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I'm currently writing a typesetting application and I'm using PSG as the backend for producing postscript files. I'm now wondering whether that choice makes sense. It seems the ReportLab Toolkit offers all the features PSG offers, and more. ReportLab outputs PDF however.
Advantages PDF offers:
Is there any reason to use Postscript instead of directly outputting to PDF? While Postscript is a full programming language as opposed to PDF, as a basic output format for documents, that doesn't seem to offer any advantage. I assume a PDF can be readily converted to PostScript for printing?
Some useful links:
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PDF is considered more advanced than PostScript; a PDF file is actually a PostScript file that has been taken a little further. A RIP has interpreted the file and made it into clearly defined objects that you can see on the screen as visual objects, rather than just code.
A PDF file is actually a PostScript file which has already been interpreted by a RIP and made into clearly defined objects. These objects are viewable on screen not in code, but in visual objects that everyone can see. Because these files are already interpreted by the RIP, they can be more reliable than an EPS or a .
The postscript is indeed of limited use, but it might still be useful when one has something else to say, but doesn't want to compose the email all over again. People still do compose letters from time to time, and send them on paper.
Type 1 fonts (also known as PostScript, PS1, T1, Adobe Type 1, Multiple Master, or MM) are a deprecated format within the font industry, replaced by the larger glyph sets and more robust technical possibilities of OpenType format fonts.
If you're planning on only outputting to a PostScript printer, then use PostScript. Otherwise, use PDF.
PDF is more widely supported by non-printer devices. And for your purposes, there aren't any technical advantages of PS over PDF (other than not being able to dump the file directly to a printer).
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