Ghostscript helps print to non-PostScript printer

Ghostscript, an interpreter for the PostScript language and for PDF. Ghostscript can be used as a raster image processor (RIP) for raster computer printers - it helps converting PostScript language files or Portable Document Format (PDF) files to many raster formats. The raster format is usually a page bitmap which can then be sent to an output device such as a printer or display. Anyway, many of the printers today are having PostScript embedded.

This will enable user to view PostScript language files on displays, and print them on printers that do not have PostScript language capability built in.

Ghostscript is also able to convert PostScript language files to PDF (with some limitations) and vice versa. A number of utility scripts like ps2pdf are available to convert a PostScript document to PDF.

There are other utility scripts besides ps2pdf, including pdf2ps, ps2epsi and ps2ascii. These applications call Ghostscript with the appropriate set of options.

Ghostscript is also used as a general engine inside other applications like CutePDF Writer, a virtual printer software.

To get a brief help message of Ghostscript, execute the gs command with the -h or -? switch:

gs -h
gs -?

The output from invoking this command are

• the version and release information
• the general format of the command line
• a few of the most useful options
• the formats it can interpret
• the available output devices
• the search path
• the bug report address

Visit the Ghostscript web page at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost for more information about this great software!