What is a PS file
Files with the PS extension were originally developed by Adobe Systems in 1982. These files are used by various publishing industries. Earlier to the development of PostScript, it was not feasible to print text and images on the same page. Development of PostScript facilitated this by defining a language that permitted various applications to instruct the printer how to display objects on a same page. Publishing was revolutionized by PS file types permitting certain items to be printed that formerly could only be printed on specialist CAD printers.
PS (PostScript) is basically a file type and a programming language as well. Quark Xpress and Adobe Acrobat are the applications that typically create files with a PS extension which are being widely used today. The majority of programs and printers can open this file type. Files with the PS extensions usually comprise of a set of instructions that tell the printers what to print, and provide the co-ordinates on the page of where a text or an object should be printed.
Here's a small, but not exhaustive list of programs that can open PS documents:
- ACD Systems ACDSee (Windows)
- ACD Systems Canvas (Windows)
- Adobe Acrobat (Windows & Mac)
- Adobe Illustrator (Windows & Mac)
- Adobe Photoshop (Windows & Mac)
- Adobe Photoshop Elements (Windows & Mac)
- Evince (Linux)
- GPL Ghostscript (Windows)
- GSView (Windows & Linux)
- Inkscape (Windows, Mac & Linux)
