PS Files
the PostScript format
for Graphics and Text

These are some examples of PS (PostScript) files. PostScript is primarily designed to present publication-quality text. A PostScript file consists of a set of images of pages. These pages can include graphics, or in fact consist entirely of graphics.

As a graphic language, PostScript is basically vector-based rather than bit-mapped. Thus, it's easy to draw a square or a star, or even a filled polygonal region. But it's rather unnatural, in PostScript, to define a rectangular region in which every pixel has an assigned color. If a highly detailed bit-map image is needed, it is often computed in another format, such as GIF, and then "imported" into the PostScript file.

PS File Characteristics:

• ASCII (although they can sometimes be set up to include binary data!);
• Color or black and white;
• 2D;
• No compression;
• Based on vectors (descriptions of points, lines and regions) rather than bit maps;
• multiple images (pages).

Related Data and Programs:

The EPS directory discusses the related Encapsulated PostScript format, which is essentially a PostScript file containing a single image.

Reference:

1. Adobe Systems,
   PostScript Language Reference Manual,
   Third Edition, 1999,
   available online in PDF form.
2. Henry McGilton, Mary Campione,
   PostScript by Example,
   Addison Wesley, 1992,
   LC: QA76.73.P67M34.

Programs to create a PS file include:

• DVIPS can convert a TeX DVI file into PS form;
• Microsoft Explorer can convert an HTML file into PS form;
• The gnuplot command "set terminal postscript".
• matlab, which can plot mathematical functions or data, can save an image as a PS file;
• NETSCAPE can convert an HTML file into PS form;

Programs to view a PS file include:

• The AVS module read_any_image can read a PS file.
• The ghostscript program can view a PS file.
• ghostview can view a PS file.
• macgsview is a Macintosh version of GhostView.

Programs to convert a PS file to another format:

• Adobe Acrobat Professional can read a PS file and convert it to PDF format.
• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a PS file to BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PDF, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM format.
• The ghostscript program can convert a PS file to BMP, JPG, PDF, PNG or TIFF format.
• The ghostscript command ps2pdf converts a PS file to PDF format.
• The pstopnm script converts a PS file to PNM format.
• The pstotext script can create an ASCII file of the text in a PS file.

Programs to convert a file to PS format:

• The ImageMagick, program convert can convert a BMP, CGM, EPS, FIG, FITS, GIF, JPG, PBM, PDF, PGM, PNG, PNM, PPM, RGB, TIF, XBM or XPM file to PS format.
• dvi2ps converts a TeX DVI file to PS.
• fig2dev can convert a FIG file to a PS file by a command like

              fig2dev -L ps input.fig > output.ps
            

• The ghostscript command pdf2ps converts a PDF file to PS.
• netscape can save a displayed GIF, HTML or JPEG file as a PS file.
• xv can save a displayed file as a PS file.

Sample PS Files:

• bell_206.ps, a helicopter (sideways);
• cells.ps;
• collaps1.ps;
• collaps2.ps;
• cregion.ps;
• frieze.ps;
• missed.ps;
• pattern.ps;
• region.ps;
• steps.ps;

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