ndg503@csc.anu.edu.au (Nick Guoth) (04/12/91)
Hi all, This has been a long time coming and I duly apologize. I saw that a similar problem was being asked by Tim in a posting not so long ago. Well here are all the responses that I have received re my question about editing/printing with a Postscript file. For those who have forgotten the question, here it is: >Hi > >Question 1: >I have a postcript problem that someone might be able to help me with. >One of our students is using a Silicon Graphics (unix) machine. He >generates a postcript file and then transfers it to the mac in >ASCII format. > >What he would like to do is to edit and print this file. Now we >know that we could use Illustrator or Freehand, which will allow the >editing and saving as an ecapsulated postscript file. The trouble is >that both these programs cost to much. > >Does anyone know of a good program or method that will allow editing >and printing of postscript files for the mac? Are there any methods >using Binary files? > >Question 2: >Is there any program on the Mac that will allow a user to input a >postscript command file and generate a plot or picture so that this >could be modified in a draw or paint program? The postscript files >were actually generated on a VAX. > >ta, > >nick >ndg503@csc.anu.edu.au >"Happiness is a piece of fudge caught on the first bounce" - Snoopy And here are the responses: From: ericd@csufres.CSUFresno.EDU (Eric W. Douglas) The problem with editing or viewing regularrrrr script files on the mac is, that macintosh created documents, contain a PICT picture resource in the resource fork. This is so the user can view the actual picture. These files are called "encapsulated" ps files. Your can move an ascii text ps file to a mac, and dump it to a laserprinter, but you cannot edit it, unless you have somekind of postscript previewer. I have heard that some are available, but I can't remember the names. hopes this helps- Eric W. Douglas * internet: ericd@csufres.csufresno.edu Dept. of Computer Science * ez002644@deneb.ucdavis.edu California State University, Fresno * From: inm501@csc.anu.edu.au (Ida Ma) I thought Cricket Draw have an option of saving the file as a postscript file. Maybe you can check the manual. From: smithc@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (Christopher Smith) An inexpensive idea would be to get a program called The Curator from a company called Solutions, Inc. I'm sure you can find it listed in most mail order catalogues or at a Mac dealer. The Curator will, among other things, convert graphics from one format to another. You could take the postscript file from the UNIX system, convert it to somethilng like encapsulated postscript, TIFF, or even PICT (if you were desperate), edit the file, and then reconvert it to postscript. It's an option, depending on the graphics programs already available to you. The Curator costs around $87 or so, and it works nicely. I was frantically trying to send an image I scanned up to the NeXT computers and their high-resolution laser printer here. The NeXTs didn't like my TIFF format graphics, so I eventually came across The Curator, converted the file to encapsulated postscript with Image Studio, and then converted the graphic to postscript with The Curator. I uploaded the thing to the NeXT, and there was much rejoicing. Oh, I should mention this. The Curator will take pictures in MacPaint, PICT, TIFF, and Glue format and convert them to another format in that list. It will also take Mac EPSF, IBM EPSF, and postscript files and convert them to any of those seven afore- mentioned formats. You *might* have to upload the file to the Mac in a binary format. Use NCSA Telnet, which supports UNIX's ftp system for binary transfers, to accomplish this. Hope this helps! Christopher A. Smith St. Olaf College INTERNET: smithc@thor.acc.stolaf.edu From:MBERNAR%ERENJ@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU about question 1: You can edit a postcript file with any text editor like Consulair's Edit. Of course, you have to know how to read postcript to know what you're doing. There is an application SendPS available from Sumex or any other servers like PUCC that allows one to send a PS file to a LaserWriter. Regards, Marcelino Bernardo bernardo@erevax.bitnet mbernar@erenj.bitnet ------------------------- Well, we have ordered The Curator from the US and are still waiting for its arrival (generally things take about 4 weeks to get here :-( ). Thanks again to all who responded, and I hope what has been said here might be of use to some others too. Unfortunately 4 weeks has become more more like 6 and the item has just arrived. It looks good, but we have not had enough time to play with it yet. /-----------------------------------------------------------------\ nick guoth ndg503@csc.anu.edu.au Research School of Chemistry Computing Unit Australian National University Canberra, AUSTRALIA "Happiness is a piece of fudge caught on the first bounce" - Snoopy \-----------------------------------------------------------------/