R graphics device using cairographics library that can be used to create high-quality vector (PDF, PostScript and SVG) and bitmap output (PNG,JPEG,TIFF), and high-quality rendering in displays (X11 and Win32). Since it uses the same back-end for all output, copying across formats is WYSIWYG. Files are created without the dependence on X11 or other external programs. This device supports alpha channel (semi-transparent drawing) and resulting images can contain transparent and semi-transparent regions. It is ideal for use in server environments (file output) and as a replacement for other devices that don't have Cairo's capabilities such as alpha support or anti-aliasing. Backends are modular such that any subset of backends is supported.
copied from cf-post-staging / r-cairo