Re: Optimising output for screen.

[James Lowe]

Hello (adding this reply to me only back into the user-thread)

On 23/09/2010 16:44, Alonso Silva wrote:
> Kindle and Ipad didn't have any problem rendering pdfs created with
> Lilypond or another scorewriter (converted to pdf). The only scores who
> really looks bad in some e readers (kindle) are the scans of old
> engraved editions (imslp ones for example), due their nature (they are a
> bunch of images in one file). Ipad don't have this problem with these
> editions.

Well Kindle doesn't either it just depends on how you render them,
Kindle (as this is the only example I know) handles a rather limited
number of graphic formats but does so well enough to read an engraving.

Where e-reader's shine (in my opinion) apart from the
so-much-easier-on-the-retinas-for-any-length-of-time-reading is the
ability to take text and reformat it on the fly so you can do things
like make the text bigger, smaller, increase/decrease leading or
condense the typeface and make quick and easy searches. If my Kindle
could print then I'd be all made up!

However all that formatting-on-the-fly that only works for
text-based-documents, and isn't really appropriate for LilyPond in that
you'd need a complete rendering engine on the e-reader that handles .ly
files to be able to change the formatting. That isn't going to happen
any time at all.

> Anyway, I understand your concern. Lilypond requires tweaking
> for improve the output but in the future I hope need less tweaking.

I don't understand what you mean here. Tweaking for what? You can
already tweak for page format and layout if you want actual size
documents rather than A4 (or whatever) PDFs being displayed on too small
screens then you simply change your \layout or \page settings in your
.ly file. With whispernet you can even then script the whole process and
after compilation email it to address@hidden and the Kindle
will suck in the file for you (or you can drag drop it via usb).

> For
> example, my own priority is a function to create odd and even pages
> margins without depend of lilypond-book, strange tweakings and latex for
> ready to print and bind scores.

That has nothing to do with e-reading format but seems to be a general
request and as I have myself already mentioned, the PDF output is pretty
much ready-to-go for printing professionally, if you are concerned about
pagination for binding and pagination, then frankly you need to change
your printers ;) <rant> most should be able to offer that service
somewhere and believe me - having been at the receiving end of
'end-user' submitted paginated files for over a decade - I'd say 99% of
them were never correctly or set up for printing and we always had to go
back and re-do.</rant>

These task, unlike latex, isn't
> automaticed, but I'm sure the the developer team is aware of these needs
> for future versions.

That has nothing to do with e-reading format but seems to be a general
request and don't assume they are aware.

Have you asked? or maybe someone will answer on this thread.

regards

James