The DXM 1200 digital imaging software package (ACT-1) has a feature that enables the user to print both images appearing in the live display window or from within the thumbnail image display area, illustrated in Figure 1. As with similar Windows software programs, configuration of a printer is the first step in enabling the software to perform printing tasks.

Selecting and configuring a printer in Windows 95/98/NT/2000 is discussed in great detail in a many reference manuals and will only be quickly reviewed here. The first step is to specify a printer model and paper size, or if the computer is not configured for a printer, a printer driver must be installed. A printer need be selected only once during an imaging or printing session, because the operating system will retain printer information until it is reset by the operator. Either the Print or Print Preview command in the File main menu can be utilized to print an image.

To access the command list, click on the File choice in the ACT-1 software main menu and select Printer Setting from the listing. This action will prompt the Print Setup (a standard Windows dialog box) screen to appear. The Print Setup dialog box is used to specify the printer model, paper size, and paper source for the print job. Selections for these items can be made from within the dialog box through the use of pull-down menus and radio buttons. In addition, the Print Setup dialog box contains a Properties button, which is utilized to specify the number of copies, printer resolution, and other important details about the printer.

Once the printer has been correctly configured, the Print Preview button can be selected from the ACT-1 main window tool bar (Figure 2). Activating this feature launches the Print Preview Window, allowing the user to preview the image as it will appear in the final print. The Print Preview window can also be accessed through the main menu File command list. A set of command buttons placed at the top of the Print Preview window controls actions that are available from this software routine (see Figure 3). When a preview is loaded into the window, the user has an option of selecting the Print button to print the image, the Zoom button to zoom into a larger view of the image as it will appear on the printed page, or the Close button, which will close the window without printing the image.

If there is not an image loaded in the image display window, the Printer Output dialog box appears (not illustrated), and warns the user that no image is available with the only option being to quit the preview. When this occurs, an image can be quickly loaded into the display window by double-clicking on an image in the thumbnail area (Figure 1). The thumbnail image will then be displayed full-size in the window and can be printed.

During routine operation of the software, an image can be printed simply by clicking on the Print button in the main software tool bar, or by selecting the Print command from the list in the main File menu (Figure 2).

Images appearing in the Thumbnail display area (Figure 1) can be selected and printed, either individually or in groups of up to six images on a single piece of paper. The first step is to select an image or images and specify an image layout. Then the Print Preview utility can be employed to examine the image and send the file to the selected printer. Details concerning the Thumbnail display area are presented in Figure 1. Each image appearing in the area is labeled with a filename, the exposure mode used to capture the image, and the image size. In addition, the currently displayed thumbnail image numbers are listed, as are the total number of thumbnails present in memory and the number of thumbnail images currently selected. A pair of scroll buttons is positioned on each side of the Thumbnail display area that allows the operator to scroll through thumbnails either singly, or in groups of five images (Figure 1). Scroll buttons having a single arrow will advance the thumbnails by a single image. Click on the left scroll button to advance images to the right and the right scroll button to advance images to the left. Likewise, the scroll buttons having a double arrow will advance five images at a time (with a single mouse click).

Right-clicking anywhere in the Thumbnail display area launches the Thumbnail Menu (not illustrated), which is utilized to select or deselect all thumbnail images and to jump to the top (first thumbnail) or end (last thumbnail) of the images in the thumbnail que. To select a thumbnail image, move the mouse pointer to an image in the display area and click on the image. When activated, an image will be selected and then appears with a red border that circumscribes the image. To deselect a thumbnail image, simply click on the image after it has been selected. In order to select two or more adjacent images, click on the first image, press and hold down the Shift key, then click on the last image. All of the images between the first and last (including the first and last image) will then have red borders and be selected. The Control key can not be used to select a collection of individual images (as it would in other Windows programs), and acts in a manner similar to the Shift key.

By selecting the Layout Preview command in the File main menu, the image layout properties can be specified. When this command is executed, the Print Type Image dialog box (Figure 4) appears, which allows the user to select a layout scheme. The Print Type Image dialog box can also be accessed through the Layout Print command. In this case, the Print Preview window does not appear when the Print Type Image dialog box closes, but instead the Print dialog box is presented. Commands available with the Print Type Image dialog box include the selection of an image layout and an option to turn title printing on or off. When the Title checkbox is marked, the image filename, size, and exposure mode are printed along with the image itself. If the Print Type Image dialog box command is executed without an image in the display window, the Printer Output dialog box appears to warn the operator that no image is available to print.

Images recorded with the DXM 1200 control software can be printed on any Windows-compatible printer, including laser printers, color inkjet printers, and dye-sublimation printers. The current availability of low-cost color inkjet printers makes this software feature quite valuable for microscopists who want to maintain an economical record of images recorded from the microscope.