See Also:

bit-map (sh)




Method by which a display space (such as a graphics image file) is defined, including the colour of each of its pixels (or bits).

In effect, a bit-map is an array of binary data representing the values of pixels in an image or display. A GIF is an example of a graphics image file that has a bit-map. When the GIF is displayed on a computer monitor, the computer reads the bit-map to determine which colours to use to "paint" the screen. In a bit-mapped font, each character is defined as a pattern of dots in a bit-map.