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author | Siep Kroonenberg <siepo@cybercomm.nl> | 2008-07-04 10:17:06 +0000 |
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committer | Siep Kroonenberg <siepo@cybercomm.nl> | 2008-07-04 10:17:06 +0000 |
commit | 4a697a53a3c9c2795d549c7d5eb7a6c88c7911a9 (patch) | |
tree | b2f5967ce6865b615213754aa2aa3d41574502bc /Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help | |
parent | cdbc5d3bd4d89338a033d47d1368e8e30d273544 (diff) |
Added: epspdf conversion utility
git-svn-id: svn://tug.org/texlive/trunk@9222 c570f23f-e606-0410-a88d-b1316a301751
Diffstat (limited to 'Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help')
-rw-r--r-- | Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help | 155 |
1 files changed, 155 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help b/Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..90d9c795a0d --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/scripts/epspdf/epspdf.help @@ -0,0 +1,155 @@ + Epspdf and epspdftk User Guide + + A multiplatform GUI- and command-line converter for [e]ps and pdf. + + Siep Kroonenberg, + siepo at cybercomm dot nl + +Overview + + Epspdftk converts files between eps, pdf and general PostScript. The main + screen lets you open a file, select some options and convert the file. + + When opening a file, epspdf tries to find out file type and, in the case + of a pdf file, the number of pages. This information is displayed in the + box in the upper half of the screen. + +Viewing + + The View button at the bottom of the screen calls an appropriate external + viewer. For Windows this is determined by the default Open command, for OS + X it is always Preview, and under Linux it is configurable; see below + under [1]The Configuration screen. + + The View button is grayed if epspdf thinks that there is no previewer for + the current file. + +Conversion options + + Grayscaling: Simple color figures can be converted to grayscale. + Grayscaling will fail for bitmapped data and for advanced color models. + 'Try harder to grayscale' will handle a few more cases, but may take + longer and still won't handle bitmaps. + + Call for assistance: If a PostScript color expert is reading this: please + have a look at makegray.pro and see whether you can come up with something + that handles more color models. + + Compute tight boundingbox: This option is only available if a single page + is converted. + + Page selection: The only possibilities are selecting a single page or + selecting all pages. When converting to eps you are restricted to a single + page. + + For general PostScript files, there is no quick way to determine the + number of pages, so the program won't check beforehand whether you picked + an existing page. If you picked a non-existent page, the program will + abort. If you don't like that, convert the entire document to pdf first - + which will be done behind the scenes anyhow. + + Specifying options such as grayscaling or page selection may require + several roundtrips between PostScript or eps and pdf. If epspdf cannot use + pdftops then some combinations of options will not be available. + +Converting + + The Convert and save... button calls up a file save dialog, with + appropriate default extension. After a successful conversion, the result + becomes the new current file, so you can judge the result by pressing the + View button again. + +The configuration screen + + Epspdftk also has a configuration screen. The settings here are preserved + between sessions. Pay particular attention to 'Intended use' under PDF + CONVERSION. Choose 'prepress' for pdfs which are intended for commercial + printing. This option will try to embed all fonts, among other things. + More and more often, printshops insist on this. With luck, Ghostscript + fonts and system fonts will be used for fonts which were not originally + embedded. + + Under Windows, this screen also lets you tell the program where to find + pdftops.exe. Under Linux, it lets you pick PostScript- and pdf previewers. + +Adding standard fonts to an existing pdf + + You can add standard fonts such as Times and Helvetica to an existing pdf: + first, convert to ps, with 'Convert all pages' selected. Then, make sure + that in the configuration screen 'Intended use' is set to prepress, then + convert back to pdf. + + If this option is set to screen, then standard fonts will be removed + instead of added. This option may also affect the resolution of bitmaps. + +Eps preview headers + + Preview headers are quietly stripped from eps files. These preview headers + are used by e.g. desktop-publishing software to represent eps files on + screen without having to interpret the PostScript code itself. Epspdf + currently has no option to preserve or add them. + +Exporting PostScript from Windows programs + + Often, the only way to get EPS or PostScript from a Windows program is by + 'printing' to a PostScript file. From some programs, you can print a + selection. A suitable driver which comes with Windows is Generic / MS + Publisher Imagesetter. Pay attention to the printer properties: avoid the + 'Optimize for speed' setting and choose Outline for font downloading. + These options can be found under the Advanced button. + + Other possibilities are the TpX and wmf2eps programs, which both have + options to write clipboard contents to an emf file. Wmf2eps uses a printer + driver in the background. For faithful conversion, pick wmf2eps; for + subsequent editing, choose TpX. Both programs are availbable from [2]CTAN. + +Command-line use + + Epspdf.rb, the library for epspdftk.rb, does double duty as command-line + version of epspdftk.rb. Type epspdf.rb -h for help. It shares + configuration settings with epspdftk. + +Troubleshooting + + Grayscaling fails + + See above, under [3]Grayscaling. Epspdf is limited by what can be done by + the backend tools, i.e. Ghostscript and pdftops. + + Part of the graphic gets cut off + + I have seen this happen with eps files generated by printing landscape + PowerPoint slides to PostScript with the Encapsulated PostScript output + option. Using the Archive output option instead solved the problem. In + general, experiment a bit in generating your PostScript. + + Resources for troubleshooting + + Logfile. Epspdf and epspdftk maintain a log file epspdf.log in your home + directory or, in case of Windows, your profile directory. This profile + directory may be c:\Documents and Settings\<your user name>. Otherwise, + open a DOS box and type 'echo %USERPROFILE%', which will produce this + information. + + This logfile lists all Ghostscript- and pdftops program calls plus error + information. 'EPCallError' is probably a program error. 'EPSystemError' is + more likely caused by a faulty file, but may be a program error as well. + + Temporary files. The temporary files may give clues as well. They will be + deleted at the end of the session (for the command-line version, give a -d + parameter to keep the temporary files). Check the logfile which temporary + files have been created. + + [4]Main page... + + -------------------------------------------------------------------------- + + Last revised: Noverber 20, 2006 + +References + + Visible links + 1. http://tex.aanhet.net/epspdf/epspdf_UG.html#configure + 2. http://www.tug.org/ctan.html + 3. http://tex.aanhet.net/epspdf/epspdf_UG.html#gray + 4. http://tex.aanhet.net/epspdf/index.html |