TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Needed: Basic Postscript Info (Long-ish) From:Marc Brinker <mbrinker -at- PRECISIONCS -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 19 Nov 1997 11:24:29 -0800
Lonnye Yancey wrote:
> we're currently writing
> training guides that will need to be sent to an outside printer. I've
> seen a great deal of information in the list archives about postscript
> files and their desirability for printing.
> However, I still need a little background on the process . . .
One of the best things you can do is talk to your printer, if you've
chosen one already. "Printer" in this case refers to the company that
will produce the final product; I doubt if talking to your HP Laserjet
will help much, though it may be therapeutic! ;-) . . . The people at
the print shop should be able to help quite a bit, supplying you
information regarding acceptable file formats, etc. For example, how are
you going to deliver this to them? Most companies prefer original
electronic files, usually in Pagemaker, Quark, Frame, etc. format, but
can also sometimes work with files from Word or some other word
processor. Usually the print shop will need to create separations
(Printer's term) to print the manual, therefore the need for the
higher-end layout programs. The printer can also help you on margin
settings and other such requirements; for example, if you have the
manual bound, using a realistic margin so the text can be easily read
when the book is opened.
> In the list archives, everybody talks about .ps and .eps postscript
> files, but the only file extension I get with my driver is .prn. What's
> the difference? What should I or can I do differently to get these
> other file types? Am I using the wrong driver?
I'm no expert (experts, can you help?) but may be able to shed some
light on this. The .PRN files are printer-specific files you have
created, with the print drivers from your software. These are usually
created by selecting the "Print to File" option in the Print dialog box.
Using DOS commands, these files can actually be sent to a specific
printer (here, the machine on your desk), and could _possibly_ be output
by your printer (the people who invoice you). To do this, you must
output the file using the printer driver for the output devices they
have at the shop. In practice, this usually doesn't work out too well.
An .EPS file, however, is a software-independent graphics file with a
particular descriptive format. These files can be used by a wide range
of graphics-capable software (Pagemaker, etc.). "EPS" stands for
"Encapsulated Postscript". Typically, you would not send your printer
(either type) an .EPS file, but rather would place an .EPS file in your
document. You would then give the document to the print shop in its
original format (Pagemaker or Quark or whatever).
> Since I've never worked with postscript files before, I want to be able
> to actually *look* at my postscript file before I send it out to a
> printer. How can I do that?
Get some type of graphics software that supports .EPS files. You can
even do this in the most recent versions of Word, I think, by using
Insert>Picture. You'll be able to see your graphic in your document (in
Word, you have to be in preview mode, remember). Theoretically, what you
print on your local printer should look somewhat like the final output.
Hope this helps.
Marc Brinker
Precision Communication Services
On-line Technical Communications Specialists
