Work with PDF documents based on the PostScript data management and composition language by opening them in the suite with a command line interface providing options to view, render, edit, convert, resize and otherwise modify PDF content. Changelogs are kept.
GPL Ghostscript is a free source interpreter for the PostScript language and the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). It works along with different programs as a raster image processor for printers. It basically takes as input a set of graphics commands and interprets so that the output is a bitmap page when sent to an output device, such as a printer.
The program has a rudimentary interface that resembles Windows’ notepad. It only displays a command line where the users need to type the proper commands in order to view, render, convert, rasterize, resize and perform other tasks related to PDF documents.
Usually GPL Ghostscript is used by other applications as a general conversion and formatting engine and the user never interacts with it. The command line is only for advanced users who require interpreting PostScript, encapsulated PostScript, DOS EPS, or Adobe Portable Document Format. To use the command line consult the manuals and guidelines from the website. For a friendlier approach GPL Ghostscript integrates to GSview which is a graphical interface for Ghostscript that has to be downloaded additionally.
Basically GPL Ghostscript is used internally by PDF & Postcript conversion programs such as PDF printers, PDF to text or similar applications which need an interpreter of these mentioned data scripts in order to be converted or printed to different formats.
v9.19 [Sep 2, 2013]
- Background printing (BGPrint) is a new feature allowing an accumulated page clist to be rendered by one or more rendering threads whilst the interpreter (in the "main" thread) continues to accumulate the subsequent page's clist. For certain classes of file this can result in a useful performance increase.
- GrayDetection allows suitably written devices to detect "color" input in near neutral tones (i.e. near monochrome) and to convert "on-the-fly" to pure grayscale, whilst retaining the ability to print full color on demand. This is primarily aimed at workflows where saving ink (especially color inks) is required.
- LittleCMS2 and libpng have both been updated to the latest versions.
- Support has been added to build the Ghostscript DLL for WinRT for x86, x64 and ARM (Requires MS Visual Studio 2012 Pro).
- Processing of Windows command line arguments into UTF8 (as presaged a few releases ago) has been enhanced and enabled by default.
- The URW Postscript font set has been updated to the latest version, fixing many compatibility problems with the Adobe fonts.
- Plus the usual round of bug fixes, compatibility changes, and incremental improvements.
