256-Color Bitmap Pastes into Word Smaller Than Expected

ID: Q105917

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Windows 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:

Click the image to select it.

From the Format menu, choose Picture.

Make sure the image is scaled to 100 percent. The width should be 2.13 inches.

If you took the same image into Paintbrush, saved the bitmap, and inserted the picture into Word, the width (at 100 percent) would now be 6.67 inches. This also is normal. Paintbrush is saving the dots per inch (resolution) at 96 DPI, so the image will import at 6.67 inches (640 pixels divided by 96). Once again, the actual image is the same in both cases. Word is just calculating the initial size based on the DPI value.

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.

Method 2: You can change the resolution in HiJaak from 300 DPI to 96 DPI, 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)

Additional query words: picture size HiJaak 2.0 winword word6 6.0 winword2

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:2.0,2.0a,2.0a-CD,2.0b,2.0c,3.1,6.0,6.0a,6.0c
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :