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byte

8 bits, reflecting values between 0 to 255; used as a basic method of measurement of memory or disk size; "K" represents 1024 bytes

color correctness

the depth and accuracy of an image's color representation, typically influenced by the color depth and palette of an image

color depth

the amount of color information in an image, reflected in the # of color bits compression, lossless scheme of organizing information in a more compact form where all of the original information is retained, while gaining a moderate level of compaction

compression, lossy

scheme of organizing information in a more compact form where some information is lost to gain higher levels of compaction

cmyk

the four process colors -- cyan, magenta, yellow and black -- mixed to provide a color image; typically used in printing applications

dib

Device Independent Bitmap, a variant of a bitmap (bmp) file consisting of header field, an optional pallette, and bitmap data; bitmap has an additional header field

display quality

the characteristics of a display sub-system, such as resolution, # of colors, dot pitch, and refresh rate, which influence perceived image quality

dithering

the technique of making adjacent pixels different colors to make them appear like a different color; utilized to add the appearance of greater color depth with a limited # of colors

dot pitch

distance in millimeters between two holes in the shadow mask of a monitor. A smaller dp is better, e.g. 0.28 mm is better than 0.36.

dpi, dots per inch

sometimes termed pixels per inch, this depicts resolution and is a significant influence on the size of an image file; a higher dpi indicates higher resolution

eps

Encapsulated PostScript file format, an Adobe Systems graphics file which incorporates PostScript code and can contain data as vectors or bitmaps; maximum color depth = 16.7 million

gif

Graphics Interchange Format, a lossy compression technique, popular for exchanging files electronically, especially on Compuserve; all files have a corresponding palette; maximum colors = 256

jpeg

Joint Photographers Expert Group; a compressed, lossy format which is symmetrical, i.e. takes the same amount of time to compress as decompress; maximum colors = 16.7 million

lpi, lines per inch

measurement of the frequency of "dots" represented in a halftone image

mpeg

high-quality video compression/decompression scheme (CODEC) for encoding video and audio for computer playback

palette

data structure defining the colors utilized in a bitmap image; bitmap data is indexed to the palette table

Photo CD

Kodak CD-based digital imaging format, where images are typically created from 35mm film negatives or slides; includes multiple resolutions of an image in an Image Pac, with all images 24 bpp encoded in Ycc format; portability includes Philips CD-Interactive and 3DO Players, as well as PC, Mac & Unix viewers; maximum colors = 16.7 million

pcd

see Photo CD

pcx

ZSoft format, used widely for paint and desktop publishing programs; popular for exchanging images; maximum 16.7 million colors

PICT

standard format for Macintosh, can contain both vector and bitmap information; maximum colors = 16.7 million

pixel

picture element, or the smallest unit of the computer screen. A pixel can be monochrome or up to the pixel depth available on your color system. Pixels are also used for identifying screen resolution, e.g. 72 pixels per inch.

pixels per inch, or ppi

sometimes termed dots per inch, this represents resolution

print quality

the characteristics of a printing sub-system, such as the number of lines per inch and paper quality, which influence the perceived quality of a printed image

quicktime

a video compression/decompression scheme (CODEC) for encoding video and audio for computer playback; originally an Apple Macintosh file format, it is now commonly utilized on Windows and Unix systems

refresh rate

number of times that a display screen is redrawn per second; the higher the refresh rate, the less the perceived "flicker"

resolution

measure of the detail in an image; the higher the resolution, the higher the amount of detail

RGB

red, green, blue mixed to provide a color image, typically used in video display applications

TGA

Targa format developed by Truevision; usually 15 or 24 bit full color images, compressed or uncompressed; maximum colors = 16.7 million

tiff

Tag Image File Format; industry standard image file format; "tags" represent image attributes, compression, and color tables; both uncompressed and compressed versions, although compressed is not as portable; maximum colors = 16.7 million

vector graphics

image made up of individual objects, which are defined as mathematical elements with specific characteristics

WMF, Microsoft Windows metafile

DIB record, can be compressed for 4 and 8-bit images; maximum colors = 16.7 million

WordPerfect metafile

bitmap record; maximum colors = 256

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If you have any further questions or would like additional technical information, please contact:

Michael Steele
Director of Technical Services
24681 La Plaza, Suite 270
Dana Point, CA 92629
800-633-5580
tech@signbiz.com

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