FAX2PS(1)                USER COMMANDS                  FAX2PS(1)

NAME
     fax2ps - convert a TIFF facsimile to compressed PostScript

SYNOPSIS
     fax2ps [ -a ] [ -p pagenumber ] [  -x  xresolution  ]  [  -y
     yresolution ] [ -s ] [ -S ] [ -W pagewidth ] [ -H pageheight
     ] [ file...  ]

DESCRIPTION
     fax2ps reads one or more  TIFF  facsimile  image  files  and
     prints  a compressed form of PostScript on the standard out-
     put that is suitable for printing.

     By default, each page is scaled to reflect the image  dimen-
     sions  and  resolutions  stored  in the file.  The -x and -y
     options can be used to specify the horizontal  and  vertical
     image  resolutions  (lines/inch),  respectively.   If the -S
     option is specified, each page is scaled to fill  an  output
     page.   The default output page is 8.5 by 11 inches.  Alter-
     nate page dimensions can be specified in inches with the  -W
     and -H options.

     By default fax2ps generates PostScript for all pages in  the
     file.  The -p option can be used to select one or more pages
     from a multi-page document.

     fax2ps generates a compressed form  of  PostScript  that  is
     optimized  for sending pages of text to a PostScript printer
     attached to a host through  a  low-speed  link  (such  as  a
     serial  line).   Each  output  page is filled with white and
     then only the black areas are drawn using a  special-purpose
     font that images the runs in the encoded image.  This scheme
     typically results  in  a  substantially  reduced  PostScript
     description,  relative to the straightforward imaging of the
     page with a PostScript image operator.  This algorithm  can,
     however,  be  ineffective  for  continuous-tone images.  For
     these images, it sometimes is more  efficient  to  send  the
     raster bitmap image directly; see tiff2ps(1).

NOTES
     The algorithm for encoding the image is from Bret D. Whissel
     of the Florida State University Meteorology Department.

DIAGNOSTICS
     Some messages about malformed TIFF images come from the TIFF
     library.

     Various messages about badly formatted facsimile images  may
     be  generated  due  to  transmission errors in received fac-
     simile.  fax2ps attempts to recover from such data errors by
     resynchronizing decoding at the end of the current scanline.
     This can result  in  long  horizontal  black  lines  in  the

Sun Release 4.1     Last change: June 6, 1995                   1

FAX2PS(1)                USER COMMANDS                  FAX2PS(1)

     resultant PostScript image.

BUGS
     fax2ps should probably figure out when it is  doing  a  poor
     job  of  compressing the output and just generate PostScript
     to image the bitmap raster instead.

SEE ALSO
     tiff2ps(1), libtiff(3)

Sun Release 4.1     Last change: June 6, 1995                   2