Resources
PostScript and Acrobat Resources
Here are some links of use to people interested in PostScript and Acrobat. Some of these are links to resources we refer to in class or sample files for the Acumen Journal.
This page mutates frequently, so you may want to check it at reasonably short intervals.
Software
| Link | Description |
|
Acumen
Editor 2.2.7 |
Acumen Editor is the software used in Acumen Training's PDF and PostScript classes. It is a text editor with utilities useful to creating hand-written PDF files, such as creating the xref table and calculating and inserting stream lengths. It also can send PostScript files to Distiller or GhostScript for display. There is no documentation as yet. If you have taken a PDF or recent PostScript class, you have already used this software. Everyone else will just need to figure it out; it's not that hard. Version notes and an installation Read Me file are included in the downloads. The Macintosh version requires OS X 10.3 or later. The Windows version requires Windows 2000 or later. |
 |
PostScript
Resources
Click
here to go to Acrobat resources
Links
| Link | Description |
|
The source of it all. For the PostScript programmer, Adobe’s web site provides lots of tech notes. |
|
| Don Lancaster's PostScript Shelf | Don has a web page devoted to tools written in PostScript. He has an interest in PostScript purely as a programming language. Interesting place to browse. His GuruGrams are particularly useful, I think. |
| Global Graphics: Jaws | Global Graphics’ Jaws is a highly configurable PostScript RIP of unusual versatility. |
| Internet
Resources for PostScript and GhostScript |
Jim Land has put together an extensive collection of links, software, and information for people who use PostScript. Whatever you're looking for, start here. |
| Luc Devroye’s PostScript Links | This site lists quite a few good links to PostScript-related resources. The site seems unusually current. |
| Prepressure.com | A site with a lot of good reference material on PostScript, Acrobat, etc. (This used to be Prepress Panic.com) |
| Tom Greer's Print Forum | This site has one of the very few good, currently-active PostScript forums. A very good place to ask questions. |
Documents
| Document | Description |
| Acumen Journal | Here is Acumen Training’s own monthly. Two articles a month, one each on PostScript programming and Acrobat use. The Journal also has the current class schedules. |
|
Here is a long list of tech notes on all things PostScript. Adobe writes a mean tech note; by and large they are clear, concise, and accurate. Included here are the EPS and PPD specs. |
Code Samples
All of these files are under 5k in size unless noted otherwise.
| File | Description |
| Acumen
Errorhandler.zip Acumen Errorhandler.sit (Each is about 40 k) |
The Acumen Errorhandler places itself behind your printer’s Server Loop (or not, if you wish) and provides extended information about PostScript errors, including the contents of the Operand, Dictionary, and Execution stacks. |
| AddCharToFont.ps |
This program adds a character to a Type 1 font. It adds a “square” character to Times-Roman. This is the sample code for the July newsletter's PostScript tip. |
AlignedText.zip |
This file contains four PostScript programs demonstrating different flavors of aligned text. This is the sample code for the July 2003 Journal. |
| arcshow.ps Journal Nov 2002 |
This file defines a procedure that prints text along a circular arc, as in the November 2002 Journal. It also contains the “improved” version of the proc. |
| BasicErrorHandler.zip Journal April 2005 1 k |
This file contains a simple redefinition of handleerror for the article on Handling PostScript Errors. |
|
CaseStatement.zip |
This is the PostScript sample code from Acumen Journal, April 2001. This demonstrates how to do the equivalent of a case statement in PostScript using dictionaries as your search mechanism. |
ColorKeyMasking.zip |
This contains a set of PostScript files used in the Journal article on Color Key Masked Images. |
| ColoringImages.zip Journal September 2004 1.1 Mb |
This contains a set of PostScript files used in the Journal article, Colorizing Images With Separation and DeviceN. |
| CompositeFont.ps Journal May 2002 |
This PostScript code defines a composite font that contains all of the fonts in the Helvetica family. |
ConcatString.zip |
This file contains three different implementations of a ConcatStrings procedure, described in the December 2003 Journal. |
| CountOps.ps Journal May 2003 |
This file defines a header that, when pasted in front of other PostScript code, counts the number of times each PostScript operator is executed. |
| DecodeFilteredStream | This file converts encoded PDF stream data back to its original form. This file is referred to in the PDF File Content and Structure 1 class. |
| ErrorHandler2.zip Journal June 2005 |
This file contains a set of PostScript files that implement a PostScript Error Handler. This file will accommodate both April and June 2005. |
| ExtractText.ps Journal Dec 2006 |
This file redefines the show operator and its relatives to extract text from an arbitrary PostScript file. |
| FractalTrees.ps Journal June 2003 |
This file contains a set of PostScript files that draw a series of increasingly realistic fractal trees. Also included is the file Factorial.ps. |
| HelveticaFixed.ps Journal Sept 2001 |
This PostScript code from the September 2001 Acumen Journal demonstrates how to override font character metrics using a Metrics dictionary. It creates a fixed-pitch version of Helvetica. |
ImageForm1.zip |
This sample code demonstrates how to use an image in a PostScript form by saving the data on the RIP's hard disk. There are four files in this zip archive. |
| ImageForm2.zip Journal Jan 2003 533k |
This sample code demonstrates how to use an image in a PostScript form using the ReusableStreamDecode filter. There are three files in this zip archive. |
| ImageForm3.zip Journal Feb 2003 184k |
This sample code demonstrates how to use an image in a PostScript form using an array of strings. There is a single file in this zip archive. |
| Imagemask.ps Journal Sept 2007 |
This sample code demonstrates how to use the imagemask operator. |
| InsertChar.ps Journal June 2001 |
This is the sample code for the June 2001 PostScript Tech article. This PostScript program inserts a “Smiley Face” character into Helvetica. |
LondonMasked.zip |
This PostScript code demonstrates how to print an explicitly masked image. |
| Outline
Font.zip Journal Apr 2002 |
This PostScript code demonstrates how to create outline versions of a Type 1 font. |
PFB2PS.c |
This ANSI C program extracts the PostScript font definition from a windows-style font file (suffixed .pfb). This is the sample file for the September 2002 Acumen Journal. |
| PrintParagraph.zip Journal Jan 2006 |
This zip archive contains two files that demonstrate how to set a paragraph of text in PostScript. |
| PS
Encryptor.c Journal May 2001 |
This is an ANSI C program that converts a PostScript file to an encrypted PostScript file, demonstrating the eexec encryption algorithm. |
| QuickSort.ps | This file demonstrates how to do a QuickSort procedure in PostScript. It defines a QSortArray procedure that takes an array of strings or numbers and returns it, sorted. |
| ReencodeFonts.zip Journal Dec 2001 |
This is the PostScript code for the article on reencoding fonts. This has the reencodefont procedure sample code as well as the Mac and Windows Encoding arrays. |
| setlinewidth.zip Journal Jan 2005 |
This file contains two redefinitions of setlinewidth that impose a minimum linewidth on that operator. |
| SimpleMaskedImgs.ps Journal June 2006 |
This file demonstrates the use of the Explicitly Masked Images. This is from the June 2006 Acumen Journal |
| SubFileDecode.zip Journal July 2002 |
These three files demonstrate the use of the SubFileDecode filter in trapping errors. This is from the July 2002 Acumen Journal. |
| TasteSmoothShading.ps Journal Nov 2000 |
This program presents a simple demonstration of PostScript LanguageLevel 3 smooth shading. Very pretty when handed to Acrobat 4 or later. |
TransferFcn.zip |
This zip file contains five programs demonstrating various special effects implemented with a transfer function. |
| WriteToDisk.ps | This program demonstrates how to write PostScript code or other data to a printer's hard disk. As a bonus, the code or data may be written to disk through a compression or other filter. |
| WriteToFile
.ps Journal Jan 2002 |
This PostScript code demonstrates how to write PostScript to a RIP’s hard disk. See also WriteToDisk.ps, above, which is a somewhat more sophisticated version. |
There are not a lot of PostScript specialists out there. The following are people I know and for whom I can vouch:
| Name | Comment |
| Rob
Daykin contracting@sevigny.org.uk |
Rob is an excellent PostScript programmer specializing in prepress workflows and applications. In addition to PostScript, he has extensive experience in Java, SQL, C/C++, and Perl. |
| Tom
Greer www.tgreer.com |
Tom is a consultant with extensive PostScript experience related to variable data printing. He has done a great deal of work in using PostScript to create data-driven printed and PDF documents. |
Acrobat & PDF Resources
Go to PostScript resources
Links
| Link | Description |
|
The source of it all. For the Acrobat user, This site provides lots of tech notes and links to other sites with plug-ins, etc. |
|
| Global Graphics: PDF Creator | PDF Creator is a PostScript-to-PDF converter of great precision and speed. An excellent tool, I find. |
| pdfzone | pdfzone is an excellent source for lots of Acrobat-related stuff. Plug-in links, white papers, commentary. Worth checking out weekly or so. |
| planetpdf |
PlanetPDF provides links to plug-in companies, informative papers, etc. They also have a very useful e-newsletter on what’s happening in the industry and remarkably active dicussion groups. I visit them often. |
| Tom Greer's Print Forum | This site has a collection of good, active forums on a variety of topics, including Acrobat use and JavaScript programming. |
Documents
| Document | Description |
| Acumen Journal | Here is Acumen Training’s own monthly. Two articles a month, one each on PostScript programming and Acrobat use. The Journal also has the current class schedules |
| Acrobat JavaScript Scripting Guide | This is Adobe’s guide to writing JavaScripts for Acrobat. |
| Design Tools Monthly | This monthly, paid newletter is full of interesting tips on the use of many software packages, including Acrobat. Worth a look. |
| PDF
Spec (5 MB) |
This is the PDF specification on Adobe’s web site. |
| Sample
PDF 2 Student Notes (104 k) |
This is a sample chapter from the student notes for the PDF File Content and Structure 2 class. This chapter discusses PDF external file specifications. |
Samples
| File | Description |
| Acrimony.zip Journal July 2002 (28 k) |
This sample form from the July 2002 Acumen Journal demonstrates how to embed data in a PDF file using a JavaScript. |
| AcrobatLayers.zip Journal June 2004 (1.2 M) |
This contains the four sample files for the June 2004 Journal article on Acrobat Layers and Forms. |
| All of
the above.zip Journal Jan 2006 (420 k) |
This file demonstrates the implementation of an All-of-the-above and None-of-the-above checkboxes. |
| Axolotlville.zip Journal Nov 2002 |
This is the sample form for the November 2002 article on implementing roll-over help. |
| BlinkingBtn.zip Journal May 2003 |
This is the sample form for the May 2003 article on implementing a Blinking Button in JavaScript. |
CounterUpper.zip |
This file contains two forms, each with a different example of how to use the Acrobat 6 Thermometer object. See the December 2003 Journal for details. |
| ExportToSpread.zip Journal Jan 2005 (444k) |
This file contains the form and the exported csv file used as an example in the January 2005 Journal. |
| FlattenedFood.zip Journal Dec 2002 |
This is the sample form for the December 2002 article on implementing roll-over help with JavaScript. |
| FlattenPages.zip Journal June 2005 1.7 M |
This file contains sample forms demonstrating how to flatten a PDF file using the JavaScript flattenPages method. |
| Global.zip Journal Aug 2004 1,220 k |
This is the sample form for the August 2004 article on the Acrobat global object. |
JSDebugger.zip |
This is the sample Acrobat form used in the July 2003 Journal article on the JavaScript debugger. |
| Nag_1.zip Journal Sept 2004 (331 k) |
This is the sample Acrobat form used in the Sept. 2004 Journal article on writing a Nagware Document. |
| Nag_2.zip Journal Nov 2004 (780 k) |
This is the sample Acrobat form used in the Nov. 2004 Journal article on writing a Nagware Document. |
Optimizing
PDF.zip |
These are the student notes and Distiller settings file for the 75-minute presentation Optimizing PDF for Print and Screen, presented at the WritersUSA conference. (This item is transient; I'll remove it in a month or two.) |
| Preflight.zip Journal Feb 2004 |
This file contains the preflight profiles described in the February 2004 Acumen Journal. Also included are instructions on how to import them into Acrobat. |
| PreflightAJ.zip Journal Mar 2004 |
This file contains the preflight profile described in the March 2004 Acumen Journal. Also included are instructions on how to import it into Acrobat. |
| Print-Only.js Journal Sept 2007 |
This JavaScript demonstrates the construction of a Print-Only Document. |
| Prologues.zip Journal Jan 2002 (32 k) |
This zip file contains a series of Distiller prologue.ps files that fix the Acrobat 5 too-thick hairline problem for a variety of source applications. (See the Journal article if that was confusing.) |
| Resampling.ps Journal April 2005 (764 k) |
This zip file contains the images used as an example in the discussion of Image Resampling. |
| RunFile.ps Journal April 2002 (< 1 k) |
This program demonstrates how to combine several PostScript files into a single Acrobat file. Read the April 2002 “Acrobat User” article for details. |
| SignedDoc.zip |
This is the sample file for the November 2001 Journal article on Acrobat Signatures. It contains a simple signed document and a user certificate file. |
| Spelling
Demo.pdf Journal Mar 2003 (228 k) |
This is the sample file for the March 2003 Journal article on Acrobat Spell Checking. It contains a form with a button you can turn into a “Check Spelling” button, following the article’s directions. |
| StampFiles.zip |
This file contains is the sample files from the June 2001 Acrobat User. This is the artwork and PDF files for an “Emoticon” rubber stamp. |
