What is PostScript?

PostScript (.ps) is a page description language that describes the appearance of text, graphics, and images on printed pages. It's a programming language that printers interpret to render documents with precise control over fonts, layout, and graphics. PostScript revolutionized desktop publishing by enabling device-independent document descriptions.

PS files contain plain text instructions that describe graphics operations: draw lines, fill shapes, place text with specific fonts. Professional printers have PostScript interpreters built-in. Adobe later simplified PostScript concepts to create PDF. While PDF has largely replaced PS for document exchange, PostScript remains important in professional printing workflows.

Did you know? PDF (Portable Document Format) is based on PostScript but optimized for viewing rather than printing!

History

PostScript was developed at Adobe Systems by John Warnock and Chuck Geschke, revolutionizing the printing industry with device-independent page descriptions.

Key Milestones

  • 1982: PostScript development begins at Adobe
  • 1985: Apple LaserWriter first PostScript printer
  • 1990: PostScript Level 2 with color improvements
  • 1997: PostScript 3 released
  • 1993: PDF created from PostScript foundation
  • Present: Still used in professional printing

Key Features

Core Capabilities

  • Device Independent: Works on any PostScript printer
  • Vector Graphics: Scalable without quality loss
  • Font Embedding: Include fonts in documents
  • Programming Language: Turing-complete capabilities
  • Color Management: Professional color support
  • High Quality: Precise rendering control

Common Use Cases

Professional Printing

Commercial print production

Publishing

Books and magazines

Graphics

Technical illustrations

Document Exchange

Legacy document format

Advantages

  • Device-independent printing
  • High-quality output
  • Vector graphics support
  • Font embedding
  • Professional color accuracy
  • Industry standard for print

Disadvantages

  • Large file sizes
  • Complex to create manually
  • Requires PostScript interpreter
  • Largely replaced by PDF
  • Not suitable for web viewing

Technical Information

Format Specifications

Specification Details
File Extension .ps, .eps
MIME Type application/postscript
Format Type Page description language
Encoding Plain text (ASCII)
Current Version PostScript 3
Standard Adobe proprietary

Common Tools

  • Viewers: Ghostscript, Adobe Acrobat
  • Creators: LaTeX, Adobe apps
  • Converters: ps2pdf, Ghostscript