| Postscript (PS) is a programming language for printing graphics and text. Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) allows to include images into a postscript document. You can view a PS document with gv filename.ps (or ghostview) and print it with lpr filename.ps . Unlike PDF (also of Adobe) a simple text editor or a little C program suffices to produce professional graphics or text. PS can then be translated into PDF (with the command ps2pdf in Unix, by Adobe Distiller on PC or Mac). |
| Much about this programming language PS can be learend from examples like example.ps . An simple example to draw a hexagon.ps . The file erastotenes.ps shows the programming language feature. It is simple to make bumper stickers like sticker.ps , to make score sheets for chess scoresheet.ps (by N. Elkies ). Postscript is a programming language able to do any computation. Here is an implemntation of life. |
| Because PS files are ASCII text, they can easily be modified by programs. The Perl script watermark.perl (used as watermark.pl inputfile.ps>outputfile.ps) for example adds a watermark on each page. The script twopage.perl puts two pages on one. Examples, how C programs can write PS files can be found on C.T.McMullen's page . |
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Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| I have a PS file in.ps with 234 pages from which I want to extract the pages 3,4,7,20 ? |
pstops 1000:3,4,7,20 in.ps>out.psgenerates a file out.ps containing all pages which are 3,4,7,20 modulo 1000. |
| I want to save paper and convert a PS file in.ps into a file out.ps which contains 2 original pages on each new page. |
pstops "2:0L@.7(21cm,0)+1L@.7(21cm,12.85cm)" in.ps > out.psdoes the job. |
| How do I convert a PS file in.ps into a PDF file? |
ps2pdf in.psgives a PDF file in.pdf. |
| How do I convert a PS file in.ps into an animated GIF movie in.gif containing in each frame a page of the PS file? |
convert in.ps in.gif |
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Simplicity, Clarity, Generality
B.W. Kernighan, R. Pike, in "The Practice of Programming".
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