Imaging Software Glossary: Terms & Concepts: D

The imaging software glossary provides definitions for document and web imaging, in addition to terminology specific to Snowbound Software’s imaging technology.

DCS	Desktop Color Separation (DCS) is a standard QuarkXPress format based on EPS and developed by Quark, Inc. It enables non-Quark applications to pre-separate images into individual C, M, Y, K, and master/composite files allowing the exchange of bitmap images between prepress applications. It is used to speed up the printing process because only the information for the plate being printed is sent to the printer rather than the entire CMYK file.

DDB	A Device Dependent Bitmap (DDB) is a bit map dependent upon a particular hardware device where the bitmap will be displayed. This is usually a computer screen or printer. DDBs tend to display at a high speed however when printing a DDB it may be necessary to convert to a DIB in order to see the bitmap because not all printers support DDB.

Decompression	Decompression is the method or process of decoding image data which is stored in a compressed data stream or file. Decompression methods automatically detect the file format.

Depth	Depth is defined by the number of bits-per-pixel that can be displayed on a computer screen. RasterMaster automatically converts the pixel depth to the appropriate value, based on the output format specified.

Device Dependent	Device dependent is the software written to work on a particular set of hardware platforms.

Device Driver	The device driver is the set of software routines that work with and control a specific hardware device. Each device including printers, keyboards, mouse, monitors, disk drives need to have a driver in order to work with the system.

DIB	A Dev ice Independent Bitmap (DIB) is an image format specification independent of all hardware devices and platforms. All high-level and low-level functions that decompress or import images convert the data and store it in memory as the MS Windows DIB format, which consists of the following: header (DIB_Head), palette, and image data. All formats are converted to either 1, 4, 8, or 24-bits. All 1, 4, and 8-bit images have a palette. The raw uncompressed image data follows the palette specification.

Distributed Application	An application made up of components running in separate runtime environments, usually on different platforms, that are connected through a network. Distributed applications can be a relatively simple client/server set-up, requiring a single client computer and a single server, or more complex allowing many client computers and multiple servers. The server-side software manages shared resources and contains the main processing capability for the application. The front-end (client) software handles user interface functions and displaying output to the screen.

Dithering	Dithering is a method of using similar colored and sized pixels to display or print a different color or resolution. In a dithered image, colors not available in the palette are approximated by a diffusion of colored pixels from within the available palette.

DLL	The Dynamic Linked Library (DLL) is a compiled and linked collection of computer functi ons that are not immediately bound to an executable, but are called during program execution. Dynamic linking means that the data in a library is not copied into a new executable or library at compile time, but remains in a separate file on disk. Snowbound's RasterMaster for Windows is available as DLL.

Document Viewer	A document viewer enables a document to be opened and displays the contents of a file. A document viewer could be considered the application that created the file such as Microsoft Word or Excel. Or it could be a separate application that displays the content as it would appear if viewing it in the creator application. These viewers often require that the original format be converted to something else in order to open and view such as PDF for Adobe Reader. Snowbound's VirtualViewer web viewers support over 40 document and images formats eliminating the need to convert to a different format in order to view. VirtualViewer also eliminates the need for the user to need the native (creator) application on their system.

Documentum WDK	The Documentum Web Development Kit (WDK) created and offered by EMC Documentum provides an application framework, a set of components, a set of user-interface controls, and a set of URL-addressable commands that leverage DFC services. The framework provides the infrastructure used by WDK components to operate and interact. The WDK makes it fast and easy for developers to include content management functionality in their Web-based applications. Snowbound offers a version of its VirtualViewer web viewer that supports the WDK enabling users to easily access, view, convert, manipulate, annotate, and print document and image formats within the Documentum repository through a single universal viewer.

Documentum Webtop	Documentum Webtop is an easy-to-use interface created by EMC Documentum that allows users to access the EMC's repository and content management system using a standard browser application. EMC Documentum Webtop is ideal for users who prefer the point-and-click navigational ease of a Web interface, particularly when content is accessed from remote locations across the Internet. Snowbound offers a version of its VirtualViewer Webtop web viewer that is configured to integrate specifically with Webtop, enabling users to easily access, view, convert, manipulate, annotate, and print document and image formats within the Documentum repository through a single universal viewer.

DPI	Dots Per Inch (DPI) is a measure of printing resolution. It usually refers to the number of printer dots that can be printed in one inch. Higher values indicate higher resolution; usually equal to 1/72nd of an inch. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution. For example, if you print on a laser printer at 600 DPI your output will show the image with 600 dots across and 600 dots down. In total you will have 360,000 dots per square inch resulting in a crisp image vs. if you print at 300 DPI.

Drag	Drag is a term used to describe when an object or text is selected and then moved to an alternate location.

Duplex Scanning	Duplex scanning is the ability to scan both sides of a sheet of paper at the same time.