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EPSFILES.ART
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1994-02-04
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DEMYSTIFYING .EPS FILES
By Mike Ball
The word is out that you can swap files with an .EPS extension
and just print them out. They can have words or pictures. It's
supposed to be a universal format -- truly portable files.
(Laugh, if you must.)
The truth is that .EPS is a sort of universal file. Mac or
PC programs (DOS- or Windows-based) can insert an EPS file, just
as if it were a block of text or a picture. You can copy, move,
size, or print it as part of a document, but it's kind of like
the shoemaker's elves -- you don't see the work in progress,
only the printed product.
Though you don't have to understand the structure of an .EPS
file to use it, you do have to know the proper techniques to
import and print it.
The short take is that with an .EPS file you can:
* Import it into a word processing, desktop publishing or art
file;
* Probably only see a grey or white box and not the actual
contents;
* Move the box or change its size;
* Print it to a PostScript printer.
For example, in WordPerfect for DOS:
* In the Graphics menu, choose Create, then Filename. (The
keyboard shortcut is Alt-F9,1,1).
* Enter the file name or press the F5 key to find the file.
* Choose Exit (F7).
The image appears on your screen. In the case of an .EPS file,
you will see a white box.
And, in WordPerfect for Windows:
* In the Graphics menu, choose Figure, then Retrieve (the
keyboard shortcut is F11).
* Select the file name.
* Press Enter or click on the Retrieve button.
The image appears on your screen. In the case of an .EPS
file, you should see a box with a grey description on it.
Some, but not all .EPS files come with attached, viewable
images. The program that created them must be able include a
.TIF or WMF (Windows) format and the person who saved the file
must choose this feature. If the .EPS includes one, WordPerfect
and many other programs will display the bitmap. (Only Windows
programs can show a .WMF.) You can change the TIFF or .WMF and
send it to a non-PostScript printer.
Those .EPS files without bitmap images will show as a box
with the message Graphic Contains Data for Postscript Printers
Only. You can size and move this box, or even wrap text around
it
Technical Stuff
Wonder why can't you just view and change an .EPS file, like
text or a .TIF or .PCX one? The answer is in the name -- EPS
stands for Encapsulated PostScript. It means that the image,
text, or combination of the two is surrounded by all the codes
and commands for a PostScript printer.
Most graphics images (e.g. .TIF files) are bitmapped, with
many individual pixels (picture elements). An .EPS is a
"vector" image, with formulae that instruct the software and the
printer what to do (something like those black foot outlines on
the floor for dance lessons).
In addition, .an .EPS file has printer instructions at the
top and bottom, further confusing its translation. In general,
conversion utilities can't transform vector into bitmap or other
"raster" formats. In general also, you'll need the same program
that created the .EPS to see or change it. For example: if you
import a CorelDraw .EPS into another drawing program, you may
see all the elements, but in odd places and proportions.
If you view an .EPS file with a file utility program such as
XTree or Norton's, you will see a series of comments in the
header at the beginning of the file. These comments list the
file name, the program that created it and when, and physical
details like what colors and fonts it uses.
Portability Another Advantage
On the positive side, most .EPS files can go from Mac to IBM
or IBM to Mac, and will print on a PostScript machine on either
one. As long as one of the computers has a conversion program
that lets it read or write the other's diskettes, it can copy
and import an .EPS file. Likewise, Macs and IBM computers can
send .EPS files by modem or upload and download them from
bulletin boards.
On the IBM side, a program that can import an .EPS will
accept a Mac one. On the Mac side, you can't open an IBM .EPS,
but you can place it in programs such as PageMaker and Word.
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(Mike Ball works as a technical writer at Microcom and plays with
Windows and his new baby son at home.)