PostScript and EPS Files

On both Macintosh and Windows, you can use PostScript printer drivers to produce PostScript files—files that encode the graphics to be printed in the form of a PostScript program. Such files are most commonly used for printing, either at a later time or from a different computer. But many such printer drivers also have the capability of producing EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files, which can be placed in a wide variety of graphics programs on a wide variety of platforms.

Under Mac OS X, you can also use the standard printing dialog box to create a PDF Preview file. This file can be opened by Adobe Acrobat or other PDF readers.

To use your printer driver to produce an EPS or PDF file, first hide all objects in the sketch except those you want to include in the EPS file. Then choose Print, and use the Print dialog box to set your printer driver to produce an EPS or PDF file. The settings to produce such a file vary according to your platform and PostScript printer driver, and may not be available with all drivers. (With the Macintosh Adobe PostScript printer driver 8.7, set the Destination to File and use the PostScript settings to change the format to EPS. With certain Windows HP printer drivers, check the Print To File checkbox and use the Advanced button on Layout Properties to set the Document PostScript options to EPS.)