FAS Computer Services to Harvard University IT: (617) 495-7777.
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Postscript (PS) is a programming language for printing graphics
and text. Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) allows to include images
into a postscript document. You can view a PS document with
gv filename.ps (or ghostview) and print it with
lpr filename.ps . Unlike PDF (also of Adobe)
a simple text editor or a little C program suffices to produce
professional graphics or text. PS can then be translated into PDF
(with the command ps2pdf in Unix, by Adobe Distiller on PC or Mac).
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Much about this programming language PS can be learend from examples
like example.ps . An simple example to
draw a hexagon.ps . The file
erastotenes.ps shows the programming language feature.
It is simple to make bumper stickers like sticker.ps ,
to make score sheets for chess scoresheet.ps (by
N. Elkies ). Postscript
is a programming language able to do any computation. Here is an implemntation
of life.
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Because PS files are ASCII text, they can easily be modified by programs.
The Perl script watermark.perl (used as
watermark.pl inputfile.ps>outputfile.ps) for example adds a watermark on
each page. The script twopage.perl puts two
pages on one. Examples, how C programs can write PS files can be found
on C.T.McMullen's
page .
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Links
Frequently asked questions
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| I have a PS file in.ps with 234 pages from which I want to
extract the pages 3,4,7,20 ?
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pstops 1000:3,4,7,20 in.ps>out.ps
generates a file out.ps containing all pages which are 3,4,7,20 modulo 1000.
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| I want to save paper and convert a PS file in.ps into a file
out.ps which contains 2 original pages on each new page.
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pstops "2:0L@.7(21cm,0)+1L@.7(21cm,12.85cm)" in.ps > out.ps
does the job.
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| How do I convert a PS file in.ps into a PDF file?
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ps2pdf in.ps
gives a PDF file in.pdf.
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| How do I convert a PS file in.ps into an animated
GIF movie in.gif containing in
each frame a page of the PS file?
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convert in.ps in.gif
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