Software that makes placemats

[Doggett]

Personally on the latest iteration for the Rebello Valente tasting, I think the droplets detract from the classic nature of the placemat and is like a very light version of Pollock’s number 14. I am all for pimping up the mats but this one is not for me... thoughts?

[jdaw1]

Personally on the latest iteration for the Rebello Valente tasting, I think the droplets detract from the classic nature of the placemat and is like a very light version of Pollock’s number 14. I am all for pimping up the mats but this one is not for me... thoughts?

I’d like to know what others think.

Some food for thought.

• From the log page of the Rebello Valente placemats: “Droplets will cover approximately 7.3% of non-margin bare page (ignoring overlaps and hollow inners, assuming no sharp turns, etc).”

• Thoughts on other decorative things? E.g.,:

◊ Spirals, Messias tasting 23 Oct 2019:






◊ CrossHatching, 1994 tasting on 11 June 2019:






◊ Flowers, Blind and Informal tasting on 21 May 2019:






◊ Stars, DRT’s Annual Elixir tasting on 26 Mar 2019:
 

[Doggett]

Quite liked the spirals, flowers and crosshatching. Not sold on the stars but the bold defining of the main elements is good to my taste a la Flowers.

[Glenn E.]

I like all of the above for different reasons. But if I'm honest, I probably won't use these features. We're pretty basic with our placemats and are very happy with just the core functionality.

I might try spirals (or anything else that fills the circle) some time. For some reason filling the glasses circle is more appealing to me than filling the empty space between glasses.

[jdaw1]

For some reason filling the glasses circle is more appealing to me than filling the empty space between glasses.

Is this a quirky feature of Simon and our American cousins (and hence perhaps ignorable), or is this a general preference?

Quite liked the spirals, flowers and crosshatching. Not sold on the stars but the bold defining of the main elements is good to my taste a la Flowers.

Flowers not so different to the Stars (compare this use of Hearts). Why the different preference?


I seek guidance.


Reminder: many many placemats shown at the list of placemats.

[Andy Velebil]

Quite liked the spirals, flowers and crosshatching. Not sold on the stars but the bold defining of the main elements is good to my taste a la Flowers.

Ditto

[Glenn E.]

For some reason filling the glasses circle is more appealing to me than filling the empty space between glasses.

Is this a quirky feature of Simon and our American cousins (and hence perhaps ignorable), or is this a general preference?

It is such a mild preference for me - on a feature that I'm not likely to use anyway - that it can be safely ignored, at least as far as I'm concerned.

[jdaw1]

Is it the shape of the flowers versus that of the stars? Or is it that in the examples above the stars are pale on pale, whereas the flowers are pale on dark?

Compare, for example, the 1963 horizontal on 10 April 2018.





Or, similar, the Cockburn vertical on 02 Oct 2018.

[PhilW]

I’d like to know what others think.

I tend to prefer a single pattern on a set of placemats - or at least a coherent one; so:
- outline or solid wording, with pattern filling in circles and clear background
- outline or solid wording, with clear circles and pattern filled background
- pattern-filled wording, with clear circles and clear or same/related pattern background

So, for example, when a pattern is used in the background (rays, diagonals, spirals, sperm and others) I prefer empty circles; or vice versa. Matching background and text-fill can be good (complementary might also work well).

Where a pattern is used to fill the circle, it should not also fill the text, which should then be clear or solid; noting this is as per your Messias example above, but not always per previous placemats.

Am not keen on gray-and-pattern-filled text (such as flowers example, or stars example), nor black-and-pattern filled text.

[jdaw1]

I tend to prefer a single pattern on a set of placemats - or at least a coherent one; so:
- outline or solid wording, with pattern filling in circles and clear background
- outline or solid wording, with clear circles and pattern filled background
- pattern-filled wording, with clear circles and clear or same/related pattern background

Please post some examples (the dates would suffice) of near-fails and only-just-successes.

Reminder: many many placemats shown at the list of placemats.

Thank you.

[jdaw1]

Placemats created.

My bugs, or yours? (E.g., spacing in Circlearrays. E.g., the table of contents has a link to the log page, but there isn’t a log page — was it removed in a post-process rather than by /OutputLogToPage false def? Please send me the code.)


This post moved by jdaw1 from its organisation thread, re Tue 28 Jan 2020.

[flash_uk]

Placemats created.

My bugs, or yours? (E.g., spacing in Circlearrays. E.g., the table of contents has a link to the log page, but there isn’t a log page — was it removed in a post-process rather than by /OutputLogToPage false def? Please send me the code.)

I noticed both the spacing thing, and the lack of log page. Will email the .ps.

The spacing thing I think is my doing. I think I used initials in more than one circlearrays field.


This post moved by jdaw1 from its organisation thread, re Tue 28 Jan 2020.

[jdaw1]

Score one each.

Code: Select all

/Circlearrays [
	[ (NAC) () (NAC) ]
	[ (IDJ) () (IDJ) ]
	[ (MPM) () (MPM) ]
	[ (Dagger) () (Dagger) ]
	[ (Double Dagger) () (Double Dagger) ]
] def

The empty strings explain the weird gaps.

But the absence of a log page was a failure of the author of the code to realise that there was a difference in behaviour between Adobe Distiller and Ghostscript. Fixed. Apologies.

[flash_uk]

The empty strings explain the weird gaps.

Sackcloth and ashes. This requires some adaptation to the wizard coding, to cope with blank fields. I will get round to that, but not at the pace with which you fixed the log page matter.

[jdaw1]

Next question, is about branding, but likely as not the most consistent usage is in the software and its output.

Are we PascalCase (www.ThePortForum.com) or camelCase (www.thePortForum.com)? Current usage is PascalCase; but there would be less need for kerning with camelCase.

Currently we use PascalCase:

Preference? Comment?

[flash_uk]

I prefer PascalCase, as it reinforces the often used acronym TPF. Where would the kerning difference happen with camelCase? Around the first dot?

[jdaw1]

Yes: “.T” needs kerning; “.t” doesnʼt, or at least, it matters much less.

[jdaw1]

During the Emergency at 67 Pall Mall on 25 February 2020, Neil, and perhaps others, asked that the parameter NeckTagsHoleRadius be larger. Currently its default is 42.52pt ≈ 15mm, so a diameter of 3cm. What size is wanted?

Suggestion: 54pt = 19.05mm, so a diameter of 38.1mm. Comment?

[jdaw1]

Suggestion: 54pt = 19.05mm, so a diameter of 38.1mm. Comment?

No comment, so done. If there is later disagreement, it can be undone.

[jdaw1]

I’ve decided that the code should exist in a proper repository, to allow submission and discussion of issues, to allow others to contribute to the PostScript, and for better death-proofing. Hence ∃ github.com/jdaw1/placemat.

Two issues ask a question of GitHub experts (Software licence; Documentation: HTML or Markdown or other?). If you can answer, please do.

[jdaw1]

The move to GitHub is complete. If you have published links to this software, please update them to:
• http://github.com/jdaw1/placemat/
• http://github.com/jdaw1/placemat/blob/m ... lacemat.ps
• http://raw.githubusercontent.com/jdaw1/ ... lacemat.ps
as appropriate.

[jdaw1]

Do any programmers know whether there would be sufficient advantages in moving my code to SourceForge.net? My prior is ‘no’, but I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise.

In perusing this thread for outstanding issues, this was seen.

[jdaw1]

This thread was once the discussion place for the placemat software: where requests were made and bugs reported. That place is now github.com/jdaw1/placemat/issues/. Indeed, it has been more than 1½ years since somebody other than me posted in this thread.

It is currently an ‘Announcement’ thread, meaning that it is in a separate section at the top of the list of threads. It is being demoted to a ‘Standard Topic’. Git-phobes may still use it for the old purposes, but henceforth this thread will be less visible.

[PhilW]

Indeed, it has been more than 1½ years since somebody other than me posted in this thread.

There is, perhaps, a reason for this - being the rather reduced number of tastings held in the last 18 months due to circumstances (as well as other factors such as code maturity etc, per your point).

[jdaw1]

Everybody loves a pork pie tasting.



These pork-pie placemats were made by an abuse of the parameters, and there is discussion about whether their production should be regularised. Comment welcome, ideally in issue 153.

[winesecretary]

No comments on the software but, without one of the hand raised pork pies from Leeson's of Oakham, the pork pie tasting was simply incomplete.

[Doggett]

No comments on the software but, without one of the hand raised pork pies from Leeson's of Oakham, the pork pie tasting was simply incomplete.

No comments on the software, but I did three summers and two Christmas holidays working in a pork pie factory if anyone would like to discuss.

[winesecretary]

I am fairly sure we don't want to know...

[jdaw1]

No comments on the software but, without one of the hand raised pork pies from Leeson's of Oakham, the pork pie tasting was simply incomplete.

Reprimand accepted. When the weather is cooler a Leeson Hand Raised Melton Mowbray Pork Pie will be ordered.

[jdaw1]

At a recent tasting the TN sheets looked terrible. Various possibilities need to be tested on multiple printers, as requested in issue 155. If you are willing to use your printer, please read and heed.

[jdaw1]

No comments on the software but, without one of the hand raised pork pies from Leeson's of Oakham, the pork pie tasting was simply incomplete.

Reprimand accepted. When the weather is cooler a Leeson Hand Raised Melton Mowbray Pork Pie will be ordered.

Excellent indeed.

[jdaw1]

I have started drafting a page containing links to other placemats: other software, other instances of placemats. The page is not yet live — this post has the only link to it.

Please let me know of other content that could be added to that draft.

[PhilW]

Please critique or approve.

Tentative approval. A suggestion; when folded, I would expect we will fold at mid of long side first, then the other, such that the created A6-book has the fold at spine, not bottom. Having done this, with the current arrangement we would have 1,2,3 on left, and 5,6,7 on right; 1,2,3 on left and 4,5,6 on right would be preferred.
In other words, on the A4, could we fill in four quarter order, rather than two column? i.e. four quarters with N per quarter filled in order of
1st q, 2nd q
3rd q, 4th q

i.e. for N=3
1 4
2 5
3 6

7 10
8 11
9 12

[jdaw1]

I wanted to fold vertically first, for which parameter TastingNotes_NumVerticalSections needed. Then people can fold horizontally as many or as few times as are need for table space. So, for the 2022 Peculiar Shipper tasting, could fold once horizontally (A6), or thrice (≈ A7).

Please explain the flaws in this intention.

[PhilW]

No flaw in your intention, just a difference of preference. Mine is for A6 book (=A5 open as two-page with centre vertical fold, or A6 folded). Yours provides capability for sub-A6, but at the cost of less optimal A6 book.

[jdaw1]

For the current version of the paperwork of the 2022 Peculiar Shipper tasting, my ordering on the first page is:

1 5
2 6
3 7
4 8

What ordering do you prefer?

[PhilW]

What ordering do you prefer?

1 3
2 4
5 7
6 8

I'm considering it as A6 book, and then parameter tastingNotesPerA6Page, in this case =2. Previous example was =3.

[jdaw1]

Ouch! How does that generalise?

Generalisation would be easy if you had said:
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8

with which I’d be totally happy.

Generalisation must be over arbitrary numbers of columns and of rows.

[PhilW]

Generalised form:
Page is divided into CxR "cells" with T tasting notes per cell. i.e.
C = Number of columns per sheet
R = Number of rows per sheet (n.b. rows of cells, not tasting note rows)
T = Number of tasting notes per cell

For 8 tasting notes per page, your preference is 2,1,4; mine is 2,2,2
For 12 tasting notes per page, your preference is 2,1,6; mine is 2,2,3
For 16 tasting notes per page, your preference might be 2,1,8; mine is 2,2,4

Essentially I'm doing a matrix of sub-pages within the page, if you prefer to think of it that way. You're define two tall sub-pages, I'm defining four A6 ones.

[jdaw1]

So you want a three-level hierarchy of directions (down then across then down), by dividing into pairs of rows. I think a two-level hierarchy would be more intuitive for most users.

[PhilW]

So you want a three-level hierarchy of directions (down then across then down), by dividing into pairs of rows. I think a two-level hierarchy would be more intuitive for most users.

I think most people would understand "four A6 pages on an A4 sheet" which is all I was looking for; you're right they might less well understand the generic form of CxR pages per sheet, perhaps, especially in non-standard forms. I did avoid asking for the bottom two pages to be 180 rotated so they would be the right way up after folding

[Alex Bridgeman]

Why not just rely on the printer's ability to print in booklet format? Even my very basic inkjet printer can print in A5 booklet format if I am prepared to feed pages back into it.

[jdaw1]

Why not just rely on the printer's ability to print in booklet format? Even my very basic inkjet printer can print in A5 booklet format if I am prepared to feed pages back into it.

I will.

The paper is A4, folded in half. So each apparent page is A5. Should the PDF have A4, or A5? Pls look at manual.

[jdaw1]

Can your printers work with this test?

[nac]

Can your printers work with this test?

Will try when back in the office - probably 5th Jan.

[jdaw1]

Current draft of the placemats.

Current draft of the placemats has been updated to reflect latest knowledge.

Splendid placemats - thanks you!

That is indeed a magnificent set of place mats. Thank you Julian.

placemats look fab

Placemats are rarely noticed, so it is interesting that this set seems to have attracted favourable attention. It would help to know what people like. Please, what?

[winesecretary]

20 ports

[winesecretary]

But also, there is a sparseness to them that is very pleasing. A bit like the sonnet form, there is a compression from the strict requirements of getting 20 in that strips them to the essentials.

[winesecretary]

Possibly also the 00 / 2000 backdrop. Just feels right.

[mcoulson]

It's very clear for some reason ... Makes it easy to see what is where .... Of course 20 ports in a sitting is always going to be a winner but that makes the general visibility even more important