SGI Developer Toolbox 6.1/SGI Developer Toolbox 6.1 - Disc 4.iso/FAQs/netfaqs/postscript-faq

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Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.answers,news.answers
From: Jonathan Monsarrat <[e-mail]>
Subject: PostScript monthly FAQ v2.2 12-26-93 [01-04 of 11]
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Summary: Useful facts about the PostScript graphics programming language
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Archive-name: postscript/faq/part1-4
Last-modified: 1993/12/26
Version: 2.2

                              -- PostScript --

                            Answers to Questions

                    (the comp.lang.postscript FAQ v2.2)

                               Jon Monsarrat

                              [e-mail]






                     This FAQ is formatted as a digest.

                Most news readers can skip from one question

                     to the next by pressing control-G.


    Changes since the last version are marked with a '|' in the table
    of contents and in the sections in the text-only format of the FAQ.

    Now that there is Linux and NetBSD and BSD 386 UNIX IBM PC (and
    clone) users can run any of the X-windows and UNIX programs in the
    utilities section. See comp.os.linux. Also, there is now
    GhostScript for the Macintosh.

    Many thanks to Dan Carrigan for reformatting the books and
    publishers section.

    The utilities index from the comp.sources.postscript FAQ will be
    posted in comp.lang.postscript now too.

    Please help fix the FAQ! All comments should be mailed to
    [e-mail]. My favorite way to receive a change suggestion is
    when it is accompanied by a section of the FAQ that is edited and
    mailed to me verbatim as an example. If you would like to
    contribute, please read the section ``about the FAQ'' first. Thank
    you!

    Books and programs are referred to by name only. See the book
    sections for book information, and the comp.sources.postscript FAQ
    for a full list of all PostScript related programs. I have archived
    a number of the small utilities in
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/postscript. You can get the
    comp.sources.postscript FAQ from
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.sources.postscript.

    Related FAQs: comp.text, comp.text.tex, comp.fonts, comp.graphics,
    comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sources.postscript.

    Table of Contents


    This FAQ has 11 sections. It is available by anonymous ftp to
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.lang.postscript/FAQ.txt in ASCII, and
    there are also LaTeX, DVI, and PostScript formats.


         1 General Questions
|           1.1 What is PostScript?
            1.2 How can I tell how many pages my document will have?
            1.3 How can I print just one page or a few pages from a big
            1.4 How can I print more than one page per sheet of paper?
|           1.5 How can I edit a PostScript picture?
            1.6 How can I print PostScript on a non-PostScript printer?
|           1.7 How do I print a file containing 8-bit characters?
            1.8 What other graphics languages are there?
         2 Printers
            2.1 How can I get my printer to talk back to me?
|           2.2 Should I leave my printer on?
|           2.3 How do you print double-sided on a single-sided printer?
            2.4 How do I suppress the power-on start page?
            2.5 How do I make a downloaded font ``persistent''?
            2.6 How do I remove a persistent (``permanent'') downloaded font?
            2.7 How do I reset the printer without power-cycling?
            2.8 About saving files
|           2.9 What's the control-D business?
            2.10 Why does the printer say ``still busy'' when my document is
            2.11 How should I set up my spoolers?
|           2.12 What are PPD files?
|           2.13 What's a timeout error?
         3 Formats and Conversions
            3.1 How can I convert PostScript to some other graphics format?
|           3.2 How can I convert HPGL to PostScript?
            3.3 How can I convert DVI to PostScript?
            3.4 How can I convert HP Laserjet language (PCL) to PostScript?
            3.5 How can I convert TeX PK format font to PostScript?
            3.6 How do I embed PostScript into troff?
            3.7 How do I embed PostScript into LaTeX or TeX?
            3.8 How can I convert an image to PostScript?
            3.9 How can I convert ASCII text to PostScript?
            3.10 How can I convert PostScript to ASCII?
|           3.11 How do I convert between PFB, PFA, Mac, PFM, and AFM?
         4 Fonts
|           4.1 What are .PFB and .PFA files?
|           4.2 How does Macintosh Store PostScript Fonts?
            4.3 How can I convert a PostScript font to TeX's PK format?
            4.4 Why are Adobe fonts hidden?
            4.5 How do I get bitmap representations of Adobe fonts?
            4.6 What are some good ftp sites for fonts?
            4.7 How can I re-encode a font?
            4.8 What's the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 3 font?
|           4.9 What vendors sell fonts for PostScript printers?
            4.10 What are ATM fonts?
            4.11 What are Multiple Master Fonts?
            4.12 Do I need a Level Two printer to use Multiple Master Fonts?
            4.13 What are Type 4 fonts?
            4.14 What are Type 5 fonts?
            4.15 Is there an editor for Type 1 Fonts?
         5 Books
            5.1 Books
            5.2 Publishers
         6 About Adobe
            6.1 How do I get in touch with Adobe?
            6.2 What can Adobe do for me?
         7 Programming in PostScript
            7.1 What is PostScript level 2?
            7.2 Should I learn level 2 PostScript?
            7.3 Where can I find examples of PostScript code?
            7.4 What is the physical size of the page?
            7.5 What is the Imagable Area of the page
            7.6 Why can't I do a pathforall after a charpath ?
            7.7 How do I center a string of text around a point?
            7.8 How can I concatenate two strings together?
            7.9 What do I do when I get stack overflow/underflow?
            7.10 How can I print in landscape mode?
         8 Computer-specific PostScript
            8.1 Sun Workstations
            8.2 IBM PC
            8.3 Apple Macintosh
         9 Encapsulated PostScript
            9.1 What is Encapsulated PostScript?
            9.2 What are EPSI and EPSF?
            9.3 How do I convert PostScript to EPS?
            9.4 How do I get the bounding box of a PostScript picture?
         10 About The Comp.Lang.PostScript FAQ (and Usenet Guide to
            10.1 The PostScript FAQ: What is it?
            10.2 How to get the FAQ files
            10.3 How to write a FAQ answer
            10.4 The FAQ can contain LaTeX and PostScript inserts
            10.5 Revising the FAQ
            10.6 How to submit new information
            10.7 How to add a program description to the FAQ index
            10.8 How to add a book description to the FAQ
            10.9 Questions that need answers
         11 About PostScript 2
            11.1 What printers support Level 2 PostScript?
            11.2 What is PostScript Level 2?
            11.3 [ Color Extensions ]
            11.4 [ Composite Font Extensions ]
            11.5 [ Display PostScript Extensions ]
            11.6 [ Overview of Level 2 Features ]
            11.7 Filters
            11.8 Binary Encoding
            11.9 Optimized graphics operators
            11.10 Optimized text operators
            11.11 Forms
            11.12 Patterns
            11.13 Images
            11.14 Composite Fonts
            11.15 New Color Spaces
            11.16 New screening/halftoning technology
            11.17 Improved printer support features
            11.18 Interpreter parameters
            11.19 Resources
            11.20 Dictionaries
            11.21 When did Level 2 products come available?
            11.22 Are Level 1 and Level 2 implementations compatible?



Subject: 1 General Questions


Subject: 1.1 What is PostScript?

    PostScript is a page description programming language.

    It is perhaps the most versatile and loved language for printers,
    being used in printers world-wide. It is capable of drawing to
    computer screens and any kind of drawing device. PostScript is
    interpreted, stack based and has latent typing. It somewhat
    resembles the computer language FORTH.

    A number of programmers write PostScript programs directly for a
|   variety of drawing applications. The NeXTSTEP Operating System,
|   running on Intel-486 and Motorola machines, uses Display
|   PostScript Level II to manage the display. However, PostScript
    programs are usually documents meant to be printed that have been
    generated by a program written in some compiled language.


Subject: 1.2 How can I tell how many pages my document will have?

    The easiest way to count pages is view your document on-line with a
    PostScript previewer. Some previewers like Ghostview and GSPreview
    count the pages for you. (See the comp.sources.postscript FAQ,
    which has a section ``PostScript Interpreters and Utilities''.)

    If your document is generated by a program compliant with the
    Document Structuring Conventions, you should be able to just count
    the number of ``%%Page:'' comments imbedded in the document.
    With UNIX you can type

  grep -c %%Page: document.ps

    to do this counting. (See Section 9, ``Encapsulated PostScript''.)

    The only completely reliable way to count pages is to ask the
    printer after the job is printed. PostScript printers maintain a
    page counter that can be queried before and and after the job is
    printed, and the page count is a simple subtraction. This tends to
    require rather sophisticated spooling systems and a communications
    channel that is bidirectional. However, some printers allow you to
    submit jobs on one port, and issue queries on another.

    Send this PostScript through a bidirectional I/O port and you'll
    get back the page count, nominally the total number of pages
    printed since manufacture:

    statusdict begin pagecount == end flush

    Experts using a level 2 printer can use the SerialOff.PS and
    SerialEHandlder.ps programs to communicate bidirectionally to the
    printer.


Subject: 1.3 How can I print just one page or a few pages from a big
    document? How can I print pages in reverse order?

    Try using a host-specific program, like the UNIX command psrev,
    which is part of the TranScript suite of software from Adobe
    Systems. Or use the more general utilities Ghostview, psutils or
    psxlate.

    There is no guarantee that a given PostScript document can be split
    in such a manner. The reason is that some programs which generate
    PostScript code don't conform to the Adobe Document Structuring
    Conventions (DSC). (See Section 9, ``Encapsulated PostScript''.) A
    notable example of this is Microsoft Word.


Subject: 1.4 How can I print more than one page per sheet of paper?

    Use psnup or pstext or enscript.

    These programs redefine the PostScript ``showpage'' command to do
    multiple PostScript pages per physical page. If one program doesn't
    work with a complex document, try out other ones.

    Some PostScript programs can't work with these programs because
    they break the EPS conventions (See Section 9, ``Encapsulated
    PostScript''.). The reason is that some Postscript operators (such
    as initgraphics, the list is in the Red book) change the printer
    state so "violently", that software trying to do things like n-up
    will get confused. Theoretically, an EPS shouldn't have any of
    these operators, but it may not really be an EPS, or there may be a
    weird interaction between TeX, the EPS and the inclusion mechanism
    that breaks psnup.


Subject: 1.5 How can I edit a PostScript picture?

    If you know the PostScript programming language, just use any text
    editor to edit the code directly.

    If you want to do it visually, you can use Canvas on the Macintosh.
|   Arts Letters software package from Computer Support Corporation is
|   supposed to be able to read arbitrary EPS files, using a software
|   converter called Decipher. Also, Island Graphics has a trio of
|   software packages called, appropriately, Island Draw/Paint/Write.
|   This is also supposed to include a full-blown PostScript
|   interpreter, and be able to read and edit arbitrary PostScript
|   files.


Subject: 1.6 How can I print PostScript on a non-PostScript printer?

    You need a tool that converts to something that your printer knows
    how to print. Use Freedom of Press, GhostScript, pageview, TScript,
    or UltraScript PC. Or, use a printer cartridge if your printer
    manufacturer sells one.


Subject: 1.7 How do I print a file containing 8-bit characters?

|   If you only have Transcript you just don't. Transcript uses
|   "enscript" to convert a "text" file to a PostScript file and
|   "enscript" is not able to deal with 8-bit characters.
|
|   You have to use one of the many programs that convert text to
|   PostScript, like a2ps, which not only handles the 8-bit characters
|   in a very nice way using the standard ISO Latin 1 character
|   encoding, but it also produces outputs in a series of very well
|   set, nice an paper saving formats, much nicer than the ones
|   produced by enscript.


Subject: 1.8 What other graphics languages are there?

    HPGL is for pen plotters. PCL is for HP Laser printers (and
    compatibles). Both are by HP, and PCL5 is supposed to allow
    inclusion of HPGL commands, preceded by an appropriate escape code,
    however I have found this to give errors and abort even for simple
    HPGL code that plots fine on a plotter.

Subject: 2 Printers


Subject: 2.1 How can I get my printer to talk back to me?

    Experts using a level 2 printer can use the SerialOff.PS and
    SerialEHandlder.ps programs to communicate bidirectionally to the
    printer.

    If you just need the error returns from the printer, you can spawn
    a

  cat < port >> logfile&

    in your system startup. Then you will get a log of everything the
    printer says. This works on any serial-port connected printer.


Subject: 2.2 Should I leave my printer on?

|   Most laser printers consume several hundred watts while idle in
|   order to keep the fuser warm. A few models shut down automatically
|   after a while, and this feature seems to be the wave of the future.
|
|   Wear-and-tear due to power cycling is no longer the problem it once
|   was. The advice in the FAQ would have been appropriate in the
|   1970s, but no longer. A good modern rule of thumb is to turn off
|   electronic equipment if it won't be used for a few hours (overnight
|   or weekends), otherwise to leave it on.


Subject: 2.3 How do you print double-sided on a single-sided printer?

|   The biggest problem comes in jamming when you feed the document
|   through the second time to print the backside. To minimize this
|   problem, you want to minimize the curl that the paper acquires in
|   passing through the printer. So, if your printer normally stacks
|   face down (to make the page order come out right) rearrange it
|   (often this involves flipping out a plastic paper catcher on the
|   end) so the pages feed straight through and stack face up. Then
|   acquire and build psutils, and run your document through the
|   following commands:
|
|0'           <original.ps >odd.ps
|      pstops '2:1U@1(1w,1h)' <original.ps >even.ps
|
|   This puts the even and odd pages in different files, and rotates
|   the even pages 180 degrees so the top and bottom are reversed. This
|   lets you feed the paper back through with the old trailing edge at
|   the front; since pages get the most severe curl at the leading edge
|   this also helps reduce jamming. Print odd.ps, flip the output pile
|   face down and backwards, put it back in the input magazine, and
|   print even.ps.
|
|   If the printer is fed by a shared print queue, you can leave the
|   paper magazine out after you put the first pass pages into it,
|   before you submit the second half, then make sure your job is at
|   the front of the queue (waiting for you to replace the paper tray)
|   before you reinsert the tray.
|
|   Alternatively, particularly with serially-interfaced printers,
|   there's a long enough delay to pull the paper tray out between two
|   print jobs, so you can submit them both, then pull the tray out as
|   soon as the last page of the first job finishes. The ``pstops''
|   invocations report how many pages they emit, so you can count pages
|   to determine when the first one is done.


Subject: 2.4 How do I suppress the power-on start page?

    Disabling the start page is described in your printer's PostScript
    supplement. The most common sequence is ``serverdict begin 0
    exitserver statusdict begin false setdostartpage end''.


Subject: 2.5 How do I make a downloaded font ``persistent''?

  %!PS-Adobe-2.0 ExitServer
  %%BeginExitServer: 0
  serverdict begin 0 exitserver
  %%EndExitServer
  % Test for existence of font, abort if present.
  % This won't work on a printer with a hard disk!
  /str 32 string def
  /Eurostile dup FontDirectory exch known
  { str cvs print ( is already loaded!\n) print flush quit }
  { (loading font ) print str cvs print (\n) print flush }
  ifelse
  %% Font follows...

    The part following ``%%EndExitServer'' is optional. If you use
    it, change Eurostile to the name of the font. The default PFA
    behavior is to use up additional VM for the new copy if another
    copy has already been downloaded.


Subject: 2.6 How do I remove a persistent (``permanent'') downloaded font?

    In PostScript Level 2, you can use the undefinefont operator to
    remove fonts selectively.

    The only reliable method in PostScript Level 1 is to restart the
    printer, for example with:


    serverdict begin 0 exitserver
    systemdict /quit get exec

    Of course, the real solution is just to not download persistent
    fonts unless you really want them to persist indefinitely. If you
    want them only for one job, download them as part of the job.


Subject: 2.7 How do I reset the printer without power-cycling?

    Most printers can be reset by issuing ``serverdict begin 0
    exitserver systemdict /quit get exec''.


Subject: 2.8 About saving files

    Adobe recommends that driver writers do not put EOT (control-D)
    into files when saving to disk. Normally, the EOT is a part of the
    protocol for parallel and serial ports and never hits the
    PostScript interpreter.

    Drivers that do embed EOD can create problems for devices that
    allow other communication methods (e.g. AppleTalk, Ethernet, and
    SCSI) where the EOT is not part of the communications protocol. It
    is useful to redefine EOT in these instances so that the
    interpreter does not generate an error. The recommended
    redefinition is:


                   (\004) cvn {} def

    This should convert any stand-alone embedded EOTs into a null
    procedure.


Subject: 2.9 What's the control-D business?

    PostScript printers communicating over serial lines use control-D
    as an end of job indicator. The host computer should then wait for
    the printer to send a control-D back to indicate that the job has
    finished. Managing the serial protocol between host and printer
    should be done by some form of print service, but if you're unsure
    whether your print service is doing it, it's an idea to send one
    yourself.

    PC type computers frequently do not have any kind of printer
    manager and applications end up sending control-D characters to the
    printer, sometimes before and after a job. PC applications
    frequently embed a control-D as the first character in the print
    file, presumably to flush out any other jobs, and thereby breaking
|   the Adobe Document Structuring Conventions. There is a way to turn
|   off generation off the control-D in Windows (anybody know it?).

    If you want to prevent applications from doing this, you could use
    a spooler which would look at the end of every outgoing file and
    drop the control-D on the end if there happened to be one.

    If you want a spooler, check out lprps.


Subject: 2.10 Why does the printer say ``still busy'' when my document is
    done printing?

    Sometimes when you finish a print job, the printer ``Ready'' light
    keeps flashing for a minute or so. Somehow, the printer has
    received some character(s) after the control-D which was sent
    immediately after the PostScript file. The most common is that a
    newline has been inserted after the control-D. The printer took
    these character(s) to be another program, and eventually timed-out
    while waiting for the rest of it. This can happen because of the
    host not waiting for the printer to finish.


Subject: 2.11 How should I set up my spoolers?

    Since PostScript usually is prefixed with ``%!'', it's easy to
    educate your spooler to autoselect between passing raw PostScript
    through to the printer or doing an ``ASCII-to-PostScript''
    conversion first. There are many packages that will do this,
    including Transcript and psxlate.

    Unfortunately, many PostScript applications generate PostScript
    without a proper ``%!'' magic cookie.

    The spooler should be responsible for transmitting the ``job
    termination code'' (a control-D on serially-connected printers) to
    the printer, not the application. Do yourself a favor and disable
    (or filter out) control-Ds in your applications and generate them
    in the spooler. This will be far more reliable in the face of
    arbitrary input.


Subject: 2.12 What are PPD files?

    Adobe Postscript Printer Description (PPD) files describe how to
    use the special features for a specific Postscript printer. They
    are suppose to be human-readable, but they are really only readable
    by PostScript gurus. It is the responsibility of the printer
    manufacturer to supply PPD files. However, the Adobe mail server
    has many of them. (see the Section 6, ``About Adobe'')

|   Adobe Technical Document 5003 - PPD Specification describes how to
|   read and parse PPD files. You can find it on the Adobe mail server,
|   or by anonymous ftp to
|   ftp.adobe.com:/pub/adobe/Documents/5003.PPD_Spec.ps.


Subject: 2.13 What's a timeout error?

|   The wait timeout is the maximum time the PostScript interpreter
|   will wait for input before aborting. The timeout interval begins
|   when the interpreter finishes executing everything it has received
|   so far and starts waiting for the host to send it more data. If
|   this timeout expires and no more data arrives, a timeout occurs.
|
|   In particular, a compute-bound job (or one that goes into an
|   infinite loop) will not encounter a wait timeout, since it is not
|   waiting. The long diatribe about the need to "keep sending stuff"
|   and problems with long compute-bound jobs is totally off the mark.
|   The data channel may stop due to flow control, and may stay stopped
|   for long periods if the printer is very busy. This is perfectly OK
|   and won't cause a timeout.
|
|   Don't disable the wait timeout. The whole point of the wait timeout
|   is to prevent the interpreter from being indefinitely tied up by a
|   host application that has crashed, a communication channel that has
ected, or whatever. This is particularly important for
|   networked printers. The only situation in which disabling timeouts
|   is appropriate is when debugging applications or drivers, since you
|   don't want the printer timing out while the host is at a breakpoint
|   or something.

Subject: 3 Formats and Conversions

    This section describes formats that can be converted to and from
    PostScript, and how to convert them. Encapsulated PostScript and
    Fonts have their own sections.


Subject: 3.1 How can I convert PostScript to some other graphics format?

    Since PostScript is not just a picture-description language, but in
    fact a complete programming language, you will need a complete
    PostScript interpreter to convert or display a PostScript graphic.
    See the comp.sources.postscript FAQ for an index of all PostScript
    related programs.

    Try using GhostScript.


Subject: 3.2 How can I convert HPGL to PostScript?

|   Use hp2ps.


Subject: 3.3 How can I convert DVI to PostScript?

    Use dvips.


Subject: 3.4 How can I convert HP Laserjet language (PCL) to PostScript?

    Use lj2ps for simple PCL. Alternatively, another lj2ps, from
    psroff3.0, is a little more complete.

    hp2pbm can convert all of PCL4 (up to and including rasters,
    downloaded fonts and macros) into PostScript, G3 and any other
    PBM-supposed format.


Subject: 3.5 How can I convert TeX PK format font to PostScript?

    Psroff3.0 contains programs that can convert TeX PK format or HP
    SFP format fonts into PostScript bitmap fonts along with
    rearranging encoding, etc. While bitmap bfonts scale poorly, this
    is sometimes of use in special circumstances.


Subject: 3.6 How do I embed PostScript into troff?

    Most troffs can be ``coerced'' into including PostScript figures.
    The best approach is a configuration that takes EPS PostScript and
    can automatically scale it, or tell troff how big the picture is.
    Groff and DWB 3 have this built in.

    psfig is an add-on EPS inclusion handler that can add this
    capability to other versions of troff, provided that a compatible
    PostScript driver is used (Psroff 3.0 for ditroff or CAT troff,
    Transcript for ditroff). See the comp.text FAQ for more detail.


Subject: 3.7 How do I embed PostScript into LaTeX or TeX?

    You should use an add-on program for seamless PostScript inclusion.

    Use psfig.

    If your LaTeX is simple, but your PostScript is fancy, try using
    LameTeX.

    If you need a good compromise, use pstricks.

    See the comp.text.tex FAQ.


Subject: 3.8 How can I convert an image to PostScript?

    First determine what format your images are in. PBMPLUS will have
    converters for most image formats.

    To convert an image to PostScript in X windows, you can display the
    image on the screen, and grab it with xv, which can save the image
    in a PostScript file.

    A more general alternative in X windows would be to use the PPM,
    PGM and PBM utilities in the X11R4 and X11R5 distributions.


Subject: 3.9 How can I convert ASCII text to PostScript?

    Unless your printer is smart about raw ASCII, you can't just send
    the ASCII to a PostScript printer, because the printer will attempt
    to interpret your ASCII file as PostScript code. You need a program
    which will wrap some PostScript code around your ASCII file.

    Try any of the following programs: asciiprint.ps, ato2pps, cz,
    ETSR, i2ps, lpp, lwf, POSTPRN, printer, psf, psfx80, PSR, ps2txt,
    pstext, swtext, text2ps, TranScript, spike.ps, enscript, nenscript,
    a2ps, asc2ps, ascii2ps, crossword.ps, double.ps, landscape.ps,
    numbered.ps, portrait.ps, or wide.ps.

    If you want to make something fancy, why not use a word processor?
    Most of them can ``include'' ASCII directly from a file and produce
    PostScript.


Subject: 3.10 How can I convert PostScript to ASCII?

    In general, when you say ``I want to convert PostScript to ASCII''
    what you really mean is ``I want to convert MacWrite (which makes
    PostScript output) to ASCII'' or ``I want to convert somebody's TeX
    document (which I have in PostScript) to ASCII''.

    Unfortunately, programs like these (if they're smart) do a lot of
    fancy stuff like kerning, which means that where they would
    normally execute the postscript command for


      ``print water fountain''

    instead they execute the postscript command for


      ``print wat''      (move a little to get the spacing *just* right)
      ``print er''       (move a little to get the spacing *just* right)
      ``print foun''     (move a little to get the spacing *just* right)
      ``print tain''     (move a little to get the spacing *just* right)

    So if I write a program to look through a PostScript file for
    strings, like ps2ascii.pl, It can't tell where the words really
    end. Here my program would see 4 strings


  ``wat'' ``er'' ``foun'' ``tain''

    And it doesn't see any difference between the spacing between
    ``found'' and ``tain'' (not a word break) and the spacing between
    ``er'' and ``foun'' (a real word break).

    The problem is that PostScript for text formatting is usually
    produced machine generated by a text formatter. A PostScript
    generator like dvips might have a special command like ``boop''
    that differentiates between a real world break and a fake one. But
    every text formatter that generates PostScript has their own name
    for the ``boop'' command.

    So you really want a ``PostScript to ASCII converter for dvips
    output''.

    The only general solution I can see would be to redefine the show
    operator to print out the currentpoint for every letter being
    printed, like gs2asc, and then make up an ASCII page based on this
    by sticking ASCII characters where they go in a two-dimensional
    array. That would convert PostScript to ASCII ``formatted''.

    But even that wouldn't solve the problem, because special bitmap
    fonts and and standard fonts like Symbol don't always print a ``P''
    when you say the letter ``P''. Sometimes they print the greek Pi
    symbol or a chess piece or a ZapfDingBat.

    Use ps2a, ps2ascii, ps2txt, ps2ascii.ps or ps2ascii.pl.


Subject: 3.11 How do I convert between PFB, PFA, Mac, PFM, and AFM?

    Write or call Y and Y Software, listed in the fonts section as a
|   vendor. For NEXTSTEP systems, write or call Trilithon Software,
|   also listed in the fonts section as a vendor.


Subject: 4 Fonts

    This section answers questions about fonts as they pertain to
    PostScript. See the comp.fonts FAQ for more information about
    fonts.


Subject: 4.1 What are .PFB and .PFA files?

    ``PFB'' stands for Printer Font Binary, and is a STORAGE FORMAT in
    which Adobe Type 1 font programs are usually distributed for IBM PC
    and compatibles. Many application programs support fonts in PFB
    format, and refer to them as ``downloadable''.

    Macintosh uses a radically different binary storage format than PC.
    See below for some details.

    PFB files usually appear in several sections, each section preceded
    by a binary header containing the type of the section (ASCII,
    binary, or end of file) and the length of the section. Because of
    the presence of the binary section headers, and the possible
    presence of binary data sections, PFB files cannot in general be
    sent directly to a PostScript printer. Application programs like
    dvips which use fonts in PFB format unpack the font into ASCII
    format before sending it to the printer. If you would like to use a
    font which is in PFB format, you must unpack the font to make a PFA
    (Printer Font ASCII) file. Adobe Systems supply a font downloader
    for PC's which turns the PFB format into PFA format on the fly as
    it's being downloaded.

    ``PFA'' stands for Printer Font ASCII, which is the unpacked
    version of a PFB file. In PFB, the data is stored as-is. In a PFA,
    any binary data present in a former PFB file is stored as ``ascii
    hex''--meaning each byte of binary data is turned into two ASCII
    characters representing the hexdecimal value.

    Once you have the PFA file, just send it to the printer ahead of
    your file, and use the font like any other. There are several
    programs which can do the conversion from PFB to PFA for you. Try
    t1utils.

|   Details of the PFB format can be found in Adobe Technical Note #
|   5040, ``Supporting Downloadable PostScript Fonts''.


Subject: 4.2 How does Macintosh Store PostScript Fonts?

|   To start off understanding how Macintosh stores PostScript fonts,
|   first you need to know that a Macintosh file consists of two
|   different parts, called ``forks''. The two forks of a Macintosh
|   file are called the ``resource fork'' and the ``data fork''.
|
|   The data fork normally contains the data of the file. In the case
|   of a text editor, for instance, the data fork contains the text.
|
|   The resource fork contains system (resource) information about the
|   file: who owns the file, its icon maybe, and other information. The
|   various bits of information in the resource fork are contained in a
|   complex structure. One of the items is a resource map, detailing
|   the different kinds of resources and their positions in the
|   resource fork.
|
|   The reason you need to know all this is because PostScript Type 1
|   fonts are stored in the resource fork of Macintosh files. Why this
|   was done is a historical mystery now, because the information could
|   just as easily have been stored in the data fork in a format
|   similar to PFB, and unpacking fonts would have been a whole lot
|   easier.
|
|   PostScript Type 1 fonts are stored in resources with the name
|   POST''. If you aren't familiar with the layout of resource forks,
|   study the ``Resource Manager'' chapter of the Inside Macintosh
|   books. Details of Macintosh PostScript Type 1 storage format can be
|   found in Adobe Technical Note 5040, ``Supporting Downloadable
|   PostScript Fonts''. The information in the Adobe Technical Note is
|   incomplete in the sense that you need to understand the layout of
|   Macintosh resource forks to make sense of the information.
|
|   In the majority of cases, you can assume that the POST resources
|   are stored contiguously in the resource fork. Unfortunately, there
|   are a few cases where this isn't true, and the resulting PFA file
|   will be incorrect.
|
|   POST resources occur in five types. Type 0 are comments. Type 1 are
|   ASCII data. Type 2 are binary data. Type 3 are end of this font
|   program. Type 4 means that the remainder of this font appears in
|   the data fork of the file! Type 5 means end of file.
|
|   Having talked about PostScript Type 1 fonts being stored in the
|   resource fork, why is there a case where the font comes out of the
|   data fork? Some PostScript Type 3 fonts are stored in this manner.


Subject: 4.3 How can I convert a PostScript font to TeX's PK format?

    Use ps2pk or try out the GNU font utilities in fontutils.


Subject: 4.4 Why are Adobe fonts hidden?

    In PostScript level 1, Adobe's fonts were hidden because they
    didn't want people pirating copies instead of paying for them.
    That's why you can't do a pathforall on a charpath.

    PostScript Level Two has removed the restriction, in the words of
    the new Red Book, ``for most fonts''. There will still be some
    vendors who will want to restrict access. Japanese font vendors,
    for example, are concerned about piracy -- given the work that goes
    into an 8,000-character Kanji font.


Subject: 4.5 How do I get bitmap representations of Adobe fonts?

    On the IBM PC, use the Font Foundry program included with the font.
    If you don't have it, contact Adobe for an upgrade.


Subject: 4.6 What are some good ftp sites for fonts?


  ftp.cs.umb.edu
  sumex-aim.stanford.edu
  archive.umich.edu
  ftp.cica.indiana.edu    /pub/pc/win3/fonts
  colonsay.dcs.ed.ac.uk   /pub/postscript/fonts


  For the NeXT platform, fonts are available on the NeXT-FTP-archives,
          sonata.cc.purdue.edu :/pub/next/graphics/fonts
          fiasko.rz-berlin.mpg.de :/pub/next/fonts

    For Macintosh, look in sumex-aim.stanford.edu,
    mac.archive.umich.edu, and ftp.cs.umb.edu (192.12.26.23), in
    pub/tex/ps-screenfonts.tar.Z.

    Color PostScript samples and many other PostScript programs are
    available from irisa.irisa.fr.


Subject: 4.7 How can I re-encode a font?

    See ddev.ps for an example for code that does this. You can find it
    by ftp to wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/postscript/ddev.ps.


Subject: 4.8 What's the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 3 font?

    The Type 1 font format is a compact way of describing a font
    outline using a well-defined language that can be quickly
    interpreted. The language contains operations to provide the
    rasterizer with additional information about a character, known as
    hints. The hints are additional information which describes how to
    adjust the representation of the character to make it look good
    when the font size is small compared to the device resolution. The
    Type 1 font format is defined in the book ``The Adobe Type 1 Font
    Format'', also known as the black book, for the colors on its
    cover.

    The Type 1 font format has nothing to do with TrueType, which is
    another font format defined by Apple. The Type 1 font format has
    been around quite a while, and is used on a wide variety of
    platforms to obtain scalable fonts.

    Most clone interpreters will not have Adobe's proprietary rendering
    technology which interprets font hints to improve the appearance of
    fonts shown at small sizes on low-resolution devices. The
    exceptions (PowerPage and UltraScript) have their own hint
    interpreters.

    The Type 3 font format is a way of packaging up PostScript
    descriptions of characters into a font, so that the PostScript
    interpreter can rasterize them.

    It is easier to create a Type 3 font program by hand than to create
    the corresponding Type 1 font program. Type 3 font programs have
    access to the entire PostScript language to do their imaging,
    including the 'image' operator. They can be used for bitmapped
    fonts, although that is certainly not a requirement. The Type 3
    font format contains no provisions for 'hinting', and as such Type
    3 font programs cannot be of as high a quality at low resolutions
    as the corresponding Type 1 font program.

    Both formats are scalable formats, and both can be run on any
    PostScript interpreter. However, because of the requirement that a
    Type 3 font program have a full PostScript interpreter around, Type
    3 font programs cannot be understood by the Adobe Type Manager.
    Only Type 1 font programs can.

    Why bother making a font that's just made up of bitmaps? Once a
    character from a font has been rendered, the bitmap will be saved
    in a cache, and another instance of the same character at the same
    size and orientation can be quickly drawn without recalculation.

    Because of Adobe Type Manager's wide availability on a large number
    of platforms (PC, Mac, and Unix), the Type 1 font format makes an
    excellent cross-platform scalable font standard.


Subject: 4.9 What vendors sell fonts for PostScript printers?

    PostScript font vendors are many and varied. Here is a partial
    list.



    Adobe Systems
      sells a variety of fonts. With the huge number of third-party
      Type 1 vendors, in recent years Adobe have specialized in
      creating their own ``Adobe Originals'' -- high-quality fonts,
      some of which are their renditions of classic faces (Adobe
      Garamond) and some of their own devising (Stone, Utopia, ...).
      Adobe Systems, 1585 Charleston Road, Mountain View, CA 94039.
      [phone]


    AGFA Compugraphic,
ts 01887. (508)
      658-5600.


    Bear Rock Technologies
      specializes in bar code fonts. 4140 Mother Lode Drive, Suite 100,
      Shingle Springs California 95682.


    Bitstream,
      Athenaeum House, Cambridge, MA 02142. [phone].


|   Callifonts
|     has a really nice looking set of calligraphy typefaces. P.O. Box
|     224891, Dallas, TX 75222. [phone].


    Casady and Greene,
      22734 Portola Drive, Salinas, CA 93908. [phone].


    Ecological Linguistics,
      specializes in non-Roman alphabets. Ecological Linguistics, P. O.
      Box 15156, Washington D. C. 20003.


    Emigre Graphics
      4475 ``D'' Street / Sacramento CA 95819 [phone] ] Over 70
      faces, all PostScript Type 1 ATM compatible, including the
      omnipresent Modula and infamous Template Gothic. Almost all faces
      are ``must haves'' for graphic designers. Call for free catalog.


|   The Font Company
|     12629 North Tatum Boulevard, Suite 210, Phoenix Arizona 85032.
|     [phone].


    Image Club,
      # 5 1902 11th St Southeast, Calgary, Alberta T2G 2G2, Canada.
      [phone].


|   Lanston
|     specializes in display faces.


    Letraset
      specializes in fancy kinds of script fonts, Letraset, 40
      Eisenhower Drive, Paramus, New Jersey 07652. [phone]


    Linguists Software
      specializes in non-Roman alphabets (Farsi, Greek, Hangul, Kanji,
      etc.) Linguists Software, P. O. Box 580, Edmonds, Washington
      98020-0580. [phone].


    Monotype,
      53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 504, Chicago, IL 60604.


    Page Studio Graphics,
      Chandler, Arizona, specialize in symbols fonts such as Mac icons,
      keyboards, and others, Page Studio Graphics, 3175 North Price
      Road, # 1050, Chandler, Arizona 85224. [phone].


|   Software Complement
|     specializes in creating logo fonts. 8 Penn Avenue, Metamoras,
|     Pennsylvania 18366 USA.


|   The Font Company


|   TreacyFaces


|   Trilithon Software,
|     Portola Valley, California can supply fonts from the Adobe Type
|     library for NEXTSTEP. If you're working on NEXTSTEP, getting
|     fonts in the correct form with ancillary information and
|     downloaders and such is important. You can convert Mac fonts to
|     NEXTSTEP (PFA) format, but NEXTSTEP demands AFM files as well,
|     and many Mac/PC font vendors omit AFM files because Mac/PC apps
|     don't use them. For Adobe fonts for NEXTSTEP, save yourself a lot
|     of hassle by getting the fonts from Trilithon.
|
|     If you want non-Adobe fonts for NEXTSTEP, Trilithon Software can
|     supply font conversion tools to go from Macintosh or PC format to
|     NEXTSTEP format. The conversion tools generate AFM files if none
|     are supplied with the fonts, and sanity check AFM files for
|     correctness when they are supplied.
|
|     Two Ohlone, Portola Valley, California 94028 USA. Telephone:
|     [phone], FAX: [phone]. E-Mail: [e-mail].


    URW
      supplies high-quality fonts at low prices. They are also the
      creators of the top of the line font creation and editing
      software called Ikarus. URW, 4 Manchester Street, Nashua, New
      Hampshire 03060. [phone].


    Y and Y Software
      , 106 Indian Hill, Carlisle Massachusetts 10741 USA. (508)
      371-3286. Sells a Font Metric Manipulation Package for DOS with
      lots of interesting utilities.

    Many more font vendors exist. Look in magazines and other sources.
    Check the Usenet newsgroup comp.fonts. Look in U & lc, published by
    ITC, for long lists of vendors.


Subject: 4.10 What are ATM fonts?

    There has been a rash of misunderstanding about the nature of Type
    1 fonts and what people call ATM fonts. ATM fonts are Adobe Type 1
    fonts. ATM stands for Adobe Type Manager -- a utility to render
    smooth characters on Macintosh and PC screens, from font outlines
    (Type 1 fonts) instead of using bitmap fonts. In one sense, there's
    no such thing as an ``ATM font'' -- ATM interprets Type 1 fonts, so
    there's no need to create a new name. A correctly constructed Type
    1 font can be interpreted by ATM.


Subject: 4.11 What are Multiple Master Fonts?

    Multiple Master Fonts are an extension to the Adobe font format.
    providing the ability to interpolate smoothly between several
    ``design axes'' from a single font. Design axes can include weight,
    size, and even some whacko notions like serif to sans serif.
    Adobes' first Multiple Master Font was Myriad -- a two-axis font
    with WEIGHT (light to black) on one axis, and WIDTH (condensed to
    expanded) along the other axis. In the case of Myriad, there are
    four ``polar'' designs at the ``corners'' of the design space. The
    four designs are light condensed, black condensed, light expanded,
    and black expanded.

    Given polar designs, you can set up a ``weight vector'' which
    interpolates to any point within the design space to produce a
    unique font for a specific purpose. So you can get a ``more or less
    condensed, somewhat black face''.


Subject: 4.12 Do I need a Level Two printer to use Multiple Master Fonts?

    No -- Multiple Master Fonts can be used on any PostScript printer.
    Multiple Master Fonts need a new PostScript operator known as
    makeblendedfont. The current crop of Multiple Master Fonts supply
    an emulation of this operator so the printer doesn't need this
    operator.

    A short tutorial on Multiple Master Fonts and makeblendedfont
    appears in PostScript by Example, by Henry McGilton and Mary
    Campione, published by Addison-Wesley.


Subject: 4.13 What are Type 4 fonts?

    Type 4 fonts are actually Type 3 fonts which contains a Type 1
    font. They're stored on hard disk in a special way to save space
    when they're loaded into printer RAM by findfont. Your interpreter
    must have the extra PostScript operator CCrun to handle Type 4
    fonts. They are usually used for Kanji (Japanese) characters.


Subject: 4.14 What are Type 5 fonts?

    Type 5 fonts are actually Type 1 fonts, but stored in printer ROM
    in a special compressed format. They're also known as CROM fonts
    (for Compressed ROM fonts). The contents of the CharStrings entries
    in Type 5 will probably be different from Type 1.


Subject: 4.15 Is there an editor for Type 1 Fonts?

    Fontographer for the Macintosh and MS-Windows under DOS is
    available from Altsys Corporation, 269 West Renner Road,
    Richardson, Texas 75080 USA. [phone].

    Ikarus-M is availble for the Macintosh from URW, Harksheider
    Strasse 102, 2000 Hamburg 65, GERMANY. (040) 60 60 50 Or URW
    Software and Type, 4 Manchester Street, Nashua, New Hampshire
    03060. [phone] in USA. [phone] otherwise.

    Acknowledgments


    This FAQ was compiled based heavily on the contributions of and
    with the help of Henry McGilton, Dick Dunn, Howard Gayle, Dan
    Carrigan, Carl Orthlieb, Ed Garay, Robert Lerche, Bruno Hall, Tom
    Epperly, and Chris Lewis.

    Also thanks to contributors Paul Balyoz, Karl Berry, Jerry Black,
    Charles Cashion, Jim DeLaHunt, Leonard Hamey, Chris Herborth, Steve
    Kinzler, Bill Lee, Timo Lehtinen, Carl Lydick, Otto Makela, Bill
    Pringle, Tony Valsamidis, and Jamie Zawinski.

    Special thanks to Ken Porter, who originally compiled and organized
    this FAQ.



  Ver  Date     Reason
  ----------------------------------------------------------------
  1.00 12-18-90 Creation by Ken Porter
  1.06  5-29-91 expanded on EPS explanation, general updates
  2.00 10-25-92 Brought up to date and expanded, by Jon Monsarrat
  2.1   5-21-93 Revised because of new comp.sources.postscript group.
  2.2  12-26-93 Finally incorporated all the '93 comments and suggestions.


    This FAQ is copyright (C) 1994 by Jonathan Monsarrat. Permission is
    granted to freely edit and distribute as long as this copyright
    notice is included.

    This document was written with the LaTeX language and formatted by
    LameTeX, the PostScript hacker's LaTeX.


%! Jon Monsarrat   [e-mail]     moderator, comp.sources.postscript %!
(LcHdBidZi_hdQ6[PaVa1b4c6F"J4b/>$O<)(di_zk{:UFfUg;ABF)(2n>]Eh:u?<)(P"M#R(:$T<)
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(m+m+k3S!R+d,;"^<)(GFP"RamZf;TAP{X{fd<{C7)(4840N2:6N=)([ Z#^&:!c<)(<%?$C$:#8<)
(D!J"L#:!B<)/a{def}def/M{exch}a/S{repeat}a/Q{{40 add}if}a 18{{}forall/R M a/x 2
/y 3/z 5 3{R M mod 1 eq a}S x Q M y Q moveto 57 sub{3{y Q M x Q M 6 2 roll}S
curveto}S z{fill}{stroke}ifelse}S showpage





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Archive-name: postscript/faq/part5-6
Last-modified: 1993/12/26
Version: 2.2

                              -- PostScript --

                            Answers to Questions

                    (the comp.lang.postscript FAQ v2.2)

                               Jon Monsarrat

                              [e-mail]






                     This FAQ is formatted as a digest.

                Most news readers can skip from one question

                     to the next by pressing control-G.


    Changes since the last version are marked with a '|' in the table
    of contents and in the sections in the text-only format of the FAQ.

    Now that there is Linux and NetBSD and BSD 386 UNIX IBM PC (and
    clone) users can run any of the X-windows and UNIX programs in the
    utilities section. See comp.os.linux. Also, there is now
    GhostScript for the Macintosh.


    The utilities index from the comp.sources.postscript FAQ will be
    posted in comp.lang.postscript now too.

    Please help fix the FAQ! All comments should be mailed to
    [e-mail]. My favorite way to receive a change suggestion is
    when it is accompanied by a section of the FAQ that is edited and
    mailed to me verbatim as an example. If you would like to
    contribute, please read the section ``about the FAQ'' first. Thank
    you!

    Books and programs are referred to by name only. See the book
    sections for book information, and the comp.sources.postscript FAQ
    for a full list of all PostScript related programs. I have archived
    a number of the small utilities in
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/postscript. You can get the
    comp.sources.postscript FAQ from
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.sources.postscript.

    Related FAQs: comp.text, comp.text.tex, comp.fonts, comp.graphics,
    comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sources.postscript.

Subject: 5 Books

    There are many good books on PostScript language programming.
    Descriptions of all known books are listed below. A listing of
    publisher information follows.

    The most commonly known books are the ``blue book'', ``big red
    book'', and ``green book'' from Adobe, to be read in that order.
    They are nicknamed according for their jacket colors.

    Other books recommended to me include Thinking in PostScript,
    which allows its examples to be freely distributed, and PostScript
    by Example.


Subject: 5.1 Books


   Adobe Illustrator - The Expert Advisor Series
        Author        Diane Burns, S. Venit, David Smith
        Publisher     Addison-Wesley, 1989
        ISBN:         0-201-14397-6  $22.95



   Adobe illustrator 3 complete.
        Author        Venit, Sharyn ; et al.
        Publisher     Reading, MA ; Wokingham : Addison-Wesley, c1991
        Description   ix, 412 p. : [4] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ;
                      24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-57756-9 (pbk.)     $22.45
        Library #     006.6765



   Adobe illustrator 3.0 : the official handbook for designers. 3rd. ed.
        Author        Bove, Tony ; Fred Davis, Cheryl Rhodes
        Publisher     New York : Bantam Books, 1991
        Description   xvi, 420 [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN:         0-553-35385-3 (pbk.)    $24.95 ($31.95 Can.)
        Library #     Z286. .D47 B66 1991



   The Adobe Illustrator 3.2 : designer's guide
   (Sybex Macintosh library series)
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     San Francisco : Sybex, c1992
        Description   xviii, 358 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-7821-1002-9     $24.95
        Library #     T385 .H674 1992



   Adobe type 1 font format.
   [The Black Book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Incorporated.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1990.
        Description   iii, 103 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-57044-0     $14.95 (18.95 Can.)
        Library #     QA76.73 P67 A36 1990

        This is the specification for the Type 1 font format. Type 1
        fonts are the standard outline format found in Adobe PostScript
        printers, implementations of the Display PostScript system, and
        available as download able fonts from the Adobe Type Library.
        This document describes the syntax of the Adobe Type 1 font
        format, including complete information regarding hints, encoding
        of character outlines, and the charstring and eexec encryption
        algorithms.



|  Apple LaserWriter reference : for the LaserWriter, LaserWriter Plus,
|  LaserWriter IINT and IINTX.
|       Author        Apple Computer
|       Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1988
|       Description   xv, 167 p. ; 24 cm.
|       ISBN          0-201-19258-6     $19.95
|       Library #     TK7887.7 .A66 1988



   Build your own PostScript laser printer and save a bundle. 2nd ed.
        Author        LaBadie, Horace W.
        Publisher     Blue Ridge Summit, PA : TAB Books, 1993
        Description   xviii, 149 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
        ISBN          0-8306-4306-0     $19.60
        Library #     TK7887.7 .L33 1993


   Creating special effects on the Macintosh.
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1992
        Description   xx, 471 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
                      + one computer disk (3 1/2 in.)
        ISBN          0-201-57779-8     $28.95 ($37.95 Can.)
        Library #     Z52.5 M28 H64 1991



   Design essentials.
        Author        Cohen, Luanne Seymour ; et al.
        Publisher     Mountain View, CA : Adobe Press, c1992
        Description   vii, 102 p. : ill. (some col.) 23 x 31 cm.
                      + 3-D viewing glasses inserted.
                      At head of title: Professional studio techniques.
        ISBN          0-672-48538-9     $39.95 ($49.95 Can.)
        Library #     T385 .D473 1992.


   Design Techniques with Adobe Illustrator
        Author        Linda Miles, Betty Wilson
        Publisher     Sams, 1992
        ISBN          0-672-30205-5      $39.95



   Display PostScript programming.
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison Wesley, c1990
        Description   x, 406 p. : ill. 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-51814-7     $24.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 H63 1990



   Encapsulated PostScript : application guide for the
   Macintosh and PC's.
        Author        Vollenweider, Peter
        Publisher     New York ; London : Prentice Hall 1990
        Description   xvii, 226 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
                      Translated from German
        ISBN          0-13-275-843-1 (pbk.)     $16.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 V65 1990

        The book's focus is EPS. However, it is an excellent book full
        of actual real life PostScript and Encapsulated PostScript
        applications on Macs, PCs, UNIX, IBM mainframe, and other
        computer systems.



|  Expert advisor : Adobe Illustrator.
|  (The Addison-Wesley expert advisor series)
|       Author        Burns, Diane ; S. Venit, David Smith
ey, c1988
|       Description   ix, 350 p., [4] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ;
|                     24 cm.
|       ISBN          0-201-14397-6     $22.95
|       Library #     T385 .B864 1989



   Graphic design with PostScript.
        Author        Kunkel, Gerard
        Publisher     Glenview, IL :Scott, Foresman, c1990
        Description
        ISBN          0-673-38794-1     $29.95
        Library #     Z286 .D47 K87 1990



   Halftoning with Adobe Accurate Screens
        Author        Peter Fink
        Publisher     Hayden, 1992
        ISBN          ???    $29.95


   Hands-on PostScript.
        Author        Spring, Michael B. ; David S. Dubin
        Publisher     Carmel IN, : Hayden Books, c1992
        Description   xx, 431 p. ; 24 cm.
                      + one computer disk (3 1/2 in.)
        ISBN          0-672-30185-7     $29.95 ($37.95 Can.)
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 S67 1992

        This is an introduction to PostScript for the novice or casual
        user. PostScript programming principles are introduced in the
        context of useful projects (e.g. greeting cards, letterhead,
        multi-page posters). The book includes five PostScript driver
        projects in Basic, Pascal, and C. A 3.5" DOS formatted diskette
        is included with all the source code. It does not cover
        PostScript level 2.



|  Illustration techniques with Adobe illustrator for windows.
|       Author        Miles, Linda ; Betty Wilson
|       Publisher     Carmel, IN : Hayden, c1992
|       Description   xxviii, 323 p., [16] p. of plates : ill.
|                     (some col.) ; 23 cm.
|                     + one computer disk (3 1/2 in.)
|       ISBN          0-672-30205-5     $39.95
|       Library #     006.6869



   Inside the Apple LaserWriter
        Author        Hart, Roger
        Publisher     Glenview, IL : Scott, Foresman, c1989
        Description   xvii, 293 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-673-38064-5
        Library #     TK7887.7 .H38 1989



   Inside PostScript.
        Author        Braswell, Frank Merritt
        Publisher     Berkeley, CA : Peachpit Press c1989
        Description   various pagings ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-938151-10-X     $37.50
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 B73 1989

        Inside PostScript essentially takes one on a tour of the
        standardinternal PostScript code in most printers. The author
        has worked extensively with an interpreter. (in PostScript
        terms, no low-level hardware stuff here like cexec and
        internaldict).



   Laserwriter Reference
        Author        Apple Computer
        Publisher     Addison-Wesley, 1988
        ISBN          0-201-19258-6   $19.95



   Learning PostScript : a visual approach.
        Author        Smith, Ross
        Publisher     Berkeley, CA : Peachpit Press, 1990
        Description   various pagings
        ISBN          0-938151-12-6     $ 22.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 S55 1990

        Learning PostScript is a tutorial on the PostScript language.
        It is very appealing, very easy to follow and filled with
         examples. Each example occupies two pages. A brief explanation
        and source code is on the left page, and the resultant print-out
        is on the facing right page. The book starts off very simply for
        beginners, and covers a lot of material at the end for experts.
        It was written before level 2 PostScript. In the later half of
        the book, a few examples can executed only if an additional disk
        is purchased. The code for LPAVA is $ 20 from Smith Consultants,
        834 Third St., Suite B, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, U.S.A. fax number:
       415-524-9775



   Linotronic imaging handbook : the desktop publisher's
   guide to high-quality text and images.
        Author        Cavuoto, James ; Stephen Beale
        Publisher     Torrance, CA : Micro Publishing Press, 1990
        Description   vi, 217 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-941845-06-0     $27.95
        Library #     Z253.4 .L56 C387 1990



|  Mastering Adobe illustrator.
|       Author        Holzgang, David A.
|       Publisher     San Francisco : Sybex, c1988
|       Description   xviii, 330 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
|       ISBN          0895884631 (pbk.)
|       Library #     Z286 .D4 H67 1988



   Mastering Adobe Illustrator 88.
        Author        McClelland, Deke ; Craig Danuloff
        Publisher     [Boulder, CO] : Publishing Resources Inc. ;
                      [Homewood, IL] : Dow Jones Irwin, c1989
        Description   xii, 298, [21] p. : ill ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          1-55623-157-1 (Dow Jones Irwin)     $24.95
        Library #     Z286 .D47 M375 1989



   The official Adobe Photoshop handbook.
        Author        Biedny, David ; Bert Monroy
        Publisher     Toronto ; New York : Bantam Books, 1991
        Description   xxxviii, 423 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-553-34876-0     $26.95 ($33.95 Can.)
        Library #     QA76.8 .M3  B52 1991



|  PostScript by example.
|       Authors        McGilton, Henry ; Mary Campione
|       Publisher      Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1992.
|       Description    xviii, 620 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm.
|       ISBN           0-201-63228-4     $29.95 ($38.95 Can.)
|       Library #      QA76.73 .P67 M34 1992
|
|       PostScript by example is a tutorial for PostScript people at
|       all levels. It covers level 2 PostScript. The book starts
|       at novice level and works through to Level Two composite fonts,
|       patterns, forms, color, halftones, Display PostScript rectangle
|       operators and text operators. It contains a chapter on practical
|       issues of downloading fonts, talking to printers, and error
|       handling. 620 pages containing over 500 fragments of PostScript
|       code and over 750 illustrations. A long-awaited ``upgrade''
|       to the Blue Book.
|       Henry McGilton can be reached by email as [e-mail].
|       Mary Campione can be reached by email as [e-mail].
|       A disk containing 13,000 lines of PostScript code from the book
|       can be ordered separately for $ 20 from: Trilithon Software, Two
|       Ohlone, Portola Valley, CA 94028, U.S.A.
|
|       Or, send email to [e-mail].



   A postscript cookbook.
        Author        Thomas; Barry
        Publisher     New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988.
        Description   vii, 144 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-442-23686-7     $9.98
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 T48 1988



|  PostScript screening : Adobe accurate screens.
|       Author        Fink, Peter
|       Publisher     Mountain View, CA : Adobe Press, c1992.
|       Description   xvi, 175 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
|       ISBN          0-672-48544-3 (pbk.)
|       Library #     T385 .F55 1992
|
|       Explains in detail all the issues and specifically covers Adobe
|       Accurate Screens -- Adobes' own screening technology. Peter Fink
|       is an expert on the subject of halftone screens as they relate
|       to color issues.



|  PostScript, Eine Umfassende Einfuhrung in die Programmierung
|       Author        Wilfred Soker
|       Publisher     Vieweg & Sohn Verlag GmbH, Postfach 5829,
|                     D-6200, Wiesbaden 1, Germany
|       ISBN          3-528-14711-3



   PostScript font handbook - a directory of type 1 fonts. Rev. ed.
        Authors       Grosvenor, Jonathan editor ; Kaye Morrison,
                      Alexandia Pim
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1992.
        Description   x, 425 p. : ill ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-56893-4     $24.95 ($31.95 Can.)
        Library #     Z250.7 .P67 1992



   PostScript fuer Workstations
        Author        Vollenweider, Peter  ([e-mail])
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, 1992.
        ISBN          3-89319-459-2

    geschrieben. Es beschreibt
        PostScript fuer Workstations, mit Display PostScript, PostScript
        2, und Farben.
        This book is written in German. It describes using PostScript on
        workstations. It covers Display PostScript, PostScript Level 2,
        and colors.


   PostScript Language Program Design.
   [The Green Book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Incorporated ; Glenn Reid
        Publisher     Reading , MA : Addison-Wesley, c1988
        Description   xii, 224 p. ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-14396-8 (pbk.)     $22.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 R45 1988

        PostScript Language Program Design is intended to teach the
        fundamentals of designing PostScript language programs and
        to show how the language works, so the your programs will be
        fast, well-behaved, easy to understand, and portable.
        Code Examples: $ 15 from the developer support hotline. Free
        from the Adobe mail server (see Section 6, ``About Adobe'').


   PostScript Language Reference Manual. 1st ed.
   [The Old Red Book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Inc.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, 1985.
        Description   ix, 299 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-10174-2
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 P67 1986

        The first edition of the reference manual. It describes
        PostScript level 1 only. It is a subset of the PostScript level
        2 book, but is still more common and costs less.


   PostScript language reference manual. 2nd ed.
   [The Big Red Book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Incorporated ; [authors, Ed Taft,
                      Jeff Walden ; editing, Jeff Walden, Paul Engstrom
                      ; illustration Carl Yoshihara, Wendy Ball,
                      Dayna Portfield]
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1990
        Description   viii 764 p. : ill. 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-18127-4     $28.95 ($37.95 Can.)
        Library       QA76.73 .P67 P67 1990

        PostScript language reference manual is the book that defines
        the PostScript language. The second edition not only defines
        Level 1 PostScript, but also encompasses the color, composite
        font, file system, and DPS extensions and the PostScript
        language Level 2.


   PostScript language tutorial and cookbook.
   [The Blue book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Incorporated
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison Wesley, 1985
        Description   x, 243 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-10179-3 (pbk.)      $16.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 P68 1985

        PostScript language tutorial and cookbook is the most common
        tutorial book on PostScript. It provides an easy, informal
        introduction to the PostScript language and graphics primitives.
        The cookbook is a collection of programs that are offered as
        examples of PostScript usage. These samples have been chosen
        both as illustrations of the functional range of PostScript
        and as useful ingredients for inclusion in application packages.
        Code Examples: $ 15 from the developer support hotline. Free
        from the Adobe mail server (see Section 6, ``About Adobe'').


   PostScript programmer's reference guide : featuring PhoenixPage.
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     Glenview, IL : Scott, Foresman, c1989
        Description   x, 486 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-673-38574-4     $24.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 H64 1989

        An authoritative guide for programmers, developers, or
        anyone who wants to get the most out of PostScript. It offers
        clear instructions, a complete language reference section, and a
        cookbook of hands-on sample routines. (avail for $ 20 extra on
        disk) ... It includes complete information on PhoenixPage/PS,
        Phoenix Technologies' fully PostScript-compatible language.


   Programming the display PostScript system with NeXTSTEP.
   [The Purple Book]
        Author        Adobe Systems Incorporated ; [author Ken Fromm]
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1992
        Description   xxvii, 380 p. ill. ; 22 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-58135-3     $26.95 ($34.95)
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 P76 1991

        Written for the NeXT programming environment; however, much of
        the information it contains applies to all Display PostScript
        developers. The book explains the language extensions commonly
        used within applications, describes many of the key aspects of
        the PostScript language imaging model, and provides a framework
        for creating Display PostScript language applications.



   Programming the Display PostScript System with X.
        Author: Adobe Systems Inc.
        Publisher: Addison-Wesley
        Cost: $ 26.95

        Written specifically for developers using the X Window System.
        It is intended to help X application developers improve quality,
        optimize performance, and minimize development cost. Featuring a
        Programming Guide with advice on how to write robust, efficient
        Display PostScript applications, the book also contains a new
        Toolkit manual and the standard Display PostScript reference
        manuals.


   Programming the LaserWriter
   (Macintosh inside out series)
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1991
        Description   xxv, 439 p. ill. ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-57068-8     $24.95
        Library #     TK7887.7 .H65 1991


   Rapid reference guide to System 7, the LaserWriter Family,
   and Hypercard. (Business One Irwin rapid reference series)
        Author        Fraase, Michael
        Publisher     Homewood, IL : Business One Irwin, c1993
        Description   xx, 282 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
        ISBN          1556239025     $24.95
        Library #     QA76.76 .O63 F375 1993


   Real world PostScript : techniques from PostScript professionals.
   [The Orange Book]
        Author        Roth, Stephen F., editor
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1988.
        Description   xiv, 383 p. [4] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ;
                      24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-06663-7 (pbk.)     $22.95
        Library #     Z286 .D47 R4 1988

        A collection of articles dealing with ``real world'' PostScript
        language issues and specific applications such as font creation,
        color separation, kerning, halftoning, various other topics.
        It contains a text formatter written in PostScript, and
        concentrates on doing very sophisticated things with fonts and
        dictionaries.

        Short overview of chapters:

        PostScript As A Design Tool; PostScript As A Programming
        Language; Writing Device Independent PostScript; Kerning,
        Tracking And Letterspacing, Precise Character Bounding Boxes;
        Building Fonts; Building Smart Fonts; Font Encoding Vector
        Compatibility; Building A PostScript Typeface; PostScript Color
        Operations; PostScript Color Separations; A Spread From Graphic
        Perspective; A PostScript Four-Color Poster; Graphing And
        Typesetting With PostScript; The Evolution Of A Complex
        Geometric Logo


   Running PostScript from MS-DOS. 1st ed.
        Author        Glover, Gary
        Publisher     Blue Ridge Summit, PA : Windcrest, c1989.
        Description   ix, 209 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
        ISBN          0-8306-2998-X     $21.60
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 G56 1989

        Provides a good and brief introduction to PostScript and has
        lots of useful information on printing PostScript from PCs.



   Taking advantage of PostScript.
        Author        Sherman, John F.
        Publisher     Dubuque, IA : Wm. C. Brown Publishers, c1992
   ill. ; 28 cm.
        ISBN          0-697-14032-6
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 S54 1992

        Graphically and visually oriented and includes a section
        on PostScript Level 2.



|  Terminal Buch, PostScript Fonts und Programmiertechnik
|       Author        Thomas Merz
|       Publisher     R. Oldenburg Verlag, Munchen, Germany
|       ISBN          3-486-21674-0



   Thinking in PostScript.
        Author        Reid, Glenn C.
        Publisher     Reading, MA : Addison-Wesley, c1990
        Description   xiii, 221 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
        ISBN          0-201-52372-8     $22.95 ($29.95 Can.)
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 R46 1990

        Guide to developing programming techniques and to learning
        how to use the PostScript tool kit. In this book you can find
        some useful techniques even if you think of yourself as an
        expert PS programmer. It overlaps very little with existing
        material. You can find there numerous practical examples in all
        areas of PS language programming, including the Display PS
        system. In this volume you will also find: (a) never-before-
        published information on the PS language (b) useful algorithms
        for loops, conditionals, and I/O (c) detailed coverage of files,
        strings, and dictionaries (d) simple and elegant programming
        techniques

        The books comes recommended by many. There are also exercises
        after each Chapter with the results at the end of the book. You
        can really find examples how to define new useful operators or
        procedures which you cannot find in the Adobe books.

        To get the examples from the book for free, send email to the
        author, [e-mail].



   Understanding PostScript. 3rd ed.
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     San Francisco : Sybex, c1992
        Description   xxxiii, 515 p. : ill. 23 cm.
                      "For PostScript levels 1 & 2"--Cover p. [1]
        ISBN          0-7821-1059-2     $29.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 H65 1992


   Understanding PostScript Programming. 2nd ed.
        Author        Holzgang, David A.
        Publisher     San Francisco : Sybex, 1988
        Description   xxxii, 472 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
        ISBN          0-89588-566-2
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 H65 1988



   The Verbum book of PostScript illustration. 1st ed.
   (The Verbum electronic art & design series.)
        Author        Gosney, Michael ; Linnea Dayton, Janet Ashford
        Publisher     Redwood City, CA : M&T Books, 1990
        Description   vii, 213 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.
        ISBN          1-55851-089-3     $29.95
        Library #     QA76.73 .P67 G57 1990


Subject: 5.2 Publishers

    Most of the above books should be available in any big bookstore
    that has a computer section. Or contact the publishers:



    Addison-Wesley,
      Retail Sales Group, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., One
      Jacob Way, Reading, MA 01867, U.S.A. Phone [phone] or
      617-944-3700, Fax [phone].


    Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
      2200 Powell Street, Emeryville, California 94608 U.S.A. Phone
      [phone]


    Adobe Press
      , Adobe Systems, Inc. 1585 Charleston Road, Mountain View, CA
      94039, Phone [phone]. Toll free 800-833-6687. Adobe Press is
      partially a misnomer, it is not a independent publishing unit but
      more like a customer or documentation service of Adobe Systems,
      Inc. The Red, Blue, Green, and Black Books can be purchased from
      Adobe Systems by calling toll free, 800-83-FONTS (800-833-6687).


|   Busn One Irvin
|     , Business 1 Irvin, Division of Richard D. Irvin, Inc. 1818 Ridge
|     Road, Homewood IL, 60430. Phone [phone]. Toll free
|     800-634-3966. Imprint: Pub. by Dow Jones (Dow Jones Books).


    Bantam
      , Bantam Books, Inc. Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell. 666 Fifth
      Avenue, New York, NY 10103. Phone [phone]. Toll free
      800-223-6834.


    Dow Jones Irvin
      See Busn One Irvin.


    Hayden Books,
      Imprint of Sams.


    M & T Bks,
      M & T Books. 501 Galveston Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063-4728.
      Phone [phone]. Toll free 800-533-4372 ; 800-356-2002.


    Micro Publishing Press
      21150 Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite 104, Torrance, California 90503
      U.S.A. Phone [phone].


    Peachpit Press,
      1085 Keith Ave., Berkeley, CA 94708, U.S.A. Phone [phone].
      Toll free 800-283-9444.


    Prentice Hall,
      Prentice Hall Press. Division of Simon Schuster, Inc. 15 Columbus
      Circle, New York, NY 10023. Phone [phone]. Toll free
      800-223-2348. Orders to: 200 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ
      07675.


    Sams,
      Division of Macmillan Computer Publishing. 11711 North College
      Avenue, Suite 140, Carmel, IN 46032. Phone [phone]. Toll
      free 800-257-5755. Orders to Macmillan Computer Publishing, 8219
      Northwest Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46278. Imprint: Hayden
      Books


    Scott, Foresman and Company,
      Subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishing Co. 1900 East Lake Avenue,
      Glenview, IL 60025. Phone [phone].


|   Sybex, Inc.
|     2021 Challenger Drive, Alameda, CA 94501. Phone [phone].
|     Toll free 800-227-2346. Imprint: Sybex Computer Books


    TAB Books,
      Division of McGraw-Hill Inc. P.O. Box 40, Blue Ridge Summit, PA
      17294-0850. Phone [phone]. Toll free 800-822-8138 ;
      800-233-1128. Imprint: Windcrest Books


    Windcrest Books
      Imprint of TAB Books.


    Van Nostrand Reinhold,
      Division of Thomson Publishing Corp. 115 Fifth Avenue, New York,
      NY, 10003. Phone [phone]. Toll free 800-926-2664. Orders to:
      7625 Empire Dr., Florence, KY 41022. Phone [phone]


|   Wm C Brown,
|     Brown, William C. Publishing. 2460 Kerper Boulevard, Dubuque, IA
|     52001. Phone [phone]. Toll free 800-338-5578.


Subject: 6 About Adobe

    PostScript was created by Adobe Systems Incorporated, which offers
    information and sells programs pertaining to PostScript.

    Currently the only large PostScript company that I have information
    on is Adobe. I would be happy to include information about others.


Subject: 6.1 How do I get in touch with Adobe?


  Adobe Systems Incorporated      Main phone: [phone]
  1585 Charleston Road            Main FAX:   [phone]
  P.O. Box 7900
  Mountain View, CA 94039-7900


    If you want technical help using Adobe retail products (e.g. ATM,
    Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Fonts): Adobe forum on CompuServe, call
    1-408-986-6500 (for Macintosh) or 1-408-986-6530 (for Windows,
    Unix) Also use this number to report bugs in retail products. Adobe
    also has an automated tech support line, which will fax technical
    notes and product literature to you, and attempt to answer common
    questions via a menu-driven system. That number is 1-800-235-0078.

    For sales information on Adobe retail products (prices, catalogues,
    etc.), call [phone] (fax-back brochures) or [phone]
    (applications sales)

    The Developer's Hotline is [phone] (Voicemail) (note:
    members have priority, but they'll take questions from general
    public.) Also use this number for information about the ADA or
    Adobe SDK's.

    To suggest product enhancements, write or fax to ``Product Manger,
    product name' at address above.

    In Europe: Adobe Systems BV, Europlaza, Hoogoorddreef 51a, 1101 BE
    Amsterdam Z-O, NETHERLANDS. TEL [phone]. FAX
    [phone].

    In the eastern United States: Adobe Sys. Inc., 24 New England
    Executive Park, Burlington MA 01803. TEL [phone]. FAX
    [phone].

    In Japan: Adobe Systems Japan, Swiss Bank House, 4-1-8 Toranomon,
    Minato ku, Tokyo 105 JAPAN. TEL [phone]. FAX
    [phone].


or me?

    Adobe is just one of many companies producing products for
    PostScript, but it does produce a lot of the best.

    Adobe offers two resources for software developers.

   1. Membership in the Adobe Developers Association (ADA) ( $
      195/year)

   2. PostScript Language Software Development Kit (SDK) ( $ 500, $ 250
      for ADA)

    The Developer's Association is Adobe's way of knowing who has a
    serious interest in technical information. Membership includes
    monthly technical newsletter, phone technical support, discounts on
    software and hardware. Membership is $ 195/year for each
    individual.

    The PostScript Language Software Development Kits collect all
    Adobe's technical literature for a given platform into a single
    package. There are four versions, for the Mac, MS-DOS/Windows,
    NeXTStep, and X/Windows. Each SDK is $ 500 list, $ 250 for ADA
    members.

    A selection of free technical documents is available from Adobe's
    file server and anonymous ftp archive (ftp.adobe.com). It includes
    specs (including the aforementioned EPS specification), some tech
    notes, sample programs, a large collection of AFM files and PPD
    files. For more information on the file server, send the one-word
|   message ``help'' to [e-mail]. These documents are
|   also available by mail, although they are not necessarily free;
    call the Developers Line and ask for the documents catalog.

    The contents of both ps-file-server and the ftp archive are
    nominally the same, although they are currently maintained on two
    separate machines.



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Subject: PostScript monthly FAQ v2.2 12-26-93 [07-10 of 11]
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Archive-name: postscript/faq/part7-10
Last-modified: 1993/12/26
Version: 2.2

                              -- PostScript --

                            Answers to Questions

                    (the comp.lang.postscript FAQ v2.2)

                               Jon Monsarrat

                              [e-mail]






                     This FAQ is formatted as a digest.

                Most news readers can skip from one question

                     to the next by pressing control-G.


    Changes since the last version are marked with a '|' in the table
    of contents and in the sections in the text-only format of the FAQ.

    Now that there is Linux and NetBSD and BSD 386 UNIX IBM PC (and
    clone) users can run any of the X-windows and UNIX programs in the
    utilities section. See comp.os.linux. Also, there is now
    GhostScript for the Macintosh.

    Many thanks to Dan Carrigan for reformatting the books and
    publishers section.

    The utilities index from the comp.sources.postscript FAQ will be
    posted in comp.lang.postscript now too.

    Please help fix the FAQ! All comments should be mailed to
    [e-mail]. My favorite way to receive a change suggestion is
    when it is accompanied by a section of the FAQ that is edited and
    mailed to me verbatim as an example. If you would like to
    contribute, please read the section ``about the FAQ'' first. Thank
    you!

    Books and programs are referred to by name only. See the book
    sections for book information, and the comp.sources.postscript FAQ
    for a full list of all PostScript related programs. I have archived
    a number of the small utilities in
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/postscript. You can get the
    comp.sources.postscript FAQ from
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.sources.postscript.

    Related FAQs: comp.text, comp.text.tex, comp.fonts, comp.graphics,
    comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sources.postscript.

Subject: 7 Programming in PostScript


Subject: 7.1 What is PostScript level 2?

    (See the Section 11, ``About PostScript 2''.)


Subject: 7.2 Should I learn level 2 PostScript?

    Yes, because Level Two will soon become the standard. Application
    developers using PostScript need to become aware of the new
    capabilities and how to take advantage of them.

    There are many good books on PostScript 2. (See Section 5,
    ``Books''.)


Subject: 7.3 Where can I find examples of PostScript code?

    Many other books on PostScript make example PostScript code
    available. ``Thinking in PostScript'', by Glenn Reid, is the only
    book I know of that allows its examples to be freely distributed.
    (See Section 5, ``Books''.)

    All the examples in ``the blue book'' are available from the Adobe
    file server (See Section 5, ``Books''.)

    See the question ``How can I browse through PostScript programs?''
    in the comp.sources.postscript FAQ.


Subject: 7.4 What is the physical size of the page?

|   This depends on what print medium you are using. Paper comes in a
|   number of standard sizes:
|
|
|         Paper Size                      Dimension (in points)
|         ------------------------------  ---------------------
|         Comm #10 Envelope               297 x 684
|         C5 Envelope                     461 x 648
|         DL Envelope                     312 x 624
|         Folio                           595 x 935
|         Executive                       522 x 756
|         Letter                          612 x 792
|         Legal                           612 x 1008
|         Ledger                          1224 x 792
|         Tabloid                         792 x 1224
|         A0                              2384 x 3370
|         A1                              1684 x 2384
|         A2                              1191 x 1684
|         A3                              842 x 1191
|         A4                              595 x 842
|         A5                              420 x 595
|         A6                              297 x 420
|         A7                              210 x 297
|         A8                              148 x 210
|         A9                              105 x 148
|         B0                              2920 x 4127
|         B1                              2064 x 2920
|         B2                              1460 x 2064
|         B3                              1032 x 1460
|         B4                              729 x 1032
|         B5                              516 x 729
|         B6                              363 x 516
|         B7                              258 x 363
|         B8                              181 x 258
|         B9                              127 x 181
|         B10                             91 x 127
|
|   To determine what print mediums are available, check the PPD file
|   for your printer, under the PageSize keyword.


Subject: 7.5 What is the Imagable Area of the page

|   The initial clipping path gives you the size of the imagable area.
|   Use ``clippath pathbbox'' to get these coordinates. If you must
|   know the size of the device's imageable area, use the sequence
|   ``gsave initclip clippath pathbbox grestore'', but this will
|   prevent an enclosing application from using the clippath to achieve
|   some special effects (such as multiple pages per page).
|
|   PPD files (see section 2 of the FAQ, printers) contain information
|   on what paper sizes, as well as the Imagable Area for each,
|   specific to each printer. A Postscript code fragment (called
|   ``?ImageableArea'') is described in a PPD file, which determines
|   the current Imageable Area for that printer.


Subject: 7.6 Why can't I do a pathforall after a charpath ?

    (See Section 4, ``Fonts'', question ``Why are Adobe fonts
    hidden?''.)


Subject: 7.7 How do I center a string of text around a point?

    Level 1 PostScript has two operators that can extract information
    about the metrics of characters: ``stringwidth'' and ``charpath''.

    The ``stringwidth'' operator returns the advance width of its
    string operand. This is the distance the current point would be
    moved by a ``show'' operation on the same string. ``stringwidth''
    returns two numbers on the stack, representing the x and y
    components of the advance width. Usually the y component is zero
    because most fonts are displayed along a horizontal line, moving
    the current point only in the x direction.

    Also note that the ``stringwidth'' usually does not give an exact
    measure of the area of the page that will be touched by its
    operand. The letters can either project a little over the
    boundaries or fall a little within (leaving a touch of whitespace).

    If all that an application requires is horizontal centering of a
    long string of text, the result returned by ``stringwidth'' is
    sufficient. A common technique is


          x y moveto
          (string) dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto show

    (This code makes the assumption that the y component of advance
    width is irrelevant.)

    The ``charpath'' operator extracts the graphic shapes of its string
state.
    These shapes can then be processed by other PostScript operators.
    To get the actual size of the area touched by a character a simple
    approach is


          gsave
          newpath
          0 0 moveto
          (X) false charpath flattenpath pathbbox
          grestore

    This code places four numbers on the stack, representing the
    coordinates of the lower left and upper right corners of the
    bounding box enclosing the character ``X'' rendered with the
    current point at (0,0). Leaving the flattenpath out will cause it
    to be less accurate, but it will take up less memory and be faster.

    There are two things to be careful about when using the code shown
    above:



   1. There are severe limits on the size of the string operand,
      related to the limit on the number of elements in a graphic path.
      The PostScript Language Reference Manual recommends taking
      ``charpath''s one character at a time.


   2. If user space is rotated or skewed with respect to device space,
      the result from ``pathbbox'' may be larger than expected;
      ``pathbbox'' returns a rectangle oriented along the user space
      coordinate axes, which fully encloses a (possibly smaller)
      rectangle oriented along the coordinate axes of device space. If
      user space is rotated at an integer multiple of 90 degrees these
      two rectangles will be the same, otherwise the rectangle in user
      space will be larger.

    So, to center text vertically one must get the bounding boxes of
    all the characters in the string to be displayed, find the minimum
    and maximum y coordinate values, and use half the distance between
    them to displace the text vertically. This still may not do a very
    good job, since this provides centering based on extrema, not on
    the optical center of the string (which is more related to a sort
    of ``center of mass'' of the text).

    If an application does this repeatedly, it would be wise to store
    the bounding boxes in an array indexed by character code, since
    ``charpath'' is a slow operation.

    Font metric information is available outside of a PostScript
    printer in font metrics files, available from the font vendor. A
    program generating PostScript output can obtain metrics from these
    files rather than extracting the metrics in the printer.


Subject: 7.8 How can I concatenate two strings together?


  %% string1 string2 append string
  % Function: Concatenates two strings together.
  /append {
           2 copy length exch length add  % find the length of the new.
           string dup     % string1 string2 string string
           4 2 roll       % string string string1 string2
           2 index 0 3 index
           % string string string1 string2 string 0 string1
           putinterval    % stuff the first string in.
           % string string string1 string2
           exch length exch putinterval
  } bind def


Subject: 7.9 What do I do when I get stack overflow/underflow?

    These errors are among the most common in PostScript.

    When I get a stack overflow, that is usually a sign that a routine
    is leaving an object on the stack. If this routine gets called 2000
    times, it leaves 2000 objects on the stack, which is too many.

    When I get a stack underflow, that is a sign that either: (A) one
    of the routines in the program doesn't work, and never has or (B)
    one of the routines in the program works, but expects to be called
    with some arguments left on the stack.

    There is no such thing as a PostScript debugger right now. For now,
    the best that you can do to debug your program is to put in lots of
    print statements. Learn to use the PostScript pstack command, and
    use an online interpreter so you don't have to run to the printer
    for each debugging cycle.

    Use an error handler to learn more about what exactly is happening
    when your program crashes. (see the comp.sources.postscript FAQ for
    a list of all PostScript related programs.)

    If your code has never worked yet (i.e. you are still writing it)
    then I find that it helps to put little comments in the margin
    about the state of the stack. Like this:


         Heart pathbbox             % lowerx lowery upperx uppery
         exch 4 -1 roll             % lowery uppery upperx lowerx


    I generally put these comments in originally, and then take them
    out when the program works. Maybe this is a bad practice, in case I
    ever want to go back and look at the code to modify it!!


Subject: 7.10 How can I print in landscape mode?

    Landscape (the opposite of portrait) means that the page is turned
    on its side. You can redefine showpage in terms of the current
    definition of showpage.

    Do something like:


  /oldshowpage /showpage load def

  90 rotate llx neg ury neg translate   % for the first page
  /showpage
  {
          oldshowpage
          90 rotate llx neg ury neg translate
  } def

    This won't work if the PostScript file you're editing uses
    initgraphics or grestoreall. Also note that the method described
    (redefining showpage) does not conform to the document structuring
    conventions. The Adobe recommended method involves performing the
    transformaton as part of the setup for each page.


Subject: 8 Computer-specific PostScript

    This section describes PostScript information specific to a
    particular type of computer or operating system.


Subject: 8.1 Sun Workstations

    What is NeWS?

|   NeWS (R.I.P.) was Sun Microsystems PostScript-based window system
|   for the Sun Workstation. NeWS was a project within Sun (started
|   around 1985) to create a window system to supplant SunView (a very
|   successful kernel-based window system). NeWS was a client-server
|   model window system (like X) but among many of NeWS novel features
|   was the use of PostScript as the language to describe the
|   appearance of objects on the screen. NeWS had many features in
|   common with Display PostScript, but NeWS predates Adobe Display
|   PostScript and was neither connected with Adobe Display PostScript
|   nor endorsed by Adobe. NeWS was not an Adobe product, nor was it a
|   Sun/Adobe joint venture.
|
|   As of October 1992, Sun management signed a deal with Adobe to
|   adopt Display PostScript for the Sun. In 1993, Sun finally dropped
|   NeWS altogether. The Sun window system is supposed to start
|   shipping a Display PostScript environment in late 1993.

    And how does PostScript run on them?

    PostScript runs on NeWS, although NeWS was not a fully-compliant
    PostScript interpreter. There were incompatibilities between the
    NeWS PostScript interpreter and ``official'' PostScript
    interpreters as defined by Adobe and the Apple LaserWriter family
    of printers, such that many PostScript files which would print fine
    on a LaserWriter would not render under NeWS. The most critical
    incompatibility was lack of support for Adobe Type 1 fonts, Sun
|   having gone with their own font format known as F3. F3 fonts have
|   now gone the way of the zumbooruk and will be supplanted by Type 1
|   fonts.


Subject: 8.2 IBM PC

    You can find nenscript for OS/2 1.x--2.0 and MSDOS on
    ftp-os2.nmsu.edu in pub/uploads/nensc113.zip.

    There are rumors that Word Perfect and Microsoft Word don't produce
    ``clean'' PostScript that follows the DSC conventions (See Section
    9, ``Encapsulated PostScript''). This means that a lot of
    PostScript utilities like Ghostview and psnup, etc., that require
    the DSC conventions, will not work on them.

    Creating a PostScript file from MS Word

    Install the LaserWriter driver that comes with Windows.In the
    printer setup, select a PostScript printer. Then click on the setup
    button to get that pop-up. Then clik the Options button. Then
    select the print to Encapsulated PostScript File. If you don't
    specify a file name, Word will prompt you for one when you tell it
    to print.

    When printing Microsoft Windows files that have been captured on a
    PC's LPT port, you mostly need to define two ctrl-d's in a row as
    well to remove all of them in the document:


  (\004\004) cvn {} def


Subject: 8.3 Apple Macintosh

    For more details about printing with the Macintosh, read the
    comp.sys.mac.apps FAQ.

    How can I convert a PostScript file created with a UNIX program to
    the Mac?

    A way that is clumsy, but works, is this:



   1. Display the UNIX-based PostScript file on screen


   2. Use window dumping facility to get a bitmap file


   3. Convert the above bitmap file to TIFF format and then export it
      to Adobe Illustrator on the Mac.

    The PostScript section of the FAQ for the Macintosh newsgroup
    comp.sys.mac.apps (maintained by Elliotte Harold) answers the
    following questions:



    * How do I make a PostScript file?


    * How do I print a PostScript file?


    * Why won't my PostScript file print on my mainframe's printer?

      Full documentation of this process provided with a utility called
      macps.


    * Why are my PostScript files so big?


Subject: 9 Encapsulated PostScript


Subject: 9.1 What is Encapsulated PostScript?

    Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a standard format for importing
    and exporting PostScript language files in all environments. It is
    usually a single page PostScript language program that describes an
    illustration. The purpose of the EPS file is to be included as an
    illustration in other PostScript language page descriptions. The
    EPS file can contain any combination of text, graphics, and images.
    An EPS file is the same as any other PostScript language page
    description, with some restrictions.

    EPS files can optionally contain a bitmapped image preview, so that
    systems that can't render PostScript directly can at least display
    a crude representation of what the graphic will look like. There
    are three preview formats: Mac (PICT), IBM (tiff), and a platform
    independent preview called EPSI.

    An EPS file must be a conforming file, that is, it must conform to
    the Adobe Document Structuring Conventions (DSC). At a minimum, it
    must include a header comment,%!PS-Adobe-3.0 EPSF-3.0, and a
    bounding box comment,%%BoundingBox: llx lly urx ury, that
    describes the bounds of the illustration.

    (The specification does not require the EPSF version, but many
    programs will reject a file that does not have it.)

    The EPS program must not use operators that initialize or
    permanently change the state of the machine in a manner that cannot
    be undone by the enclosing application's use of save and restore
    (eg. the operators starting with ``init'' like initgraphics). As a
    special case, the EPS program may use the showpage operator. The
    importing application is responsible for disabling the normal
    effects of showpage.

    The EPS program should make no environment-sensitive decisions (the
    importing application may be trying to attain some special effect,
    and the EPS program shouldn't screw this up), although it can use
    some device-dependent tricks to improve appearance such as a
    snap-to-pixel algorithm.

    The complete EPS specification is available from Adobe (see the
    section on Adobe). Read Appendix G (Document Structuring
    Conventions, V3.0) and Appendix H (Encapsulated PostScript File
    Format, V3.0) in the new PostScript red book: PostScript Language
    Reference Manual, Second Edition.

    An optional component of an EPS file is a ``preview'' image of the
    file's content. The preview image is a bitmapped representation of
    the image which may be displayed by programs using the EPS file
    without having to actually interpret the PostScript code.

    The recommended form for a preview image is ``Interchange'' format
    and is described fully in the ``red book'', second edition.
    Interchange format represents the image as a series of hex strings
    placed in the EPS file as PostScript comments. The entire file
    remains an ASCII file.

    That book contains all of the information that you need to fix your
    program to correctly output EPS. It is what I use for our software.

    A variation of EPS embeds the preview image and PostScript text in
    a binary file which contains a header and the preview image in
    either a TIFF or MetaFile format. The header defines where in the
    file each section (EPS, TIFF, or MetaFile) starts and ends. On the
    Macintosh, the preview is stored as a PICT in the file's resource
    fork.


Subject: 9.2 What are EPSI and EPSF?

    EPSI is EPS with a device independent bitmap preview. EPSI is an
    all ASCII (no binary data or headers) version of EPS. EPSI provides
    for a hexadecimal encoded preview representation of the image that
    will be displayed or printed.

    EPSF is a version of EPS with a TIFF preview instead of a bitmap
    preview.


Subject: 9.3 How do I convert PostScript to EPS?

    Use pstoepsi, or do it by hand.

    To convert from PostScript to EPS, one must guarantee that the
    PostScript file meets the above requirements. If the actual program
    conforms to the programming requirements, then one can simply add
    the required comments at the top of the file saying that the file
    is EPS and giving its BoundingBox dimensions.

    Optional comments include font usage (%%DocumentFonts: or%%
    DocumentNeededResources: font), EPSI preview comments (%%
    Begin(End)Preview:) extensions (%%Extensions:) and language
    level (%%LanguageLevel:).

    There are some operators that should not be used within an EPS
    file:


          banddevice     cleardictstack   copypage     erasepage
          exitserver     framedevice      grestoreall  initclip
          initgraphics   initmatrix       quit         renderbands
          setglobal      setpagedevice    setshared    startjob

    These also include operators from statusdict and userdict operators
    like legal, letter, a4, b5, etc.

    There are some operators that should be carefully used:

          nulldevice     setgstate        sethalftone  setmatrix
          setscreen      settransfer      undefinefont

    To convert a PostScript file to EPS format, you must edit the file
    using a text editor or word processor to add lines that will define
    the file as an EPS-format file.



   1. Using your normal method of printing, print the PostScript file
      to a PostScript printer. You can choose to view it on the screen
      instead, but keep in mind that all the below distance
      measurements assume that you are printing on a normal-sized piece
      of paper.

      NOTE: If the PostScript image does not get displayed properly, it
      probably will not work either once you have converted it to EPS
      format. Correct the PostScript program so that it works before
      you convert it to EPS format.


   2. Use a tool (see below) to find the bounding box, which shows how
      much space the PostScript image occupies when printed. You
      specify the dimensions of the bounding box when you convert the
      PostScript file to EPS format.


   3. If you don't have a bounding box tool, you can just use a ruler
      and draw one on your printout. With two horizontal lines and two
      vertical lines, draw a box around the image that includes the
      entire image while minimizing white space.

      This box represents your bounding box. You may want to leave a
      small amount of white space around the image as a precautionary
      measure against minor printing problems, such as paper stretching
      and paper skewing.


   4. Measure distance ``a'' from the lower-left corner of the image to
      the left edge of the paper.


   5. Write the measurement in points. If your ruler does not show
      points, calculate the total number of points: 1 inch = 72 points,
. Designate this
      measurement as ``measurement a.''


   6. Measure distance ``b'' from the lower-left corner of the image to
      the bottom edge of the paper.

      Designate this measurement in points as ``measurement b.''


   7. Measure distance ``c'' from the upper-right corner of the image
      to the left edge of the paper.

      Designate this measurement in points as ``measurement c.''


   8. Measure distance ``d' from the upper-right corner of the image to
      the bottom edge of the paper.

      Designate this measurement in points as ``measurement d.''


   9. Using any text editor, open the PostScript file for editing.

      You'll see several lines of text. These lines are the PostScript
      description of the image. The lines at the top of the file are
      the header.


  10. Add these lines to, or modify existing lines in, the header (the
      first group of lines in any PostScript file):


            %!Adobe-2.0 EPSF
            %%Creator: name
            %%CreationDate: date
            %%Title: filename
            %%BoundingBox: a b c d


      Note: Make sure that the first line in the file is ``%
      !Adobe-2.0 EPSF.'' Also, do not separate the header lines with a
      blank line space. The first blank line that PostScript encounters
      tells it that the the next line begins the body of the program.

      For ``name,'' type your name or initials. For ``date,'' type
      today's date using any format (for example, MM-DD-YY, MM/DD/YY,
      July 5, 1987, and so on). For ``filename,'' type the name of the
      PostScript file. After ``BoundingBox: ,'' type the measurements
      you took in steps 3, 4, 5, and 6, separating each with a space:
      ``a'' is the measurement from Step 3, ``b'' is the measurement
      from Step 4, ``c'' is the measurement from Step 5, and ``d'' is
      the measurement from Step 6.


  11. Save the file in text-only format.

    If you are interested in learning how to further edit your
    PostScript files, these books are available at most bookstores:

    Understanding PostScript Programming and the green book.

    The Document Structuring Conventions (DSC), version 1.0, are
    discussed in Appendix C of the old red book. The new red book has a
    lot of information about Encapsulated PostScript.

    There will be a technical note available from Adobe called
    ``Guidelines for Specific Operators'' that will talk about why some
    operators are prohibited and how to use the others.


Subject: 9.4 How do I get the bounding box of a PostScript picture?

    Use bbfig or epsinfo.ps.

    Or if you would rather construct the bounding box by hand, use
    Ghostview, which has a continuous readout of the mouse cursor in
    the default user coordinate system. You simply place the mouse in
    the corners of the figure and read off the coordinates.

Subject: 10 About The Comp.Lang.PostScript FAQ (and Usenet Guide to
    PostScript)


Subject: 10.1 The PostScript FAQ: What is it?

    The PostScript FAQ is a set of answers to frequently asked
    questions (FAQs) that have appeared on the Usenet newsgroup
    comp.lang.postscript. It is broken into many useful sections.

    The Usenet Guide to PostScript is a larger set of help and answers
    to PostScript questions, plus a tutorial for new users. It is still
    in the process of being created. There is one file ``Exactly What
    Does a Transformation Matrix Do?'', that is definitely not part of
    the FAQ. Please send more!

    I need help writing and revising answers for common questions
    relating to PostScript. Almost all of the information in the
    documents has been written by kind volunteers. The answers will be
    published in either or both documents. A very long answer in the
    Usenet Guide may be summarized, referred to briefly, or not
    mentioned at all in the FAQ.


Subject: 10.2 How to get the FAQ files

    The FAQ is available by anonymous ftp to
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.lang.postscript/ You can get it
    formatted in plain text ASCII, LaTeX, or PostScript.

    I would be happy to email a copy of the FAQ in any format to you if
    you do not have FTP.


Subject: 10.3 How to write a FAQ answer

    I greatly appreciate your time and effort to help improve the
    quality of the FAQ. Thank you for being willing to contribute!


    * Please check to see if the topic is already in an FAQ. Perhaps
      you really mean to submit a revision to an existing section.

    * Start with a clear statement about what problem you are solving.

    * Write for novice users, in ``tutorial format'', even if the
      answer is meant for experienced programmers.

    * Be specific when you make references.

    * Be complete, and take the time to look over your draft and
      revise.

    * Answers should not be too wordy, unless you intend to write a
      long answer for the Usenet Guide and have a shorter summary or a
      pointer to the description placed in the FAQ. If you want to
      write the summary yourself, thanks!

    * Obviously, I cannot accept copyrighted material without
      permission. Don't write the FAQ by paraphrasing from a
      copyrighted book!


Subject: 10.4 The FAQ can contain LaTeX and PostScript inserts

    The FAQ is actually written with LaTeX, so feel free to submit with
    that text formatting language. There is a PostScript version of the
    FAQ also, so feel free to send along PostScript pictures to
    include.


Subject: 10.5 Revising the FAQ

    Suggestions and comments are welcomed. My favorite way of receiving
    a change suggestion is if you make a copy of the FAQ, edit the
    copy, and mail me the modification, or a context diff (include the
    version number).


Subject: 10.6 How to submit new information

    If you know something that you think is worthwhile to be put in a
    FAQ, definitely send it to me!

    Don't hold back if your information is very specific. If there's
    too much information to post I will archive it at an ftp site and
    place a pointer to it in the FAQ.


Subject: 10.7 How to add a program description to the FAQ index

    If the program is original, please send it to me, or tell me where
    I can get it. Please put your name and email address at the top of
    each file. Your program will be doubly useful if you clean up the
    program so that other people can use it as an example to learn.

    If the program was written by someone else, please send me just the
    title, description, and where to get it. I may already have it.

    For programs the FAQ needs to know:


    * What is the name of the program?

    * What does it claim to do, and does it do it well? Is it worth
      using?

    * Where is it available? What ftp sites can I get it from?

    * How much does it cost? Is it free?

    * What kinds of computers does it run on?

    * Who is the author and does the author give an email address?

    * Does it handle PostScript 2?

    * What packages does it rely on?

    If the program is a PostScript interpreter, then the FAQ also needs
    to know:


    * Does it let you go backwards one page?

    * Does it display the number of pages in the document?

    * Does it let you print PostScript to a non-PostScript printer?

    * What formats can it convert to?


Subject: 10.8 How to add a book description to the FAQ

    For books the FAQ needs to know:


    * What is the name of the book or document?

    * What does it claim to do, and does it do it well? Is it worth
      using?

    * Can I get it on-line?

    * Who wrote it? Does the author give an email address?

    * Who is the publisher, and what is the copyright date?

    * Does the publisher list an address and phone number or fax
      number?

    * What is the ISBN number of the book?

    * What is the library call number of the book?

    * How much does the book cost?

    * Does it cover PostScript 2?

onymous
      ftp?

    * Do the authors sell the coding examples on a diskette?


Subject: 10.9 Questions that need answers



   1. Where are ftp sites that have PostScript freeware?


   2. What vendors sell fonts for PostScript printers? Where are the
      free ftp sites for them?


   3. Are there any free encapsulated PostScript converters?


   4. What is the charter for comp.lang.postscript?


   5. What questions should the FAQ have?


   6. What book information is wrong or missing in the FAQ?


   7. What program information is wrong or missing in the FAQ?


   8. What ftp site have good examples of PostScript code?



Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.answers,news.answers
Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!uhog.mit.edu!sgiblab!brunix!doorknob.cs.brown.edu!jgm
From: Jonathan Monsarrat <[e-mail]>
Subject: PostScript monthly FAQ v2.2 12-26-93 [11 of 11]
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Reply-To: [e-mail] (PostScript FAQ comments address)
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Archive-name: postscript/faq/part11
Last-modified: 1993/12/26
Version: 2.2

                              -- PostScript --

                            Answers to Questions

                    (the comp.lang.postscript FAQ v2.2)

                               Jon Monsarrat

                              [e-mail]






                     This FAQ is formatted as a digest.

                Most news readers can skip from one question

                     to the next by pressing control-G.


    Changes since the last version are marked with a '|' in the table
    of contents and in the sections in the text-only format of the FAQ.

    Now that there is Linux and NetBSD and BSD 386 UNIX IBM PC (and
    clone) users can run any of the X-windows and UNIX programs in the
    utilities section. See comp.os.linux. Also, there is now
    GhostScript for the Macintosh.

    Many thanks to Dan Carrigan for reformatting the books and
    publishers section.

    The utilities index from the comp.sources.postscript FAQ will be
    posted in comp.lang.postscript now too.

    Please help fix the FAQ! All comments should be mailed to
    [e-mail]. My favorite way to receive a change suggestion is
    when it is accompanied by a section of the FAQ that is edited and
    mailed to me verbatim as an example. If you would like to
    contribute, please read the section ``about the FAQ'' first. Thank
    you!

    Books and programs are referred to by name only. See the book
    sections for book information, and the comp.sources.postscript FAQ
    for a full list of all PostScript related programs. I have archived
    a number of the small utilities in
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/postscript. You can get the
    comp.sources.postscript FAQ from
    wilma.cs.brown.edu:pub/comp.sources.postscript.

    Related FAQs: comp.text, comp.text.tex, comp.fonts, comp.graphics,
    comp.sys.mac.apps, comp.sources.postscript.

Subject: 11 About PostScript 2


Subject: 11.1 What printers support Level 2 PostScript?



    * Apple LaserWriter IIf


    * Apple LaserWriter IIg


    * Apple LaserWriter Pro 600 (with ram upgrade to get 600 DPI)


    * Apple LaserWriter Pro 630 (True 600 DPI)


    * Apple Personal LaserWriter NTR

      Apple sells an upgrade to the IINTX to turn it into a IIf/IIG for
      instance.


    * Compaq PAGEMARQ 20


    * Compaq PAGEMARQ 15


    * Data Products LZR 960


    * Data Products LZR 1560


    * DEClaser 1152


    * Hewlett-Packard PostScript CartridgePlus, which works with the HP
      Laserjet III, IIID, and IIIP.


    * Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4M


    * NEC SilentWriter 95


    * QMS 1725 Print System


    * QMS 860 ``Hammerhead''


    * QMS ColorScript 210 and 230


    * Tektronix Phaser III PXi


    * Tektronix Phaser II (all models)


    * Tektronix Phase 200e


    * Texas Instruments microLaser Turbo


    * Texas Instruments microLaser XL Turbo

    This rest of file contains a description of PostScript 2 written by
    Carl Orthlieb from Adobe. The text has not been changed, but some
    paragraphs have been deleted for brevity. Comments by me are in
    square brackets, and these were not written by Adobe.


Subject: 11.2 What is PostScript Level 2?

    Since its introduction in 1985, the PostScript language has been
    considerably extended for greater programming power, efficiency,
    and flexibility.

    Typically, these language extensions have been designed to adapt
    the PostScript language to new imaging technologies or system
    environments. While these extensions have introduced new
    functionality and flexibility to the language, the basic imaging
    model remains unchanged.

    PostScript Level 2 integrates the original PostScript language, all
    previous language extensions, and new language features into the
    core PostScript language imaging model.


Subject: 11.3 [ Color Extensions ]

    The color extensions were added to the language in 1988 to provide
    more complete color functionality. With the original PostScript
    language, color could be specified using the red-green-blue (RGB)
    and hue-saturation-brightness (HSB) color models.

    The color extensions include cyan-magenta-yellow-black (CMYK) color
    model, black generation and undercolor removal functions, screen
    and transfer functions for four separate color components, and a
    colorimage operator for rendering color sampled images. The color
    extensions are currently found in PostScript color printers from
    Canon, QMS, Oce, and NEC as well as all implementations of the
    Display PostScript system.


Subject: 11.4 [ Composite Font Extensions ]

    The composite font technology is a general solution that extends
    the basic PostScript language font mechanism to enable the encoding
    of very large character sets and handle non-horizontal writing
    modes.

    A Type 1 PostScript font has room for encoding only 256 distinct
    characters. A typical Japanese font has over 7,000 Kanji, katakana
    and hiragana characters. The composite font technology allows you
    to create one ``composite'' font that is made up from any number of
    ``base'' fonts. In addition, the composite font technology allows
    you to include two sets of metrics (character spacing details) in
    the font: one for a horizontal-writing mode, and one for a
    vertical-writing mode.


Subject: 11.5 [ Display PostScript Extensions ]

    The Display PostScript extensions address the needs of using the
    PostScript language imaging model in a display environment. It
    includes extensions to deal specifically with displays and
    windowing systems as well as many optimized operators to increase
    performance which is critical in an interactive display environment
    [ (and printers) ] .


Subject: 11.6 [ Overview of Level 2 Features ]


Subject: 11.7 Filters



    * A filter transforms data as it is being read from or written to a
      file. The language supports filters for ASCII encoding of binary
      data, compression and decompression, and embedded subfiles.
      Properly used, these filters reduce the storage and transmission
      cost of page descriptions, especially ones containing sampled
      images. Benefits: Reduced storage requirements, greater
      performance.


    * ASCII encoding of binary data: ASCII/85 (represent binary data in
      ASCII format with only a 125 % expansion of data), and ASCII/HEX
      (current method of representing binary data in ASCII format but
      with a 200 % expansion of data). Benefits: Compact representation
      of binary data in a portable ASCII representation.


    * Compression and decompression filters: CCITT Group 3 & 4
      (monochrome images), run-length encoding (monochrome and
      grayscale images), LZW ( 2:1 compression of text files), DCT
      (20-200:1 compression of color images using the proposed JPEG
      standard). Benefits: Improved performance due to reduced
      transmission times. PostScript files on disk can also be made
      much smaller, saving disk space.


Subject: 11.8 Binary Encoding

 ax
    includes two binary-encoded representations. These binary encodings
    improve efficiency of generation, representation, and
    interpretation. However, they are less portable than the ASCII
    encoding and are suitable for use only in controlled environments.
    Benefits: performance, compactness.


Subject: 11.9 Optimized graphics operators



    * Rectangle operators. New operators for filling, clipping and
      stroking rectangles; all highly optimized. For example, rectfill
      is 3 times faster than an equivalent moveto, lineto, lineto,
      lineto, closepath, fill. Benefits: performance and convenience.


    * Graphics state objects provide a fast way to switch between
      graphics states, which define the current line weight, color,
      font, etc. In existing printers, graphics states are stored on a
      stack, so accessing an arbitrary graphics state is somewhat
      cumbersome. With graphics state objects, the graphics state can
      be associated with a name, and retrieved by simply requesting the
      name. Benefits: Performance, convenience.


    * Halftone specification. New halftone dictionaries provide a more
      precise way of specifying the halftone dots, and makes switching
      between halftone screens faster. (The spot function is not
      reinterpreted.) Benefits: Performance, convenience, enhanced
      functionality.


    * User paths are self-contained procedures that consists entirely
      of path construction operators and their coordinate operands.
      User path operators perform path construction and painting as a
      single operation; this is both convenient and efficient. There is
      a user path cache to optimize interpretation of user paths that
      are invoked repeatedly. Benefits: Performance, convenience.


    * Stroke adjustment. For very thin lines, there is a trade-off
      between perfect positioning and consistent line width. Depending
      on the placement of such a line, it could end up being rendered
      as either 1 or 2 pixels wide, which is a noticeable difference.
      To account for this, PostScript language programs often include
      logic to slightly alter the coordinates of lines for consistent
      rendering. With automatic stroke adjustment the interpreter
      performs this adjustment to ensure consistent widths. Doing it in
      the interpreter rather than in the PostScript language program is
      20 - 30 % faster. Benefits: Performance, convenience, improved
      quality.


Subject: 11.10 Optimized text operators



    * The xyshow operator provides a more natural way for applications
      to deal with individual character positioning. Allows
      simultaneous track kerning, pair kerning, and justification.
      Benefits: Performance, convenience.


    * The selectfont operator optimizes switching between fonts. It
      does the work of 3 Level 1 operators: findfont, scalefont, and
      setfont and has been optimized by using a caching mechanism.
      Benefits: Performance, convenience.


Subject: 11.11 Forms



    * A form is a self-contained description of any arbitrary graphics,
      text, and sampled images that are to be painted multiple times on
      each of several pages or several times at different locations on
      a single page.


    * With the new forms feature, you can define a base form whose
      representation stays cached between pages, so only information
      that changes between forms will need to be interpreted for each
      page. The representation used to cache the form may vary from
      device to device depending on the available resources, such as
      memory and/or hard disk space. In some cases, the actual
      rasterized form will be saved, in other cases, an intermediate
      representation (such as a display list) may be saved. Benefits:
      End-users will benefit by improved performance.


    * This makes forms processing faster and provide a natural
      framework for ISVs implementing a forms functionality in their
      application. Benefits: Convenience for ISVs.


    * Besides the traditional concept of ``forms,'' some other examples
      of forms include: Letterhead, stationary, overhead presentation
      backgrounds, repetitive symbols in a CAD drawing such as screws
      (mechanical drawing) or windows (architectural drawing), complex
      background blends in 35mm slides. Benefits: Enhanced
      functionality and application of PostScript printers in a variety
      of different environments.


Subject: 11.12 Patterns



    * The new pattern color space provides the ability to establish a
      pattern as the current color. Subsequent use of operators such as
      fill, stroke, and show apply ``paint'' that is produced by
      replicating (or tiling) a small graphical figure called a pattern
      cell at fixed intervals in x and y to cover the areas to be
      painted. The appearance of a pattern cell is defined by a
      PostScript language procedure, which can include any arbitrary
      graphics, text, and sampled images. The shape of the pattern cell
      need not be rectangular, and the spacing of tiles can differ from
      the size of the pattern cell. Benefits: Enhanced functionality,
      performance, convenience.


    * For efficiency, the representation of the pattern cell may be
      cached. When cached, the execution of the procedure that defines
      the pattern need be done only once for the current pattern. The
      pattern cache is similar to the font cache. Benefits:
      Performance.


    * Multiple colors can be specified in the pattern or the pattern
      can be used as a mask to paint a color defined in some other
      color space. Benefits: Enhanced functionality


    * For display environments, this feature will allow patterns to be
      represented in a resolution independent manner. Until now,
      patterns have typically been represented by arrangements of
      pixels. This resolution-dependent representation does not work
      well when trying to image the pattern at a variety of different
      resolutions.


Subject: 11.13 Images

    There are several enhancements to the facilities for painting
    sampled images: use of any color space, 12-bit component values,
    direct use of files as data sources, and additional decoding and
    rendering options. Benefits: Convenience, performance, quality.


Subject: 11.14 Composite Fonts



    * Provides the basic machinery for non-Roman character sets.
      Enables the encoding of very large character sets and
      non-horizontal writing modes. Benefits: Enhanced functionality.


    * Provides a page description language for international business.
      Composite font technology makes printers more international. The
      same font technology can be used worldwide, and will provide
      support for companies that must work in today's international
      business environment. Benefits: Enhanced functionality.


    * Advantages not limited to foreign languages - also useful for
      strictly Roman printers: allows the creation of a single
      composite font that combines two or more fonts. For example, you
      may wish to combine a textual font (such as Times-Roman) with a
      graphical font (such as Zapf-Dingbats), and have all characters
      at their disposal within a single font. Other uses of composite
      fonts: IBM extended character set, and expert sets (such as Adobe
      Garamond). Benefits: Enhanced functionality and increased
      performance by minimizing switching between fonts.


Subject: 11.15 New Color Spaces



    * CMYK color model and support for color images. Enhanced
      functionality. This will encourage more ISVs to use the color
      operators, because the operators will be widely available (The
      printer itself may not be able to print in color, but the
      PostScript language program won't generate errors when the
      operators for CMYK color are used.)


s several device-independent color
      spaces based on the CIE 1931 (XYZ)-space. CIE-based color
      specification enables a page description to specify color in a
      way that is related to human visual perception. The goal of the
      CIE standard is that a given CIE-based color specification should
      produce consistent results on different color output devices,
      independent of variations in marking technology, ink colorants,
      or screen phosphors. True device-independent color specification.
      Improved color matching between devices.


    * PostScript Level 2 supports three classes of color spaces: device
      independent, special, and device dependent.

    The following device independent color spaces are standard:

    The CIEBasedABC color space is defined in terms of a two-stage,
    non- linear transformation of the CIE 1931 (XYZ)-space. The
    formulation of the CIEBasedABC color space models a simple zone
    theory of color vision, consisting of a non-linear trichromatic
    first stage combined with a non-linear opponent color second stage.
    This formulation allows colors to be digitized with minimum loss of
    fidelity; this is important in sample images.

    Special cases of CIEBasedABC include a variety of interesting and
    useful color spaces, such as the CIE 1931 (XYZ)-space, a class of
    calibrated RGB spaces, a class of opponent color spaces such as the
    CIE 1976 (L*a*b*)-space and the NTSC, SECAM, and PAL television
    spaces.

    The CIEBased A color space is a one-dimensional and usually
    achromatic analog of CIEBasedABC.

    The following special color spaces are standard:



    * The Pattern color space enables painting with a ``color'' defined
      as a pattern, a graphical figure used repeatedly to cover the
      areas that are to be painted. See the discussion of patterns for
      more information.


    * The Indexed color space provides a way to map from small integers
      to arbitrary colors in a different color space such as a device
      independent color space.


    * The Separation color space provides control over either the
      production of a color separation or the application of a device
      colorant, depending on the nature and configuration of the
      device.

    The following device dependent color spaces are standard:



    * The DeviceGray color space is equivalent to the existing
      PostScript language's gray color model.


    * The DeviceRGB color space is equivalent to the existing
      PostScript language's red-green-blue (RGB) color model.


    * The DeviceCMYK color space is equivalent to the existing
      PostScript language's cyan-magenta-yellow-black (CMYK) color
      model.


Subject: 11.16 New screening/halftoning technology



    * Improved algorithms for determining the angles and frequencies
      used for halftone screens. The improvements fall into two primary
      categories: general improvements, and improvements specific to
      color separations.


    * General improvements: (1) The new algorithms yield a 10 %
      improvement in the speed of the setscreen and image operators;
      (2) Earlier version of PostScript software could produce halftone
      screens only for certain angle and frequency combinations. Enough
      of these combinations were available so that any requested screen
      could be fairly well approximated by one of the available angle
      and frequency combinations. In contrast, the improved halftoning
      algorithms can provide as much as a ten-fold increase in the
      number of angle-frequency combinations that are available,
      depending on the device resolution and the available memory.
      Benefits: Increased performance and higher quality halftone
      screens.


    * Improvements specific to color separations: An additional feature
      is available that enables PostScript software to generate
      extremely accurate screen angles and frequencies. The screens
      produced by this method can achieve an angular accuracy of within
      05 degrees or better, depending on such parameters as exact
      screen angle requested, device resolution, and memory available
      for use by the algorithm. Benefits: Extremely high-quality color
      separations that approach the quality that previously was
      available only from high-end, color electronic pre-press systems.


Subject: 11.17 Improved printer support features



    * Page device setup provides a device independent framework for
      specifying the requirements of a page description and for
      controlling both standard features, such as the number of copies,
      and optional features, such as duplex printing, paper trays,
      paper sizes, and other peripheral features.


    * Applications developers will be able to write a single driver for
      a variety of different PostScript printers. The same code can be
      used to address printer specific features whether the features
      exist in the printer or not. If the feature is not in the
      printer, the application can decide how to best respond to the
      lack of the feature. Benefits: Enhanced functionality. ISVs
      benefit by having a more uniform method for accessing printer
      specific features. End users benefit by having software that will
      take advantage of their printer's features.


Subject: 11.18 Interpreter parameters

    Administrative operations, such as system configuration and
    changing input-output device parameters, are now organized in a
    more systematic way. Allocation of memory and other resources for
    specific purposes is under software control. For example, there are
    parameters controlling the maximum amount of memory to be used for
    VM, font cache, pattern cache, and halftone screens. Benefits:
    Flexibility.


Subject: 11.19 Resources



    * A resource is a collection of named objects that either reside in
      VM or can be located and brought into VM on demand. There are
      separate categories of resources with independent name spaces -
      for example, fonts and forms are distinct resource categories.


    * The language includes convenient facilities for locating and
      managing resources.


Subject: 11.20 Dictionaries

    Many Level 2 operators expect a dictionary operand that contains
    key-value pairs specifying parameters to the operator. Language
    features controlled in this way include halftones, images, forms,
    patterns, and device setup. This organization allows for optional
    parameters and future extensibility. For convenience in using such
    operators, the PostScript language syntax includes new tokens,


   << and >>,


    to construct a dictionary containing the bracketed key-value pairs.
    Benefits: Convenience, extensibility.


Subject: 11.21 When did Level 2 products come available?

    The first Level 2 products were available in early 1991. Level 2
    printers will soon be much more common.


Subject: 11.22 Are Level 1 and Level 2 implementations compatible?

    [ Mostly, but not fully. The incompatibilities are of sufficient
    magnitude that when QMS introduced its first Level 2 compatible
    printer, it provided a ``Level 1'' mode for backward compatibility,
    for handling jobs which wouldn't run in Level 2. This should not be
    taken as too much of a criticism...some of the incom- patibilities
    from Level 1 to Level 2 involved fixing design mistakes in Level 1,
    or tightening up definitions which had been loose in Level 1 (where
    careless application writers had made use of the looseness, writing
    not to the language specification but to particular
    implementations.) ]

    (C) 1990 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
    PostScript, Display PostScript, and Adobe are trademarks of Adobe
    Systems Incorporated registered in the U.S. All other product names
    are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective