WYNTK: UNIX System Admininistrator

A PostScript file has a unique header.

If you looked at a PostScript file with a text editor or with the more command, the start of the file might look like:

%!PS-Adobe-2.0
%%Creator: O'Reilly 2.1
%%CreationDate: 12/12/94 14/12/40
%%End Comments
/ld {load def} bind def
/s /stroke ld /f /fill ld /m /moveto ld /l /lineto ld /c /
curveto ld /rgb {255 div 3 1 roll 255 div 3 1 roll 255 div 3
1 roll setrgbcolor} def 126 142 translate
360.0000 508.8000 scale
/picstr 19 string def
152 212 1[152 0 0 -212 0 212]{currentfile picstr
readhexstring pop} image

Files have different formats

Before any file can be printed, it must be converted into PostScript. How this is done depends on what sort of file it is, and how you have things configured at your site.

Text files

A text file is the most familiar and most universal file format. Text files are exactly what they sound like. They do not allow for any formatting, such as italics or changing font size; the files are just plain text. When you save a mail message, it is usually in text format. Also, files that are meant to be read online, such as README files or other notes for users, are written in text format. Text files are sometimes called “ASCII files,” because they are formatted entirely using ASCII characters.The following is an example of a text file:

    **** README ****
    To run the programs in this directory:
    o If you use the C shell, run the command "source sourceme"
    o If you use the Bourne shell, run the command ". dotme"

To print a text file, you ...