Setting Your Output Preferences - MapInfo_Pro - 2023

MapInfo Pro has output preferences that control raster and grid file color settings for on-screen display, printed output, and file export settings. You can also specify how you want to handle transparency in vector and raster files in both your printed output and exported files. Other printer settings enable you to specify an output method, map scaling, and whether to print a border around a Map window.

These output preferences become the default settings in MapInfo Pro. These preferences are the default settings in the Advanced Printing dialog box for example. You can override the default settings by changing them, in the Advanced Printing dialog box for example, and then saving your map in a workspace.

To set output preferences: On the PRO tab, click Options, and Output Settings to open the Output Preferences dialog box.

There are several tabs of preferences:

• Display tab - set the on-screen display options for raster or grid files.
• Printing tab - set the printing options for Map windows, Layout windows, and all other output file types. (You can reset these preferences by overriding them for your map.)
• Exporting tab - set the export options for Map windows, Layout windows, and all other output file types. (You can reset these preferences by overriding them for your map.)

The following sections explain the display settings, the printing options, and window export options in Output Preferences dialog box. Some of the options appear in more than one dialog so we have grouped all of the same explanations together.

Display tab (Output Preferences)

The Display tab sets the on-screen display options for raster or grid files.

• Polygon Mode - Select this check box to display the rendering that draws the object as a single request with all nodes. Polygon Mode has three preferences based on three types of drawing: on-screen, printing, and exporting. You can select Polygon Mode separately for display, printing, and export on the Display, Printing, and Exporting tabs. When Polygon Mode is off, MapInfo Pro renders with special processing.
  Note: Printing to PDF files may produce extra hairlines in the output when Polygon Mode is off.
• Display Raster in True Color When Possible - Select this check box to display your 24-bit raster or grid file images in true color (make sure your display settings are set to greater than 256 colors). Clear this check box to display images using 256 colors. This box is checked by default.
• Fast Symbol Rendering - MapInfo Pro optimizes how point symbols render on the screen by drawing a point symbol only once at a specific location when rendering a layer. This preference is enabled by default. Disable to see symbols rendered at the same location, such as when using the Dispersed Groups font that comes with MapInfo Pro or when using rotated symbols.
• Dither Method - Select this check box when it is necessary to convert a 24 image to 256 colors, use either halftone or error diffusion. This option is used when printing raster and grid images. Dithering occurs when Print Raster In True Color When Possible is off or when the printer color depth is 256 colors or less. Select a dither method from the drop-down list:
  • Halftone dithering calculates a series of half tone differences in color between high-contrast elements in your image to create a smooth transition of color. This option is selected by default for display, print, and export options.
  • Error diffusion dithering calculates an interim color between contrasting colors and shades the surrounding pixels to blend evenly toward that interim color.
  Note: You can select dithering separately for display, printing, and exporting on the Display, Printing, and Exporting tabs.

Printing tab (Output Preferences dialog box)

Click the Printing tab to set the printing options for Map windows, Layout windows, and all other output file types. Select the appropriate printing settings based on your output requirements. Remember that resetting these printer options locally overrides these preferences.

Output Method

• Print Directly to Device - Select this option to print your image file directly from MapInfo Pro. This check box is checked by default.
• Print Using Enhanced Metafile (EMF) - Select this option to generate an enhanced metafile of your MapInfo Pro image before sending it to the printer. This setting takes advantage of current printer technology to shrink the spool size and print your file quicker without sacrificing quality. When printing to PDF, selecting this option generates a flat, non-layered, PDF file.
  Note: You must use this setting if you are printing a map containing a translucent raster or grid layer. If you do not use this setting, the image will not print translucently.
• Print Using Offscreen Bitmap (OSBM) - Select this option to generate an Offscreen bitmap of your MapInfo Pro image before sending it to the printer. Offscreen bitmap is invoked depending upon the type of translucent content in the map and enhanced rendering state of the window. However, setting OSBM from this window means that while printing Offscreen bitmaps (OSBM) will be selected regardless of the translucency and anti-alias settings.

• Print Border for Map Window - Select this check box to print a black border around the image you are printing. Clear this check box to leave the image without a border. This check box is checked by default.
• Internal Handling for Printing Transparent Vector Fills and Symbols - Select this check box to have MapInfo Pro handle transparent fill patterns and bitmaps for vector images when printing or exporting. This check box is checked by default. Clear this check box to let the printer or Windows export functions handle this.
• Scale Patterns - Select this check box to match the non-transparent fill patterns in your print output to more closely match what you see on your screen. This check box is checked by default. Clear this check box to let the printer driver have exclusive control over rendering the pattern fills.
  Note: The Scale Patterns check box does not affect transparent fill patterns because transparent fill patterns are always scaled.
• Subdivide Printing - Select this check box to break print jobs into multiple, smaller, print requests for better print quality. This is useful when printing large raster/translucent maps to large paper sizes. If unchecked, the print is done in a single request.
• Polygon Mode - Select this check box to display the rendering that draws the object as a single request with all nodes. Polygon Mode has three preferences based on three types of drawing: on-screen, printing, and exporting. You can select Polygon Mode separately for display, printing, and export on the Display, Printing, and Exporting tabs. When Polygon Mode is off, MapInfo Pro renders with special processing.
  Note: Printing to PDF files may produce extra hairlines in the output when Polygon Mode is off.
• Use ROP Method to Display Transparent Raster - Select this check box to allow the internal ROP (Raster Overlay by Pixel) to manage the transparent pixel display and printing in raster images. Since the ROP Method is largely a display method, not all printers, plotters, and export programs can use it. We recommend that you either check with the printer manufacturer before using this setting or try a few test prints or exports to get the results you want. This check box is cleared by default.

  Using the ROP method may not produce problems unless you print the metafile.

• Print Raster in True Color When Possible ­ Select this check box to print and export your 24-bit raster or grid file images in true color (make sure your printer settings are set to greater than 256 colors). Clear this check box if you are not working with a color printer. This check box is checked by default.
• Dither Method ­ See the description under Display tab (Output Preferences).

Exporting tab (Output Preferences dialog box)

Click the Exporting tab settings to set the export options for Map windows, Layout windows and all other output file types. Select the appropriate window export settings based on your output requirements. Remember that resetting these options locally overrides these preferences.

• Export Border - Select this check box to include a black border on images you are exporting. This check box is checked by default. Clear this check box to export the image without a border.
  Note: The preference setting definitions for Internal Handling for Transparent Vector Fills and Symbols, Use ROP Method to Display Transparent Raster, Print Raster in True Color When Possible, and Dithering Methods are the same for export as for printing.
• Internal Handling for Transparent Vector Fills and Symbols - Select this check box to have MapInfo Pro handle transparent fill patterns and bitmaps for vector images when printing or exporting. This check box is checked by default. Clear this check box to let the printer or Windows export functions handle this.
• Polygon Mode - Select this check box to display the rendering that draws the object as a single request with all nodes. Polygon Mode has three preferences based on three types of drawing: on-screen, printing, and exporting. You can select Polygon Mode separately for display, printing, and export on the Display, Printing, and Exporting tabs. When Polygon Mode is off, MapInfo Pro renders with special processing.
  Note: Printing to PDF files may produce extra hairlines in the output when Polygon Mode is off.
• Use ROP Method to Display Transparent Raster - When the ROP method is selected, the transparent image is rendered using a raster operation (ROP) to handle the transparent pixels. This method is used to draw transparent (non-translucent) images on-screen.
• Export Raster In True Color When Possible - Select this check box to display your 24-bit raster or grid file images in true color (make sure your display settings are set to greater than 256 colors). Clear this check box to display images using 256 colors. This box is checked by default.
• Use Anti-Aliasing - Select this check box to apply the anti-aliasing options available in MapInfo Pro. For a description of the anti-alias preferences, see Understanding the Anti-Aliasing Export Preferences.
  Note: We recommend using the enhanced rendering settings that are described under Enabling Enhanced Rendering in the MapInfo Pro: Managing the Look of Your Map Guide, because they superseded these anti-alias settings. For backwards compatibility, we continue to support the previous anti-alias settings that are described here.
  Note: We recommend using the enhanced rendering settings that are described under Enabling Enhanced Rendering, because they superseded these anti-alias settings. For backwards compatibility, we continue to support the previous anti-alias settings that are described here.