Difference between revisions of "PostScript"

Latest revision as of 01:21, 8 February 2009

PostScript (PS) is a page description language and programming language used primarily in the electronic and desktop publishing areas.

PostScript utilities

pstops 

shuffle pages in a PostScript file (see manpage for details)

Examples

This section contains some sample re-arrangements. To put two pages on one sheet (of A4 paper), the pagespec to use is:

2:0L@.7(21cm,0)+1L@.7(21cm,14.85cm)

• Select all of the odd pages in reverse order:

2:-0

• Re-arrange pages for printing 2-up booklets:

4:-3L@.7(21cm,0)+0L@.7(21cm,14.85cm)

for the front sides, and

4:1L@.7(21cm,0)+-2L@.7(21cm,14.85cm)

for the reverse sides.

• convert to two-up:

pstops '4:0L@.67(20cm,1cm)+1L@.67(20cm,15cm),3R@.67(1cm,15.25cm)\
    +2R@.67(1cm,29.25cm)' $*.ps $*.dps

External links

• PostScript Language Reference, third edition (PLR3), plus its Supplement, is the de facto defining work, known as "The Red Book" on account of its covers. The first edition covered PostScript Level 1, the second edition covered a greatly expanded language known as PostScript Level 2, and includes documentation for Display PostScript as well. The third edition covers PostScript 3 (with this version, Adobe dropped "level" from the name) but no longer includes DPS.
• PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook is the corresponding introductory text, known as "The Blue Book" on account of its covers.
• First Guide to PostScript is an introduction to the PostScript system.
• Mathematical Illustrations: A Manual of Geometry and PostScript — a book by Bill Casselman.
• Thinking in PostScript, 1990 by Glenn Reid, Addison-Wesley — available online courtesy of the author. A thorough tutorial.
• The Type 1 Font Format in PDF form.
• T.Greer PrintForum, a PostScript programming forum and discussion community.
• PostScript::Simple — Produce PostScript files from Perl
• wikipedia:PostScript
• wikibooks:PostScript FAQ

PostScript hacks

• Life in PostScript - a PostScript version of Conway's Game of Life
• PostScript fractals
• PostScript barcodes
• PostScript HTML renderer
• A PostScript raytracer, from Ray Tracing News, Volume 1, Number 8; 1988-09-05.