How To Print Into EPS Files on Windows

Excerpts from the Postscript Reference Manual (second edition, July 1991):

"The encapsulated PostScript file (EPSF) format is a standard format for importing and exporting PostScript language files among applications in a variety of heterogenous environments.

[...]

An encapsulated PostScript file is a PostScript language program describing the appearance of a single page. Typically, the purpose of the EPS file is to be included, or "encapsulated", in another PostScript language page description. The EPS file can contain any combination of text, graphics, and images, and it is the same as any other PostScript language page description with only a few restrictions.

[...]

...the EPS file format allows for an optional screen preview image. The format of this preview representation varies from system to system. It is typically a Macintosh PICT resource, a TIFF file, or a device-independent hex bitmap."

Users often ask for a detailed description of such useful tricks, therefore we decided to publish what Lazar F. from GS US found out about this matter - enjoy!

There might be many solutions for this problem, let us show one:

Download a Generic PS driver from Adobe®:
http://www.adobe.com/products/printerdrivers/main.html
During the installation, choose Local Printer first (not a network printer!). Call it i.e. 'Generic PS Printer'. Then install this driver to the FILE: port as seen on the picture below:
In ArchiCAD, go to the 'Page Setup' (in the File menu). Choose this freshly installed 'printer', then click on the 'Properties' button.
Go to the 'Advanced' tabpage, and select 'Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)' under 'Document Options/PostScript Options' as seen on the picture below.

If you are finished, choose 'OK' to continue.
Now you are able to print into EPS files from ArchiCAD.
Choose 'Print...' from the file menu.
Important: Do not choose the 'Print Into File' Option!
In the small dialog box, type the name of the file: 'Filename.eps'.
Important: Don't forget the '.eps' extension!
You can now open and edit your file with appropriate software.
Note: Illustrator 7.0 for Windows will give a parsing error when trying to open the EPS file. The workaround is to use the 'Place' command to open the EPS file. However, there will be no preview available, and the first page will be shown as a rectangle with diagonals, if printing with 'fit to page' didn't work.
This EPS file can be distilled into PDF with Acrobat® Distiller 4.0, and this PDF can then easily be viewed and edited with Illustrator.

Note: the PS printer driver doesn't necessarily have to be Adobe's, in fact, any driver that knows EPS can do the same.

HINT: printing into EPS allows to print layouts to a 1% reduced size (i.e choosing 'US Letter' as the papersize for a 30 m long layout)!

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Page last updated: Thursday, June 10, 2004