Overview of Ghostscript

If this is your first contact with Ghostscript, before continuing here you
should read the documentation for new users, where you'll find

   * what Ghostscript does (PostScript and PDF previewing, conversion, and
     printing);
   * its licensing terms (free for ordinary use);
   * what platforms it runs on (every platform you're likely to be
     interested in);
   * where to find some useful programs that enhance Ghostscript (like
     user-friendly previewers for Unix, VMS, MS Windows, DOS, and
     Macintosh); and
   * what to do if you need help.

The rest of this document is a roadmap to the Ghostscript documentation.
After looking through it, if you want to install Ghostscript and not only
use it, we recommend you read how to install Ghostscript, and how to compile
Ghostscript from source code (which is necessary before installing it on
Unix and VMS systems).
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Table of contents

        * Document roadmap by theme
             o What should I read if I'm a new user?
             o AFPL Ghostscript and GNU Ghostscript
             o Before building Ghostscript
             o What should I read if I'm not a new user?
             o What if I'm a developer?
             o What if I'm writing documentation?
        * Presence on the World Wide Web
             o Ghostscript's home pages
             o Adobe PostScript, Encapsulated PostScript, and PDF
               reference documentation
             o Other material on the WWW
        * Which document contains what?
             o Primarily for users:

                    Bug-form.htm    Humor.htm      Readme.htm
                    Bug-info.htm    New-user.htm   Unix-lpr.htm
                    Devices.htm     Ps2epsi.htm    Use.htm
                    Helpers.htm     Ps2pdf.htm

             o For both users and developers:

                    Changes.htm     Hershey.htm    News.htm
                    Commprod.htm    History*.htm   Psfiles.htm
                    Copying.htm     Install.htm    Public.htm
                    Current.htm     Language.htm   Tester.htm
                    Fonts.htm       Make.htm

             o Primarily for developers:

                    API.htm        Htmstyle.htm   Ps-style.htm
                    C-style.htm    Issues.htm     Release.htm
                    DLL.htm        Lib.htm        Source.htm
                    Develop.htm    Maintain.htm   Xfonts.htm
                    Drivers.htm    Projects.htm

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Document roadmap by theme

What should I read if I'm a new user?

A new user of Ghostscript should begin by reading the material specifically
for new users, then as many of these documents as seem useful:

   * how to install Ghostscript
   * how to use Ghostscript; some of this information information also found
     in gs.1, the Unix "man" page for Ghostscript.
   * the catalogs at the beginning of devs.mak and contrib.mak, which list
     all the devices for which Ghostscript is able to produce output
     (although if you got Ghostscript in binary form, it will only include
     some of these devices)
   * detailed information about some specific devices that Ghostscript knows
     about
   * more detailed information about how to use Ghostscript under Unix with
     lpr as a filter for non-PostScript printers
   * information about reporting problems--but remember that Ghostscript
     comes with NO WARRANTY and NO SUPPORT

AFPL Ghostscript and GNU Ghostscript

AFPL Ghostscript and GNU Ghostscript are different releases. If you have
AFPL Ghostscript, not the GNU Ghostscript releases distributed by the Free
Software Foundation, you should read (or at least skim through):

   * additional information about AFPL Ghostscript releases that is not
     relevant to GNU Ghostscript releases.

If you run into any questions, or if you are going to be using Ghostscript
extensively, you should at least skim, and probably eventually read:

   * about the fonts distributed with Ghostscript, including how to add or
     replace fonts
   * a description of the Ghostscript language, and its differences from the
     documented PostScript language
   * about the postscript files distributed with Ghostscript (other than
     fonts)

Before building Ghostscript

If you are going to compile Ghostscript, rather than just use an executable
you got from somewhere, you should read:

   * how to build Ghostscript and install it

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What should I read if I'm not a new user?

If you have already used Ghostscript, when you receive a new release you
should begin by reading this file, then

   * News.htm, for incompatible changes and new features in the current
     release;
   * Current.htm, for known problems in the current release;
   * if you wish, Changes.htm, for a detailed list of changes in the current
     release;
   * if you wish, History#.htm (currently History6.htm), for changes in
     other releases.

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What if I'm a developer?

If you are going to do any development on or with Ghostscript at all, you
should at least look at

   * the roadmap documentation for Ghostscript's source files and
     architecture

If you are going to write a new driver for Ghostscript, you should read

   * the guide to the Ghostscript source code
   * the interface between Ghostscript and device drivers
   * about the external font interface between Ghostscript and
     platform-supplied fonts (but read about drivers in general first)

If you are considering distributing Ghostscript (either AFPL or GNU
versions) in conjunction with a commercial product, you should read the
license carefully, and you should also read

   * additional clarification of the circumstances under which Ghostscript
     can be distributed with a commercial product

If you intend to use Ghostscript in the form of a dynamic link library (DLL)
under OS/2 or Microsoft Windows or in the form of shared object under Linux,
read

   * documentation on Ghostscript Interpreter API

If you want to use Ghostscript as part of another program--as a callable
PostScript language interpreter--and not as a DLL or as a self-contained
executable application, you should begin by reading

   * the source file imain.h, the documented API for Ghostscript not as a
     DLL

or if you are going to use only the Ghostscript graphics library,

   * about the structure of the Ghostscript library and its interfaces

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What if I'm writing documentation?

If you are editing or adding to Ghostscript's existing documentation in HTML
format, or writing a new document, you should read

   * the coding and style guidelines for Ghostscript's HTML-based
     documentation.

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Presence on the World Wide Web

Ghostscript's home page

Ghostscript has a home page on the World Wide Web with helpful information
such as the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and a list of known problems
and workarounds for the current AFPL Ghostscript release (in the "Obtaining"
file for that release):

     http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/

More material about Ghostscript can be found at

     http://www.ghostscript.com/

Adobe PostScript, Encapsulated PostScript, and PDF reference documentation

Adobe makes a wealth of technical documentation available over the Web,
including the PostScript Language Reference Manual (Third Edition); the
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) Format Specification version 3, including
Encapsulated PostScript Interchange (EPSI) format; the PDF 1.3
specification; and the pdfmark, transparency and Acrobat Distiller
parameters documentation. Some of these documents are also available at
Adobe's ftp site, but not necessarily under the same filenames.

Other material on the WWW

Much other material about Ghostscript is available on the World Wide Web,
both as web pages and as archived Usenet and mailing list discussions. Use
the well-known search engines to find such material.

There is a good manual for Ghostscript available in PDF form, in English and
German (and soon in Japanese), at:

     http://www.pdflib.com/gsmanual

There is a translation of the Ghostscript 'man' pages into Czech at:

     http://www.volny.cz/rebus/ghostscript/

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Which document contains what?

Here is the list in alphabetic order of Ghostscript documentation, with
explanations of the contents.

API.htm
     On MS-Windows and OS/2, Ghostscript is compiled as a dynamic link
     library (DLL). On Linux, Ghostscript can be compiled as a shared
     object. This describes how to use it. For developers.

Bug-form.htm
     A form to fill out and email to report a problem with AFPL
     Ghostscript--but remember that Ghostscript comes with NO WARRANTY and
     NO SUPPORT. Please read the instructions before reporting a bug.

Bug-info.htm
     Information about how to report problems with AFPL Ghostscript--but
     remember that Ghostscript comes with NO WARRANTY and NO SUPPORT. Please
     read this before reporting a problem.

C-style.htm
     Guidelines and style for C coding, which you should follow if, for
     example, you write a new driver or add or change something in
     Ghostscript. For developers.

Changes.htm
     A detailed list of all code changes in the current release or
     pre-release, generated mechanically from the CVS logs. For developers.

Commprod.htm
     The conditions under which Ghostscript may be distributed in a
     commercial context. See also the Aladdin Free Public License.

Copying.htm
     A reminder that AFPL Ghostscript is governed NOT by the Free Software
     Foundation's GNU General Public License but by the Aladdin Free Public
     License.

Current.htm
     Information specifically about the current release of Ghostscript. See
     also the latest news of changes.

DLL.htm
     On OS/2, MS Windows-16 and MS Windows-32 platforms, Ghostscript is
     compiled as a dynamic link library (DLL). This describes how to use it.
     For developers. This DLL interface is obsolete. Use API.htm instead.

Develop.htm
     Code orientation for developers. Contains a detailed breakdown of the
     source files by functional group, and overviews of the major
     architectural features and services.

Devices.htm
     Detailed information about some specific devices for which Ghostscript
     can produce output. Run "gs -h" to see which devices a particular
     version of Ghostscript is built to use.

Drivers.htm
     Describes the interface between Ghostscript and device drivers. If you
     do this, you should also read and use the C style and coding
     guidelines. Necessary to develop a new driver. For developers.

Fonts.htm
     All about fonts freely available for Ghostscript, and how to add and
     use new fonts. Also describes how to use Ghostscript fonts as X Windows
     fonts. For both users and developers.

Helpers.htm
     A note of thanks to people who have helped in the development of
     Ghostscript.

Hershey.htm
     Part 1 of the five-part original Usenet distribution of the free
     Hershey fonts, giving the terms of use and describing their encoding.

History*.htm
     The history of changes in all Ghostscript releases:

          History6.htm for Ghostscript versions 6.n
          History5.htm for Ghostscript versions 5.n
          History4.htm for Ghostscript versions 4.n
          History3.htm for Ghostscript versions 3.n
          History2.htm for Ghostscript versions 2.n
          History1.htm for Ghostscript versions 1.n

Htmstyle.htm
     The guidelines and style for HTML coding of Ghostscript's
     documentation, which you should follow if, for example, you change
     existing HTML documentation or write new documents. For writers and
     editors.

Humor.htm
     Another Ghostscript interpreter.

Install.htm
     How to install Ghostscript. See also how to build it.

Issues.htm
     A list of outstanding open issues in Ghostscript. These include known
     limitations, minor bugs, performance issues, differences from Adobe
     implementations, and others.

Language.htm
     The relationship between the Ghostscript interpreter and the PostScript
     language as defined by Adobe.

Lib.htm
     A description of the Ghostscript library, a set of procedures to
     implement the graphics and filtering capabilities that are primitive
     operations in the PostScript language and in Adobe Portable Document
     Format (PDF). For developers.

Maintain.htm
     Assorted Ghostscript maintenance procedures. For developers.

Make.htm
     How to build Ghostscript executables from the source code. See also how
     to install it. It's not necessary to be a highly experienced developer
     to build or install Ghostscript, but some experience is needed.

New-user.htm
     Essential information for new users of Ghostscript.

News.htm
     A brief description of the latest release or pre-release of
     Ghostscript, and a list of any incompatible changes in it. Changes in
     older releases are described in the history files "History*.htm", which
     are usually installed in the documentation directory. Run "gs -h" to
     see where that is.

Projects.htm
     A list of Ghostscript development projects with which we would like
     help.

Ps-style.htm
     The guidelines and style for postscript coding in Ghostscript. Some of
     Ghostscript is implemented in the postscript language itself, and
     various utilities and examples are distributed with it. You should
     follow these guidelines if you're extending or modifying those files.
     For developers.

Ps2epsi.htm
     Detailed information on how to use Ghostscript through ps2epsi to
     convert PostScript to Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange (EPSI)
     format.

Ps2pdf.htm
     Detailed information on how to use Ghostscript through ps2pdf to
     convert PostScript to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).

Psfiles.htm
     A description of the PostScript files (other than font files)
     distributed with Ghostscript, including initialization routines,
     utility programs, and sample printable files.

Public.htm
     The Aladdin Free Public License, which states the conditions for using
     and redistributing AFPL Ghostscript.

Readme.htm
     This document.

Release.htm
     A description of how to prepare and test a Ghostscript release. Of
     interest only to developers who want to create new Ghostscript versions
     for distribution.

Source.htm
     A guide to the Ghostscript source code, for development and debugging.

Tester.htm
     A short questionnaire to fill out if you would like to be notified of
     new tester / beta releases.

Unix-lpr.htm
     How to set up Ghostscript as a Unix lpr filter.

Use.htm
     Detailed instructions on how to use Ghostscript, including such matters
     as designating an output device; choosing a default paper size; how
     Ghostscript finds files, including font files; how it uses environment
     variables; notes on specific platforms, including the X Window System;
     and command-line options.

Xfonts.htm
     Ghostscript's external font interface to a host platform's
     font-rendering mechanism, for developers.

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Copyright © 1996, 2000 Aladdin Enterprises. All rights reserved.

This file is part of AFPL Ghostscript. See the Aladdin Free Public License
(the "License") for full details of the terms of using, copying, modifying,
and redistributing AFPL Ghostscript.

Ghostscript version 6.64, 7 April 2001
