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@ -3,79 +3,112 @@ Twibright Optar
[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/colindean/optar.png?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/colindean/optar)
This is a program to store data on paper using a 600dpi b/w laser printer and a
600+ dpi scanner.
_**Special note:** The repository of optar at http://github.com/colindean/optar
exists because I (@colindean) had difficulties finding the source and it seemed
to be abandoned/dormant. I've made slight improvements over time. Improvements
welcomed as pull requests._
You need to install ImageMagick so that the resulting .pgm image can be converted into
PostScript with the right dimensions (so each pixel is 3x3 600dpi pixels so that
there is no unnecessary jitter).
This is a program to store data on paper using a 600 dpi black and white laser
printer and a 600+ dpi scanner.
Make sure you have libpng installed and if you type "libpng-config" on the
commandline, there's a program which prints something.
Building
--------
Compile with ``make``. Become root ``su -`` and type ``make install``. Now you have
optar, unoptar and pgm2ps installed on your system in /usr/local/bin. Later
you can uninstall by typing ``make uninstall`` the same way as you typed
``make install``.
You need to install [ImageMagick](https://www.imagemagick.org) so that the
resulting .pgm image can be converted into PostScript with the right dimensions:
each pixel must be 3x3 600dpi pixels so that there is no unnecessary jitter.
Make sure you have [libpng](http://libpng.org/pub/png/) installed. You'll know
that is is installed correctly if you type `libpng-config` on the commandline,
there's a program which prints something. Virtually all desktop Linux distros
and every macOS system has this installed already.
Compile with
make
Note that there may be some hardcoded configuration values that you may need to
change, for example the page size defaults to A4 instead of US Letter. Read on
to learn where to change that.
Installing locally
------------------
It's easiest to install your local build with
sudo make install
`optar`, `unoptar`, and `pgm2ps` installed on your system in `/usr/local/bin`.
To uninstall, run
sudo make uninstall
Encoding (writing)
------------------
Run
``./optar other_guys.ogg other_guys.ogg``
optar other_guys.ogg other_guys.ogg
which will produce files:
* other_guys.ogg_0001.pgm
* other_guys.ogg_0002.pgm
* other_guys.ogg_0003.pgm
* other_guys.ogg_0004.pgm
* other_guys.ogg_0005.pgm
* other_guys.ogg_0006.pgm
```
other_guys.ogg_0001.pgm
other_guys.ogg_0002.pgm
other_guys.ogg_0003.pgm
other_guys.ogg_0004.pgm
other_guys.ogg_0005.pgm
other_guys.ogg_0006.pgm
```
Now convert them into PostScript using the included pgm2ps tool:
``./pgm2ps *.pgm``
Print them using a 600dpi (or more) laser printer. Inkjet or dot matrix was
never tested and will not probably work at the pre-defined data density. See
"Changing the format" below.
pgm2ps *.pgm
Print these using a 600 dpi (or greater resolution) **laser** printer. Inkjet or
dot matrix was never tested and will not probably work at the pre-defined data
density. See "Changing the format" below.
Please note that the file will be padded by zeroes and the original length will
be lost. Pack your data with tar if you store data that are sensitive to this.
be lost. **Pack your data with tar if you store data that are sensitive to
this.**
Decoding (reading)
------------------
Clean and polish the scanner glass with rubbing alcohol and paper towel. Put
yellow pages on the scanner lid to get sharper picture *). Insert the
yellow pages on the scanner lid to get sharper picture˚. Insert the
page so that the text on the bottom is upright. Scan the pages into
PNG (not JPEG!) on 600dpi (or 1200dpi, slightly better):
* scan_0001.png
* scan_0002.png
* scan_0003.png
* scan_0004.png
* scan_0005.png
* scan_0006.png
```
scan_0001.png
scan_0002.png
scan_0003.png
scan_0004.png
scan_0005.png
scan_0006.png
```
Read the number sequence (format specification) from any of the papers and feed
it as 1st argument to the optar, 2nd argument is the filename part before the
underscore:
``unoptar 0-65-93-24-3-1-2-24 scan > out.ogg``
unoptar 0-65-93-24-3-1-2-24 scan > out.ogg
Then play out.ogg with mplayer. You should get first about 41 seconds from the
Ogg Vorbis file.
*) In the scanner I tried (Canoscan), the lid didn't seem to be heavy enough to
˚ In the scanner I tried (Canoscan), the lid didn't seem to be heavy enough to
press the paper down completely - there were blurry spots in the picture.
Without yellow pages I got 526 reparable bad bits bad from 3.2 million. With
yellow pages the blurry spots were much sharper and I got only 261 reparably
bad bits!
Please note the data are padded with zeroes so the original information
about file length is lost. If your data format doesn't like this then first
pack your data with tar.
about file length is lost. **If your data format doesn't like this then first
pack your data with `tar`.**
A4 <-> US Letter
----------------
@ -112,11 +145,13 @@ Future improvement
Authorship and Licensing
------------------------
© GPL 2007 Karel 'Clock' Kulhavy of Twibright Labs. See COPYING for the text of the GPL license.
© GPL 2007 Karel 'Clock' Kulhavy of Twibright Labs.
See COPYING for the text of the GPL license.
e-mail: clock (at) twibright (dot) com
Twibright Optar homepage: http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/
**Special note:** The repository of optar at http://github.com/colindean/optar exists because I
(@colindean) had difficulties finding the source and it seemed to be abandoned/dormant.
Improvements © 2012-2018 Colin Dean