PostScript(R) by Example

By Mary Campione and Henry McGilton

Book Overview

PostScript by Example is packed with 500 examples and 700 pictures to help users and programmers at all levels become knowledgeable in PostScript--the industry-standard page-description language... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201632284
• ISBN13: 9780201632286
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Length: 620 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.5" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

wonderful book for PostScript novices

This is an extremely helpful book, *if* you are a little familiar with PostScript and want to know more. Although it suffers a bit from lack of organization, the subsections are fairly self-contained and are generally extremely clear. As a hobbyist, my primary interest is in PostScript drawing rather than text manipulation, and this book has good coverage of drawing and graphics. My understanding of PostScript was greatly deepened by this book. (I finally understand dictionaries!) PostScript level 2 is discussed in some detail, which is unusual among the available texts. I have looked at several books and have not found a better intermediate level text.

Superb examples and documentation; much easier than Adobe.

PostScript by Example may be your best introduction to this somewhat obscure page description language. I credit McGilton and Campione for providing what little I understand of PostScript object and stack creation and manipulation. Everything you need to know about basic syntax, construction of Bezier paths, use of fonts, graphic transformation and use of dictionaries is here, and it's properly commented, too!If you absolutely HAVE to code or troubleshoot in PostScript and are wading through Adobe's Red Book (PostScript Language Reference Manual, 2nd Edition) or Blue Book (PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook), then take a break, accelerate yourself and read PostScript by Example.Unfortunately, through no fault of the authors, some of what they have built is not really useable. The information in chapter ten on creating a user-defined (Type 3) font has no bearing in any PostScript interpreter environment I can access. This includes, Illustrator 6 and 7, Tailor 2 and Acrobat Distiller 3.0.2. If I'm doing something wrong, I'd like to see where, but in point of fact the Type 3 font information in the Red Book doesn't work either in those environments.This, as I have mentioned, is not the fault of the writers, who cannot be held accountable for changes in the software since 1993. It would, however, be nice to see an update to this book, especially inasmuch as PostScript is now upgrading to level 3. If McGilton and Campione could be pulled away from UNIX (it's only an OS) and Java (it's not a standard and won't be for a while), then we can get back to basics.