Re: background-image scaling (CSS)

at 4:43 PM -0500 11/10/97, Dan Corkill wrote:
>BODY {background-image: url(images/background.jpg);  /* 150x400 image */
>      background-repeat: repeat-y;
>      background-color: white;}
>
>
>When printing a background image, both NS 4.03 and IE4.0, maintain the
>resolution of the image (JPEG in this particular case) rather scaling
>the image to maintain the proportions shown on the screen.  So, for
>example, the image that covers the leftmost 150 pixels of the screen,
>also only covers the leftmost 150 pixels of the printed document (a
>very narrow bar at 1200dpi!).
>
>If this is the behavior intended by the CSS specifications (I
>can imagine situations where this is desired), scaling the
>image would seem to be the desired behavior in the majority of
>cases.  (At 1200dpi, the details in the image are too small to
>be seen!)

Sounds like a bug.

The CSS1 specification recommends scaling based on a "reference pixel" of 1/90". This scaling should kick in when a device's pixel density is "very different from that of a typical computer display." I wish this were more explicit, suggesting trigger values like >108ppi or <72ppi.

When printing (except in the case you describe), Netscape flouts the suggested reference pixel and scales based on a 1/120" pixel.

IE3 does not scale anything specified in CSS pixel units when printing - not even text. That's pretty tiny copy at 1200dpi!


Todd Fahrner
mailto:fahrner@pobox.com
http://www.verso.com/agitprop/

The printed page transcends space and time. The printed page, the infinitude of books, must be transcended. THE ELECTRO-LIBRARY.
	- El Lissitzky, 1923

Received on Monday, 10 November 1997 17:19:21 UTC