Why PostScript® & PostScript Printers?

PostScript® is a computer programming language that was created to get our job done. Without it, we can't do desktop publishing.

Prevent Text Reflow!

Most desktop publishing problems that involve printers, fonts and text reflow are resolved by installing the correct PostScript printer drivers on the workstation. Click here to learn how to correctly install and configure your PostScript printer and drivers on Windows workstations.

It's a page description language that describes the visual layout of a page ... i.e., the photo is 4 x 5 inches and positioned at x–y 100–-120, text column begins at x–y 50–72, PostScript font ITC Garamond is used, etc.

PostScript is what makes desktop publishing work. THERE IS NO OTHER LANGUAGE that does ALL the things that we in graphic arts need to do — describe pages, fonts, vector graphics, printing ink colors (PANTONE and CMYK), film separations, 1200–4800 dpi resolutions, layers of objects, knockouts/overprints, transparency, trapping of colors, and all the other specs for hi-res printing and graphics.

PostScript is also the language that our industry standardized on since the mid-1980s, so everyone in the chain of production must use PostScript throughout the process in order for it to work — desktop publishers, illustrators, and the printshops/service bureaus that output the film for printing plates all speak one common language, PostScript.

The ground rules: Maintain PostScript compliance

Successful desktop publishing depends upon 5 things, which we call "PostScript compliance." It's costly when compliance is not met...your print shop's service bureau will likely charge you hundreds of dollars for extra film and labor on your print jobs when you're not PostScript through and through. And the problems could delay your job substantially. Here's what you need to do to be PostScript compliant:

You must use a genuine Adobe PostScript printer (laser or inkjet) to proof your layout pages from the DTP software program. Otherwise what you see is NOT what you'll get at the service bureau when they output film...at the service bureau, the text will reflow substantially on their PostScript imagesetter, and graphics may not image correctly. And you will pay $10 or more per sheet of film that comes out incorrectly.
You must also use PostScript fonts (not Truetype, unless you know for sure that your service bureau can accept Truetype fonts)
You must always use and industry-standard PostScript layout programs to create your documents. They are:

Adobe FrameMaker
Adobe PageMaker
Adobe InDesign
Corel Ventura
QuarkXPress

You must always use industry-standard PostScript graphics programs for illustrations. They are:

Adobe Illustrator
Macromedia Freehand
CorelDraw

Your vector graphics must be in EPS or Encapsulated Postscsript format. Vector graphics are those that are created in Illustrator, Freehand and CorelDraw (see above). Your bitmapped images, such as photos, should be in TIFF format.

The printing and graphic arts industry has to be pretty strict about this...the group of files that make up a publication just won't work if they're not PostScript through and through. And no, it's not that we love Adobe or anything like that, but they did invent PostScript and they're the leading software manufacturer for the printing and graphic arts industry.

Some simple math

100-page book, 2 colors per page = 200 sheets of film @$10/film = $2,000 film cost

If that book is NOT created with PostScript fonts and software, NOR printed on a PostScript laser/inkjet printer, than all that film won't come out correctly and you will waste $2,000, not to mention your time and labor costs. Talk about being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Remember, PostScript was created to get our job done, so that's why we use it.

Selecting PostScript printers

Purchase a true, genuine, Adobe PostScript printer, not a clone and interpreter. Brands to look at are:

Hewlett-Packard — www.hp.com
Xante — www.xante.com (makes some tabloid- and regular-sized ones)
Xerox — www.xerox.com (some of the "DocuPrint" models are PostScript)
Tektronix — www.tektronix.com (color printers, now a part of Xerox)
LexMark — www.lexmark.com (has a nice inexpensive one for small work)
QMS — www.qms.com (recently purchased by Minolta)
GCC Technologies — www.gcctech.com (look for their true Adobe PS printers, not clones)
Genicom — www.genicom.com (hi-powered network printers)
Epson — www.epson.com
Apple — (discontinued its Laserwriter line, but older ones still around)

Make sure you check the specs on these models...you're looking for the words "True Adobe PostScript" or the Adobe logo on all the advertising materials.

Many manufacturers make the same model in 2 versions, non-PS and PS, so you have to be careful and select the right model. And I don't recommend Epson printers for Windows users ... the line doesn't seem to work well with PCs, but is fine for Macs.

Also look for the words "PostScript Level 2" or "PostScript Level 3", L3 being the latest version of the software with more features, especially for hi-res printing. But L2 is fine for desktop publishers because L3's new features are used mainly by service bureaus who output the hi-res film.

If you're Mac-based, most of these models are compatible with the Mac OS, but look at the printer's ports (USB or serial) and make sure that your Mac matches the printer.

Both the Xerox and HP are top sellers, and Xante is not far behind. We have a Xante at our studio and it's quality is excellent, but I have to admit that the tech support from the company for Windows users is lousy. Xante deals mainly with professional DTPers using Macs, so they cater to them, not Windows users.

And put as much RAM into your printer as you can afford...means quicker processing time, especially with complex pages and graphics. 12MB RAM is the minimum you need for simple 8.5x11 pages with fonts and graphics, 32MB minimum for tabloid-size pages. Color printers need 36–72MB to handle all that data efficiently.

When you add RAM to your printer, check the technical specs to see if you can use generic DIMM or SIMM chips, rather than high-priced proprietary chips. The manual will give the specs for the chips, or call the manufacturer's technical support for this information. If your printer does use generic DIMMs or SIMMs, then purchase them from a good chip manufacturer, such as Crucial/Micron, www.crucial.com.

Also see:

How to correctly install and configure your PostScript printer and drivers.
Click here to Learn more about fonts.