[Mac-gs] Unable to render .ps files to screen
Pietro Calogero
pietro@calogeros.org
Mon, 15 Jan 2001 11:52:40 -0800
Dear Mr. Schindall,
Yesterday I was looking at the ExoPlanets website and it appears that
scientific writers like to output their papers in PostScript. Netscape
alerted me that I should add a plugin so that I could read files with
the ".ps" suffix.
Following a set of screen prompts and choices, I downloaded Aladdin
GhostScript 5.50/MacGS-5.50 (FAT) to my PowerMac 7500/100 running OS
8.6. Thus far, I have not been able to use the program to render any of
the ".ps" files that I downloaded. Of the Example files in the MacGS
folder, I was able to render-to-screen the (cheq.ps) and (escher.ps)
files, but not the (alphabet.ps) file; and only the color listing in the
(colorcir.ps) file.
Questions:
1. Is the scientific community outputting in PostScript because Adobe
Acrobat is too expensive? It makes sense, and I guess that GhostScript
can compile PostScript files, but then since Adobe wrote PostScript,
wouldn't they also own the rights and means to make a profit from
PostScript writers as well?
2. I understand from the HTML manual that I use MacGS to run a
PostScript file in order to output a rendering to a device, be it a
screen or a printer. MacGS seems to have selected my screen as the
default output device, and I have tried to "run" and "open" the .ps
files I downloaded, with no results. How do I get this to work? And
will I need to "run" each file again to generate output for my Epson
Inkjet printer?
Pietro Calogero
p.s.: I am not a programmer! Below is the output from Ghostscript when I
tried to run one of the papers I downloaded. I cannot make sense of
this, except that
(Earth:SpaceImages:EXOPLANETS:51Peg.ps) run } .runjob
Error: /rangecheck in --imagemask--
seems to be bad news of some sort. The pathname is correct for the
file (51Peg.ps) which I tried to open on the volume named Earth. --PC
Aladdin Ghostscript 5.50 (1998-9-16)
Copyright (C) 1998 Aladdin Enterprises, Menlo Park, CA. All rights
reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
GS>{ [72.0 72.0] [612.0 792.0] 8 4 1 (51Peg.ps) false .newwindow
(Earth:SpaceImages:EXOPLANETS:51Peg.ps) run } .runjob
Error: /rangecheck in --imagemask--
Operand stack:
-8 --nostringval-- 63 68 true --nostringval--
--nostringval--
Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval--
--nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- 0 3
%oparray_pop --nostringval-- %loop_continue 1 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push 1 3
%oparray_pop 1 3 %oparray_pop .runexec2 --nostringval--
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 4 %oparray_pop
%finish_show 3 4 1 0 --nostringval-- (gs_show_enum)
%op_show_continue --nostringval-- 7 4 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
--dict:823/941(G)-- --dict:0/20(G)-- --dict:49/200(L)--
--dict:112/250(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
Current file position is 208957
GS<1>[72.0 72.0] [612.0 792.0] 8 4 1 (Rendering Output) true .newwindow
GS<1> (Earth:SpaceImages:EXOPLANETS:51Peg.ps) run
Error: /rangecheck in --imagemask--
Operand stack:
-8 -8 --nostringval-- 63 68 true --nostringval--
--nostringval--
Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval--
--nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- 0 3
%oparray_pop --nostringval-- %loop_continue 2 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- 2 3 %oparray_pop 2 3 %oparray_pop
.runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2
%stopped_push --nostringval-- --nostringval-- 3 4
%oparray_pop %finish_show 8 4 2 0 --nostringval--
(gs_show_enum) %op_show_continue --nostringval-- 8 4
%oparray_pop --nostringval-- --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
--dict:823/941(G)-- --dict:0/20(G)-- --dict:49/200(L)--
--dict:112/250(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
Current file position is 208957
GS<2>{ [72.0 72.0] [612.0 792.0] 8 4 1 (51Peg.ps) false .newwindow
(Earth:SpaceImages:EXOPLANETS:51Peg.ps) run } .runjob
Error: /rangecheck in --imagemask--
Operand stack:
-8 -8 -8 --nostringval-- 63 68 true --nostringval--
--nostringval--
Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval--
--nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- 0 3
%oparray_pop --nostringval-- %loop_continue 3 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push 3 3
%oparray_pop 3 3 %oparray_pop .runexec2 --nostringval--
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- 4 4 %oparray_pop
%finish_show 13 4 3 0 --nostringval-- (gs_show_enum)
%op_show_continue --nostringval-- 9 4 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
--dict:823/941(G)-- --dict:0/20(G)-- --dict:49/200(L)--
--dict:112/250(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
Current file position is 208957
GS<3>[72.0 72.0] [612.0 792.0] 8 4 1 (Rendering Output) true .newwindow
GS<3>
GS<3>quit
Command: gs
Aladdin Ghostscript 5.50 (1998-9-16)
Copyright (C) 1998 Aladdin Enterprises, Menlo Park, CA. All rights
reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
GS> (Earth:SpaceImages:EXOPLANETS:hd89744.ps) run
Loading NimbusRomNo9L-Regu font from Mercury:Applications:MacGS-550
ƒ:fonts:n021003l.pfb... 1906612 581185 1409536 115717 0 done.
Error: /rangecheck in --%op_show_continue--
Operand stack:
Execution stack:
%interp_exit .runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval--
--nostringval-- 2 %stopped_push --nostringval-- 0 3
%oparray_pop --nostringval-- %loop_continue 1 3 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval-- false 1 %stopped_push
--nostringval-- 1 3 %oparray_pop 1 3 %oparray_pop
.runexec2 --nostringval-- --nostringval-- --nostringval-- 2
%stopped_push --nostringval-- 1 5 %oparray_pop
--nostringval-- --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
--dict:823/941(G)-- --dict:0/20(G)-- --dict:50/200(L)--
--dict:20/20(L)-- --dict:119/250(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
Current file position is 76257
GS>