Java2D for Custom Report Graphics Display

This last 4 days I was forced to learn the Java2D. Java2D is a powerful library, but it was only introduced in Java 1.2. The last time I learn about graphics in Java, was the time when I took the OOP Course, back to 1997? Mr. Stef taught us OOP using Java 1.1. AWT has just changed the infrastructure to message based to reduce complexity. We implemented a graphical Reverse Polish Notation calculator with 8 rows representing the contents of the stack (the first electronic calculator was using this kind of stack based Reverse Polish Notation).

Now I have to browse through it again, because the requirements asked for a type of graphics which I believe currently not supported in any reporting engine. It needs an overlapped view of two graphics. One with the legend on the left, and the other on the right. I have tried to use JFreeChart, but eventually found out that this kind of graphics is not commonly used. I have to build the graphics from scratch, except for the encoder that converts the BufferedImage objects into a PNG or GIF files.

It's interesting to see how JFreeChart is doing it down the hood. Last time when I touched this library it was still 0.9.x and not so stable. Now the library has grown up so much, and the page display flashy pictures.