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Satisfying rotated text needs



    Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1992 09:44 EST
    From: robert futrelle <futrell@corwin.ccs.northeastern.edu>

    The most common technical graphic in the world
    is the x,y data graph. Labeling the vertical
    axis of such a plot needs +90 degree rotated
    text.  Implementing that (soon!) would satisfy
    98% of the people asking about rotated text.
    90 degree rotated text looks excellent with bit-mapped
    fonts of course.

    Oblique (non-90-degree rotated) text is used to
    a much lesser extent, as in labeling of edges
    of arc-node graphs, though some like to label
    them with horizontal text.

    As far as Postscript output goes, PS doesn't care,
    as far as I know, what transformation you apply.

Most PostScript devices have resolutions that are much higher than
screen resolution (400 dpi is not uncommon), so arbitrarily rotated
text is still quite readable, if not good looking.

    I vote for getting 90 degree text done real soon.
    It is just a bit-remap, interchanging x and y
    (and getting the signs right).  Should not be
    a big deal.

Somebody should take up the challenge.  If I sound like I am personally
resisting the idea of implementing it, you're right.  That's because I
would like to encourage CLIM users to write and publish things like this. 

    We deal with the biomedical literature and screen
    versions of it.  They only publish about 1,000,000
    distinct data plots a year.  Maybe we could start
    saving some trees if we could move their stuff
    to our silver screens.


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