Graphics File Formats

IML Studio can export plots in the following graphics formats:

Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF)

The standard filename extension for files of this type is .EMF.

This format stores the image as a series of 32-bit Windows drawing commands. This format is the best format for exporting plots from IML Studio because the file size is small and the image is faithful to the original. Graphics in the EMF format also scale to other sizes and resolutions much better than graphics in either the WMF or BMP format.

IMPORTANT: Be aware that not all Windows programs support the EMF format. Specifically, IML Studio's LISTING output document window has very limited support for the EMF format. The limitations include the following:

These limitations of IML Studio's LISTING output document window are actually limitations of the Microsoft Rich Text Edit Control, which forms the basis for the LISTING output document window.

The EMF format is supported fully by the HTML output window as well as by Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Windows Metafile Format (WMF)

The standard filename extension for files of this type is .WMF.

This format stores the image as a series of 16-bit Windows drawing commands. This format is supported by virtually all Windows programs. Both the HTML output window and the LISTING output document window support the WMF format. The WMF format, however, does not support wide patterned lines and is thus unsuitable for storing IML Studio plots that make use of such lines. A wide patterned line is a line that is not solid and has a width greater than one pixel. The WMF format represents a wide patterned line as a solid line of the same width.

Windows Device Independent Bitmap Format (BMP)

The standard filename extension for files of this type is .BMP.

This format stores the image as a bitmap. This format is supported by virtually all Windows programs. Both the HTML output window and the LISTING output document window support the BMP format. Because it is a bitmap format, plots stored in the BMP format consume much more memory and disk space than those stored in either the EMF or WMF formats.

IMPORTANT: If you copy a plot to the clipboard and then paste it into a LISTING output document window by using the Paste command, IML Studio pastes the plot into the document in the BMP format rather than the more compact WMF format. This is done because the WMF format does not support wide patterned lines. If the particular plot you are pasting does not make use of wide patterned lines, you can save a large amount of memory and disk space by using the Paste Special command on the Edit menu to paste the plot into the document in the WMF format.