PS file format
| Extension | .ps |
| Category | images |
| Programs | Adobe Illustrator (Windows, Mac OS) Adobe Acrobat (Windows, Mac OS) Adobe Photoshop (Windows, Mac OS) Adobe Photoshop Elements (Windows, Mac OS) ACD Systems Canvas X (Windows) ACD Systems ACDSee Photo Studio (Windows) GSView (Windows, Linux) GPL Ghostscript (Windows) Apple Preview (Mac OS) Evince (Linux) |
| Main program | Adobe Photoshop |
| Description | Files with the .ps extension were created between 1982 and 1984 by Doug Brotz, Bill Paxton, John Warnock, Ed Taft, Charles Geschke at Adobe Systems. Publishers commonly use PS files for their electronic and desktop publishing business. Before the creation of the PostScript format, it seemed impossible to print text and images on a single page, as we do today. PostScript files made it possible for applications to communicate with printers, allowing them to display both text and images simultaneously on a single page. The Apple LaserWriter, released in March 1985, was the first printer to support the PostScript format, which helped printing technologies overcome the text-image obstacle and revolutionized the publishing business. |
| Technical details | Postscript was initially conceptualized as a computer programming language by John Gaffney; the file format was later developed. PostScript files are mostly created with applications like Adobe Acrobat or Quark Express. Though new file formats with similar and improved functionalities have been created since PostScript, it is still supported by recent printer technologies, so the hardware manufacturer includes the device driver software structure. The average PS file functions more like a GPS, providing instructions that give the coordinates necessary for printheads to accurately print each pixel of a character in the correct location. |
| MIME type | application/postscript application/ps application/x-postscript application/x-ps text/postscript application/x-postscript-not-eps |