PS files, named after the PostScript programming language, pioneered the connection between computers and printers. PostScript helped translate digital page layouts into printed copies featuring the right combination of text and graphics. Discover more about the origins, uses, and advantages of the PS files.
PS stands for PostScript — a type of vector graphic file. Its strength lies in its ability to make digital graphics and text ready to print. You can send a PS file directly to a printer without needing to open it in an application. However, there are only a few different options for opening a PS file, making it one of the least versatile file types for imagery.
Because PS files are a little older than some related file types, it’s often easier to convert PS files to PDFs for smoother handling.
Adobe developed the PS file during the 1980s so that computer users could easily turn their text and graphics into printed copies. This was a big deal at the time, especially for the fledgling desktop publishing (DTP) industry. When PostScript shipped with early Apple printers, DTP experienced a worldwide boom as journalists, students, and hobbyists could turn their hand-typed manuscripts into more visually appealing publications.
Now that publishing directly to the web has overtaken print for all but the most dedicated publications, the PS file format isn’t as popular as it once was. But as a graphics format, it remains one of the most intuitive
The PS file is one of the oldest image file types out there. Here are a few ways you can use PS files these days:
PS can work well when you need to print a file. Whether you’re printing at home or sending a file to be printed elsewhere, you can rest safe in the knowledge that after you save your document, the print job will look just the way you designed it.
You can scale images stored inside a PS file to any resolution without losing quality. This makes PS useful when you want to make sure your print job looks as professional as possible.
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Consider the PS advantages and disadvantages as you start working on your next project.
Along with Adobe programs such as Illustrator and Acrobat, there are a few other software applications you can use to open a PS file successfully. Just double-click on the file in question and choose your preferred program from the options provided by your computer.
A bit of tinkering with the extensions will also allow you to open PS files using your web browser — specifically the PostScript Viewer and Compiler for Chrome.
Use Adobe InDesign to create a device independent PostScript file. Here’s how:
Read more about creating PS files in InDesign.
PDF is one of the more widely supported successors to PS files for both web and print. However, PDF is a display format that doesn’t edit very easily while PostScript is a printer control language that broadens print possibilities because of its ability to communicate design requirements within its code.
Technically, a PDF is a PS file that has already been translated and laid out on the page so that a user can view all the visual elements. This made it the "next step" in desktop publishing when it first launched. PostScript is a programming language that a variety of printers can translate.
Not all printers are compatible with PostScript. However, PostScript was one of the first printer drivers — all printers have some sort of driver to communicate with computers.
On a PC, you can use Notepad to check printer options. Click File, then Print. Find the Advanced Preferences menu and look under Document Options to see if PostScript is available.
Adobe developed PostScript based on work done by Xerox PARC. John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe, was chiefly responsible for creating Page Description Language (PDL), which made it easier for computers to talk to printers.
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