Printing EPS (embedded postscript) from Java.

[Glen Pepicelli]

Hello all,

I need to print .eps (also called .epsf, .epi, .epsi) from inside a
java program. My target platforms are windows and mac-- although
windows is first.

The new 1.4 printing API has aupport for printing normal postscript
but does not have .eps support.

I've been looking around the internet to see what solutions people
have come up with and unfortonately I didn't get what I would call a
solid answer by doing this....

I looked at the source of two open source programs the support .eps.
They both have origianal source but esstenially did it almost exactly
the same way. They took the .ps file the the standard Java classes
generated and just stuck an .eps header on it. They then stick the .ps
inside a box as required. They then searched the .ps file for commands
that are illegal in the .eps and if they are there they just die.

I've got some serious problems with this:

(1) It assumes that the Sun classes are going to generate a .ps that
is easily converted to an eps. Maybe they do now but what about future
versions of Java?

(2) It makes big assumptions about future .ps and .eps formats.

(3) It stinks of just being a hack. Does anyone really know this is
going to work all the time and on all platforms?

Does anyone have any experience with making .eps from Java that has
any sugestions? I want to translate my Garphics2D objects to .eps. I
want the .eps to be accepted by major publishing programs on windows and
mac.

Thanks

Glen Pepicelli,
http://www.glenp.net
(reply to group)

 

[Betty]

(1) It assumes that the Sun classes are going to generate a .ps that

is easily converted to an eps. Maybe they do now but what about future
versions of Java?

It will be even easier. Java and other programming will be replaced by
thinking machines that squint and the graph appears. ;-)

(2) It makes big assumptions about future .ps and .eps formats.

And big assumptions about java formats? ;-)

(3) It stinks of just being a hack. Does anyone really know this is
going to work all the time and on all platforms?

Guaranteed to work all the time, on all platforms for at least 1,000 years.
;-)