### Navigation

- index
- modules |
- next |
- previous |
- Pycairo v1.10.0 documentation »
- Reference »

# Surfaces

cairo.Surface is the abstract type representing all different drawing targets that cairo can render to. The actual drawings are performed using a `Context`.

A cairo.Surface is created by using backend-specific constructors of the form cairo.<XXX>Surface().

## class Surface()

class `cairo.``Surface`

  Surface is the abstract base class from which all the other surface classes derive. It cannot be instantiated directly.

  `copy_page`()

    Emits the current page for backends that support multiple pages, but doesn’t clear it, so that the contents of the current page will be retained for the next page. Use `show_page()` if you want to get an empty page after the emission.

    `Context.copy_page()` is a convenience function for this.

    New in version 1.6.

  `create_similar`(content, width, height)

    Parameters: | content – the CONTENT for the new surface width (int) – width of the new surface, (in device-space units) height – height of the new surface (in device-space units)
    Returns: | a newly allocated Surface.

    Create a Surface that is as compatible as possible with the existing surface. For example the new surface will have the same fallback resolution and `FontOptions`. Generally, the new surface will also use the same backend, unless that is not possible for some reason.

    Initially the surface contents are all 0 (transparent if contents have transparency, black otherwise.)

  `finish`()

    This method finishes the Surface and drops all references to external resources. For example, for the Xlib backend it means that cairo will no longer access the drawable, which can be freed. After calling finish() the only valid operations on a Surface are flushing and finishing it. Further drawing to the surface will not affect the surface but will instead trigger a `cairo.Error` exception.

  `flush`()

    Do any pending drawing for the Surface and also restore any temporary modification’s cairo has made to the Surface’s state. This method must be called before switching from drawing on the Surface with cairo to drawing on it directly with native APIs. If the Surface doesn’t support direct access, then this function does nothing.

  `get_content`()

    Returns: | The CONTENT type of Surface, which indicates whether the Surface contains color and/or alpha information.

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_device_offset`()

    Returns: | (x_offset, y_offset) a tuple of float x_offset: the offset in the X direction, in device units y_offset: the offset in the Y direction, in device units

    This method returns the previous device offset set by `set_device_offset()`.

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_fallback_resolution`()

    Returns: | (x_pixels_per_inch, y_pixels_per_inch) a tuple of float x_pixels_per_inch: horizontal pixels per inch y_pixels_per_inch: vertical pixels per inch

    This method returns the previous fallback resolution set by `set_fallback_resolution()`, or default fallback resolution if never set.

    New in version 1.8.

  `get_font_options`()

    Returns: | a `FontOptions`

    Retrieves the default font rendering options for the Surface. This allows display surfaces to report the correct subpixel order for rendering on them, print surfaces to disable hinting of metrics and so forth. The result can then be used with `ScaledFont`.

  `mark_dirty`()

    Tells cairo that drawing has been done to Surface using means other than cairo, and that cairo should reread any cached areas. Note that you must call `flush()` before doing such drawing.

  `mark_dirty_rectangle`(x, y, width, height)

    Parameters: | x (int) – X coordinate of dirty rectangle y (int) – Y coordinate of dirty rectangle width (int) – width of dirty rectangle height (int) – height of dirty rectangle

    Like `mark_dirty()`, but drawing has been done only to the specified rectangle, so that cairo can retain cached contents for other parts of the surface.

    Any cached clip set on the Surface will be reset by this function, to make sure that future cairo calls have the clip set that they expect.

  `set_device_offset`(x_offset, y_offset)

    Parameters: | x_offset (float) – the offset in the X direction, in device units y_offset (float) – the offset in the Y direction, in device units

    Sets an offset that is added to the device coordinates determined by the CTM when drawing to Surface. One use case for this function is when we want to create a Surface that redirects drawing for a portion of an onscreen surface to an offscreen surface in a way that is completely invisible to the user of the cairo API. Setting a transformation via `Context.translate()` isn’t sufficient to do this, since functions like `Context.device_to_user()` will expose the hidden offset.

    Note that the offset affects drawing to the surface as well as using the surface in a source pattern.

  `set_fallback_resolution`(x_pixels_per_inch, y_pixels_per_inch)

    Parameters: | x_pixels_per_inch (float) – horizontal setting for pixels per inch y_pixels_per_inch (float) – vertical setting for pixels per inch

    Set the horizontal and vertical resolution for image fallbacks.

    When certain operations aren’t supported natively by a backend, cairo will fallback by rendering operations to an image and then overlaying that image onto the output. For backends that are natively vector-oriented, this function can be used to set the resolution used for these image fallbacks, (larger values will result in more detailed images, but also larger file sizes).

    Some examples of natively vector-oriented backends are the ps, pdf, and svg backends.

    For backends that are natively raster-oriented, image fallbacks are still possible, but they are always performed at the native device resolution. So this function has no effect on those backends.

    Note: The fallback resolution only takes effect at the time of completing a page (with `Context.show_page()` or `Context.copy_page()`) so there is currently no way to have more than one fallback resolution in effect on a single page.

    The default fallback resoultion is 300 pixels per inch in both dimensions.

    New in version 1.2.

  `show_page`()

    Emits and clears the current page for backends that support multiple pages. Use `copy_page()` if you don’t want to clear the page.

    There is a convenience function for this that takes a `Context.show_page()`.

    New in version 1.6.

  `write_to_png`(fobj)

    Parameters: | fobj (str, file or file-like object) – the file to write to
    Raises : | MemoryError if memory could not be allocated for the operation IOError if an I/O error occurs while attempting to write the file

    Writes the contents of Surface to fobj as a PNG image.

## class ImageSurface(`Surface`)

A cairo.ImageSurface provides the ability to render to memory buffers either allocated by cairo or by the calling code. The supported image formats are those defined in FORMAT attributes.

class `cairo.``ImageSurface`(format, width, height)

  Parameters: | format – FORMAT of pixels in the surface to create width – width of the surface, in pixels height – height of the surface, in pixels
  Returns: | a new ImageSurface
  Raises : | MemoryError in case of no memory

  Creates an ImageSurface of the specified format and dimensions. Initially the surface contents are all 0. (Specifically, within each pixel, each color or alpha channel belonging to format will be 0. The contents of bits within a pixel, but not belonging to the given format are undefined).

  classmethod `create_for_data`(data, format, width, height[, stride])

    Not yet available in Python 3

  classmethod `create_from_png`(fobj)

    Parameters: | fobj – a filename, file, or file-like object of the PNG to load.
    Returns: | a new ImageSurface initialized the contents to the given PNG file.

  static `format_stride_for_width`(format, width)

    Parameters: | format – a cairo FORMAT value width – the desired width of an ImageSurface to be created.
    Returns: | the appropriate stride to use given the desired format and width, or -1 if either the format is invalid or the width too large.
    Return type: | int

    This method provides a stride value that will respect all alignment requirements of the accelerated image-rendering code within cairo. Typical usage will be of the form:

        stride = cairo.ImageSurface.format_stride_for_width (format, width)
        surface = cairo.ImageSurface.create_for_data (data, format, width, height, stride)

    New in version 1.6.

  `get_data`()

    Not yet available in Python 3

  `get_format`()

    Returns: | the FORMAT of the ImageSurface.

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_height`()

    Returns: | the height of the ImageSurface in pixels.

  `get_stride`()

    Returns: | the stride of the ImageSurface in bytes. The stride is the distance in bytes from the beginning of one row of the image data to the beginning of the next row.

  `get_width`()

    Returns: | the width of the ImageSurface in pixels.

## class PDFSurface(`Surface`)

The PDFSurface is used to render cairo graphics to Adobe PDF files and is a multi-page vector surface backend.

class `cairo.``PDFSurface`(fobj, width_in_points, height_in_points)

  Parameters: | fobj (None, str, file or file-like object) – a filename or writable file object. None may be used to specify no output. This will generate a PDFSurface that may be queried and used as a source, without generating a temporary file. width_in_points (float) – width of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch) height_in_points (float) – height of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch)
  Returns: | a new PDFSurface of the specified size in points to be written to fobj.
  Raises : | MemoryError in case of no memory

  New in version 1.2.

  `set_size`()

    Parameters: | width_in_points (float) – new surface width, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch) height_in_points (float) – new surface height, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch)

    Changes the size of a PDFSurface for the current (and subsequent) pages.

    This function should only be called before any drawing operations have been performed on the current page. The simplest way to do this is to call this function immediately after creating the surface or immediately after completing a page with either `Context.show_page()` or `Context.copy_page()`.

    New in version 1.2.

## class PSSurface(`Surface`)

The PSSurface is used to render cairo graphics to Adobe PostScript files and is a multi-page vector surface backend.

class `cairo.``PSSurface`(fobj, width_in_points, height_in_points)

  Parameters: | fobj (None, str, file or file-like object) – a filename or writable file object. None may be used to specify no output. This will generate a PSSurface that may be queried and used as a source, without generating a temporary file. width_in_points (float) – width of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch) height_in_points (float) – height of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch)
  Returns: | a new PDFSurface of the specified size in points to be written to fobj.
  Raises : | MemoryError in case of no memory

  Note that the size of individual pages of the PostScript output can vary. See `set_size()`.

  `dsc_begin_page_setup`()

    This method indicates that subsequent calls to `dsc_comment()` should direct comments to the PageSetup section of the PostScript output.

    This method call is only needed for the first page of a surface. It should be called after any call to `dsc_begin_setup()` and before any drawing is performed to the surface.

    See `dsc_comment()` for more details.

    New in version 1.2.

  `dsc_begin_setup`()

    This function indicates that subsequent calls to `dsc_comment()` should direct comments to the Setup section of the PostScript output.

    This function should be called at most once per surface, and must be called before any call to `dsc_begin_page_setup()` and before any drawing is performed to the surface.

    See `dsc_comment()` for more details.

    New in version 1.2.

  `dsc_comment`(comment)

    Parameters: | comment (str) – a comment string to be emitted into the PostScript output

    Emit a comment into the PostScript output for the given surface.

    The comment is expected to conform to the PostScript Language Document Structuring Conventions (DSC). Please see that manual for details on the available comments and their meanings. In particular, the %%IncludeFeature comment allows a device-independent means of controlling printer device features. So the PostScript Printer Description Files Specification will also be a useful reference.

    The comment string must begin with a percent character (%) and the total length of the string (including any initial percent characters) must not exceed 255 characters. Violating either of these conditions will place PSSurface into an error state. But beyond these two conditions, this function will not enforce conformance of the comment with any particular specification.

    The comment string should not have a trailing newline.

    The DSC specifies different sections in which particular comments can appear. This function provides for comments to be emitted within three sections: the header, the Setup section, and the PageSetup section. Comments appearing in the first two sections apply to the entire document while comments in the BeginPageSetup section apply only to a single page.

    For comments to appear in the header section, this function should be called after the surface is created, but before a call to `dsc_begin_setup()`.

    For comments to appear in the Setup section, this function should be called after a call to `dsc_begin_setup()` but before a call to `dsc_begin_page_setup()`.

    For comments to appear in the PageSetup section, this function should be called after a call to `dsc_begin_page_setup()`.

    Note that it is only necessary to call `dsc_begin_page_setup()` for the first page of any surface. After a call to `Context.show_page()` or `Context.copy_page()` comments are unambiguously directed to the PageSetup section of the current page. But it doesn’t hurt to call this function at the beginning of every page as that consistency may make the calling code simpler.

    As a final note, cairo automatically generates several comments on its own. As such, applications must not manually generate any of the following comments:

    Header section: %!PS-Adobe-3.0, %Creator, %CreationDate, %Pages, %BoundingBox, %DocumentData, %LanguageLevel, %EndComments.

    Setup section: %BeginSetup, %EndSetup

    PageSetup section: %BeginPageSetup, %PageBoundingBox, %EndPageSetup.

    Other sections: %BeginProlog, %EndProlog, %Page, %Trailer, %EOF

    Here is an example sequence showing how this function might be used:

        surface = PSSurface (filename, width, height)
        ...
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%Title: My excellent document")
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%Copyright: Copyright (C) 2006 Cairo Lover")
        ...
        surface.dsc_begin_setup (surface)
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature: *MediaColor White")
        ...
        surface.dsc_begin_page_setup (surface)
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature: *PageSize A3")
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature: *InputSlot LargeCapacity")
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature: *MediaType Glossy")
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature: *MediaColor Blue")
        ... draw to first page here ..
        ctx.show_page (cr)
        ...
        surface.dsc_comment (surface, "%%IncludeFeature:  PageSize A5");
        ...

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_eps`()

    Returns: | True iff the PSSurface will output Encapsulated PostScript.

    New in version 1.6.

  static `ps_level_to_string`(level)

    Parameters: | level – a PS_LEVEL
    Returns: | the string associated to given level.
    Return type: | str
    Raises : | `cairo.Error` if level isn’t valid.

    Get the string representation of the given level. See `ps_get_levels()` for a way to get the list of valid level ids.

    New in version 1.6.

  `restrict_to_level`(level)

    Parameters: | level – a PS_LEVEL

    Restricts the generated PostSript file to level. See `ps_get_levels()` for a list of available level values that can be used here.

    This function should only be called before any drawing operations have been performed on the given surface. The simplest way to do this is to call this function immediately after creating the surface.

    New in version 1.6.

  `set_eps`(eps)

    Parameters: | eps (bool) – True to output EPS format PostScript

    If eps is True, the PostScript surface will output Encapsulated PostScript.

    This function should only be called before any drawing operations have been performed on the current page. The simplest way to do this is to call this function immediately after creating the surface. An Encapsulated PostScript file should never contain more than one page.

    New in version 1.6.

  `set_size`(width_in_points, height_in_points)

    Parameters: | width_in_points (float) – new surface width, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch) height_in_points (float) – new surface height, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch)

    Changes the size of a PostScript surface for the current (and subsequent) pages.

    This function should only be called before any drawing operations have been performed on the current page. The simplest way to do this is to call this function immediately after creating the surface or immediately after completing a page with either `Context.show_page()` or `Context.copy_page()`.

    New in version 1.2.

## class SVGSurface(`Surface`)

The SVGSurface is used to render cairo graphics to SVG files and is a multi-page vector surface backend

class `cairo.``SVGSurface`(fobj, width_in_points, height_in_points)

  Parameters: | fobj (None, str, file or file-like object) – a filename or writable file object. None may be used to specify no output. This will generate a SVGSurface that may be queried and used as a source, without generating a temporary file. width_in_points (float) – width of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch) height_in_points (float) – height of the surface, in points (1 point == 1/72.0 inch)
  Returns: | a new SVGSurface of the specified size in points to be written to fobj.
  Raises : | MemoryError in case of no memory

  `get_versions`()

    Not implemented in pycairo (yet)

  `restrict_to_version`()

    Not implemented in pycairo (yet)

  `version_to_string`()

    Not implemented in pycairo (yet)

## class Win32Surface(`Surface`)

The Microsoft Windows surface is used to render cairo graphics to Microsoft Windows windows, bitmaps, and printing device contexts.

class `cairo.``Win32Surface`(hdc)

  Parameters: | hdc (int) – the DC to create a surface for
  Returns: | the newly created surface

  Creates a cairo surface that targets the given DC. The DC will be queried for its initial clip extents, and this will be used as the size of the cairo surface. The resulting surface will always be of format cairo.FORMAT_RGB24, see FORMAT attributes.

## class Win32PrintingSurface(`Surface`)

The Win32PrintingSurface is a multi-page vector surface type.

class `cairo.``Win32PrintingSurface`(hdc)

  Parameters: | hdc (int) – the DC to create a surface for
  Returns: | the newly created surface

  Creates a cairo surface that targets the given DC. The DC will be queried for its initial clip extents, and this will be used as the size of the cairo surface. The DC should be a printing DC; antialiasing will be ignored, and GDI will be used as much as possible to draw to the surface.

  The returned surface will be wrapped using the paginated surface to provide correct complex rendering behaviour; `cairo.Surface.show_page()` and associated methods must be used for correct output.

## class XCBSurface(`Surface`)

The XCB surface is used to render cairo graphics to X Window System windows and pixmaps using the XCB library.

Note that the XCB surface automatically takes advantage of the X render extension if it is available.

class `cairo.``XCBSurface`

  Parameters: | connection – an XCB connection drawable – a X drawable visualtype – a X visualtype width – The surface width height – The surface height

  Creates a cairo surface that targets the given drawable (pixmap or window).

  Note

  This methods works using xpyb.

  `set_size`(width, height)

  Parameters: | width – The width of the surface height – The height of the surface

  Informs cairo of the new size of the X Drawable underlying the surface. For a surface created for a Window (rather than a Pixmap), this function must be called each time the size of the window changes. (For a subwindow, you are normally resizing the window yourself, but for a toplevel window, it is necessary to listen for ConfigureNotify events.)

  A Pixmap can never change size, so it is never necessary to call this function on a surface created for a Pixmap.

## class XlibSurface(`Surface`)

The XLib surface is used to render cairo graphics to X Window System windows and pixmaps using the XLib library.

Note that the XLib surface automatically takes advantage of X render extension if it is available.

class `cairo.``XlibSurface`

  Note

  XlibSurface cannot be instantiated directly because Python interaction with Xlib would require open source Python bindings to Xlib which provided a C API. However, an XlibSurface instance can be returned from a function call when using pygtk http://www.pygtk.org/.

  `get_depth`()

    Returns: | the number of bits used to represent each pixel value.

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_height`()

    Returns: | the height of the X Drawable underlying the surface in pixels.

    New in version 1.2.

  `get_width`()

    Returns: | the width of the X Drawable underlying the surface in pixels.

    New in version 1.2.

### Navigation

- index
- modules |
- next |
- previous |
- Pycairo v1.10.0 documentation »
- Reference »