Re: [mediaqueries] Making the 'color' query static, like CSSOM colorDepth?

On Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 11:58 AM, Zack Weinberg <zackw@panix.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 12:38 PM, Tab Atkins Jr. <jackalmage@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > If you're dealing with a device low-tech enough to have white/black
> > pixels only, it's likely also got an extremely low resolution, and
> > probably a weak processor underneath it too.
>
> Or you are dealing with a high end black-and-white device (think one
> of those monstrous industrial xerographic printers) which
> intentionally does not fake grayscale support in order to give precise
> control over the dithering algorithm to the application.
>
> > ... At that point, you don't need to discriminate in CSS,
> > since you're already discriminating outside of it.
>
> I don't disagree with the assessment that this media query is less
> than useful for browsers right now -- but I do disagree with the
> change, because it'll make it harder for CSS to take over high-end
> prepress use cases in the future.  Think of all the stuff in the PDF
> spec that your average document will never, ever use, but which is
> essential for the moral equivalent of the UA style sheet for one of
> those high-end printers.
>

The PDF spec doesn't define device-dependent rendering so this change will
actually make CSS more in line with the prepress world.


>
> I'd be fine with a MAY clause indicating that browser-type
> applications need not be precise beyond a three-way "only black and
> white" / "only grayscale" / "color" choice.
>

No, while prepress devices produce 1 bit-per-pixel rasters, to the printing
application they look like regular contone color devices.
There are some image formats that have a 1-to-1 mapping, but those are very
specialized and are usually processed by their own applications.