the correct size in Word.

          The quality will not degrade if you do this. It is functionally
          the same thing that Word is doing anyway. The quality of your
          source file is defined by the pixel width and height.

          or to any other size you would like. Normally, changing the
          resolution in HiJaak causes the pixel dimension to change as
          well. To change the resolution without affecting the physical
          pixel dimensions of the image, you must add a line to your
          HJPRO.SET file. From the HiJaak menu, choose FILE and then choose
          COMMAND. In the dialog box, type (in uppercase and with no
          spaces):

            +BMPMAT=ON

          Choose OK. This will add the line BMPMAT=ON to your HJPRO.SET
          file. This stands for "match source" in .BMP conversions and
          allows you to change only the resolution without affecting the
          size of the image.

          Capture an image or open a source file and select FILE and SAVE
          AS. Set the output format to .BMP. Choose Options. Set the
          Horizontal and Vertical Resolution fields to 96 or to whatever
          value you decide on. Do not set a Width or Height. Choose OK to
          write the new .BMP file. You can verify the change by opening
          the new .BMP file and choosing Info from the File menu. The
          pixel size should be the same as the original, but the
          resolution should be whatever value you set.

          Word will now import the image at a larger size, based on the
          formula:

             (Original image pixel width) divided by (resolution [DPI]) =
             (image width in inches, imported into Word)