************************************************************** ********* BoxedEPS.tex ********* by Larry Siebenmann 1989-92 Distributed versions: Jan 1991 to September 1992 ************************************************************** --- THE DOCUMENTATION --- %%% SOMMAIRE: BoxedEPS.tex d\'efinit des macro-commandes %% qui permettent d'int\'egrer dans un document TeX des %% objets graphiques d\'ecrits par fichier de norme EPSF, %% tout en accordant a chacun le statut d'une bo\^ite TeX ayant %% les bonnes dimensions. La (seule!) contribution unique %% de ce fichier est de faire cela d'une fa{\c}con universelle. %% C'est a dire de fa{\c}con \`a pouvoir commod\'ement %% servir avec tout pilote d'imprimante de norme %% PostScript --- malgr\'e l'absence d'une norme %% pour \special. %% -------------------- Urgent OzTeX note May 1992. Henceforth the command \SetOzTeXEPSFSpecial serves versions >= 1.42 of OzTeX which provides screen preview of EPS files containing PICT resources. If you still use a version <= 1.41 of OzTeX, you will now have to use the command \SetPSprintEPSFSpecial to get original performance. OzTeX updates are posted on ftp midway.uchicago.edu. -------------------- BoxedEPS.tex, a highly portable package for insertion of EPSF (Encapsulated PostScript Files) in TeX documents. It is a fraction of a larger less portable package for several graphics norms on the Mac (see BoxedArt.tex below) that was initially put together for the GUTenberg special year for graphics, 1989. PostScript is currently the unchallenged high performance standard for electronic specification and typesetting of printed graphics, while TeX is the unchallenged high performance standard for the specification and typesetting of scientific manuscripts, minus graphics. The convenient integration of PostScript graphics in TeX manuscripts is clearly vital to the scientific publication process. BoxedEPS.tex is a link in the integration chain. The main task of BoxedEPS.tex is to make EPSF's (Encapsulated PostScript Files) behave for the TeX user like big characters or boxes. In contrast, the \special command, the TeX primitive through which such integration is normally accomplished, makes EPSF's behave like dimensionless points. This is Knuth's recommendation, because that permits TeX to typeset without any knowledge of the graphics file. The boxlike behavior is obviously more desirable from the user's point of view, and in the case of the EPSF norm, it is attainable because TeX is clever enough to be able to read the EPSF file to extract the dimensions of the bounding box of the graphics object described; they are normally located in a comment line beginning "%%Bounding Box:" somewhere before a line beginning "%%EndComments". There are other packages that do the same essential job, notably psfig of Trevor Darrell(1987), and T. Rokicki's "epsf.tex" for his driver "dvips", but differences remain. This one is built above all for portability and hence makes LOWEST-COMMON-DENOMINATOR requirements on the driver. It should be easy to understand to the point that with a bit of luck, a texpert will be able to port it to a new driver in a few minutes. It does provide a few useful things that others may not, eg. box fitting, and ready-made adaptation to a great many drivers. It is well known that, in a spirit of self reliance, texperts tend to do adhoc programming to integrate their graphics. See for example N. Jungers' posting on the GUTenberg bulletin board dated 17 November 1990 for a good explanation of the principles. A bit of understanding of TeX and PostScript programming can go a long way. If this is your inclination, perusal of Trevor Darrell psfig package is also highly recommended. It seems to me there is room for packages which require no tinkering with any programming language --- whether it be for everyday use or for porting --- even at the cost of being heavier. Most users have neither time nor taste for more adventurous approaches. The basic requirement of BoxedEPS.tex is a "dvi-to-PostScript" printer driver that for EPSF graphics implements in one way or another Knuth's \special protocol. This \special should implement scaling in some form since TeX cannot provide it. But translation (=pushing the graphics around) can be done by TeX, which is fortunate since some drivers (e.g. Textures' driver) do not bother to provide a \special command executing translations. Until a standard for \special integration of EPSF's is well established, users of BoxedEPS.tex will have to initialize the integration process using a driver-specific command of the form: \Set...EPSFSpecial. For example, \SetOzTeXEPSFSpecial will initialize for the driver used by the public domain OzTeX on Macintosh computers. (See a list of current alternatives below.) Then, the primary command \BoxedEPSF{ scaled } scales by the graphics object in the file and inserts it at the current ".dvi" insertion point as a TeX box of the dimensions of the bounding box scaled again by . A tiny EPSF test file gdisk.eps given below will let you run trials. (Beware that in 1991 many TeX screen previewers are unable to let you see the graphics; but any printer of the PostScript norm will let you run tests.) --- A file specification. This may be a simple filename in case the file is in the default directory for TeX. More generally, it can be a file pathname. Better, one can separately specify the directory that will be the directory in which TeX looks thereafter for simple EPSF file names, by typing \SetEPSFDirectory{} For example, on a Macintosh, \SetEPSFDirectory{HardDisk:MyArtFolder:} will direct TeX to the folder MyArtFolder of the volume HardDisk. And \SetEPSFDirectory{:YourArtFolder:} will direct TeX to the subfolder YourArtFolder of the directory that is the default directory for TeX. Similarly for unix systems but with "/" in place of ":". Spaces in filenames or directory names are strictly forbidden (usually already by TeX and drivers); this package gives a warning. For greater portability, use in filenames and directory names only letters, digits, and the period "." . And beware of conversions and confusions between upper and lower case letters. [[To experts: On an experimental basis, current versions of BoxedEPS.tex are a bit more liberal in allowing five punctuation marks punctuation: .:,;?! and also any character that has catcode 11 (=letter) or 12 (=other). The backslash is used as a directory separator in the PC world; thus BoxedEPS.tex lets one use backslash provided backslash is coded as \\ inside the arguments of \SetEPSFDirectory{...} and \BoxedEPSF{...}. I have been told that the slash / can often replace backslash in the MSDOS world, so this backslash feature may not be essential. This \\ is of course a marco; one can hopefully use other TeX macros in these arguments provided they expand under \edef without mishap.]] --- scaled Optional. To conform to TeX syntax, and avoid decimals most of the time, the scale is specified in mils (=thousand'ths), rather than as a positive real number. (If you are a precision freak, don't hesitate to add decimal parts of a mil.) If you specify no scale you get a default scale. This default scale can be changed from its initial value of 1000 (for the rest of the .tex file) by the command \SetDefaultEPSFScale{} The scaling you select (however you do so) will always be corrected by the TeX magnification factor. Thus if you select scaling by 1000 mils at \magstep1 you in reality get scaling to 1200 mills on the printed paper. There is a rather different way to specify scaling (championed notably by Trevor Darrell since 1987); one can force width or height to a specified dimension, by one (not both) of the commands: \ForceWidth{} \ForceHeight{} This must precede the figure and normally applies to it alone. Any such command takes precedence over any scaling command that might be present. If you have two such commands, the last takes precidence. This forcing will persist indefinitely if you type \ForceOn and can then be stopped by \ForceOff As W. Neumann pointed out to me, there are some unique uses for this "forced" dimensioning, for example: a) To force neighboring figures to the same height or width. b) To maintain the exact same height for a figure through minor revisions after TeX pagebreaks have been fixed. Incidentally, note that \ForceWidth{0.66\hsize} is perfectly legitimate; similarly for all dimension specifications. On the other hand, scaling is the only right approach if you have a well proportioned line diagram with included labelling of a known point size. You scale to make the labels of optimal size. In actual practice (notably on Macintosh computers), the Bounding Box posted in the EPSF file is often not what it should be, namely the least rectangle containing the ink that will print the graphic object; it tends to be somewhat larger. Thus, tools are provided to correct the box to fit the object. For diagnostic purposes, one has: \ShowDisplacementBoxes, \HideDisplacementBoxes to show (with a black frame), respectively hide, the corrected scaled and positioned bounding boxes. The physical term "displacement" is used to remind you that these are boxes that displace other boxes, like TeX character boxes (see the TeXbook Chap 11), or indeed any TeX box. In case you make the graphics neatly fit into this displacement box the term "bounding" box would be justified, but just as for TeX characters, this is not necessarily so (cf. TeXbook p.63). These commands are used intensively; some alternative older terminology (less recommended) can be found inside BoxedEPS.tex. Before any individual \BoxedEPSF{...} command one can insert commands to adjust the bounding box: \TrimBoundingBox{...} \TrimTop{...} \TrimLeft{...} \TrimBottom{...} \TrimRight{...} Each takes a dimension argument referring to the PostScript (artist's) coordinates; with no scaling. Their names say what they do; just remember that they do NOT mask off part of the object when the box becomes too small; thus trimming is NOT "clipping". TeX is pretty good at shunting boxes around. But the command to *slide* an image around without changing its box nor shunting neighboring boxes is not readily accessible. So we provide: \hSlide{...} \vSlide{...} which respectively slide horizontally to the right and vertically down in dimension units of the TeX page, NOT the artist's page. A good order of steps for implanting a graphics object is to scale, then trim. Finally, slide, or shunt using TeX tools. By default, the box produced has a baseline (roughly!) through the middle like the letter "g"; it is constructed using TeX's \vcenter. This seems most agreeable in case of linefigures in text --- though mostly it does not matter. The 'height' mentioned above is the sum of the height and the depth of this box (with rare exceptions mentioned immediately below). The two other obvious choices of baseline are also available: --- \tBoxedEPSF{...} baseline at top as for washing hanging on a clothesline. --- \bBoxedEPSF{...} baseline at bottom as for trucks on a highway The default choice is --- \cBoxedEPSF{...} baseline centered as for khebabs on a skewer. More precisely, it is centered on the "axis" of mathematics in prose, which for computer modern ten point system is 2.5pt above the baseline; this makes \cBoxedEPSF very convenient for insertion of small "linefigures" in prose; for example, $\left(\BoxedEPSF{mylinefig scaled 300}\right)$ should neatly fit "mylinefig" between parentheses. Beware however that TeX's refusal of negative heights or depths for boxes leads to surprising results with \cBoxedEPSF when very tiny linefigures occur (so tiny they do not reach the baseline). For example, if the scaling is zero, the height is the math axis height, and the depth is zero! If such extreme cases interest you, experiment with \hrule \cBoxedEPSF{myfig scaled 0} \hrule. No such subtleties occur with \tBoxedEPSF and \bBoxedEPSF! You can change the default behavior to "baseline at top" (for example) by the command \let \BoxedEPSF=\tBoxedEPSF ****** Some file search trickery ****** Ad hoc user macro definitions can perform file searchs that might at first sight seem beyond the scope of BoxedEPS.tex. The following comments respond to requests and suggestions of Douglas Gray-Stephens . 1) Graphics objects to be reused can be macros and they need not be in the a specific directory. Since \SetEPSFDirectory respects TeX grouping, one can set out a definition as follows: \def\ourlogo#1{\bgroup\SetEPSFDirectory{}% \BoxedEPSF{ scaled #1}\egroup} Then one inserts the boxed logo using \ourlogo{}. The directory for EPSF's (if any) is momentarily changed but is the same before and after \ourlogo{} is used. If just a few graphics objects are to be reused often, economy and speed are best assured by storing the graphics object is a TeX box. Suppose for example that a logo is to be used on each page. Then one can prepare the box by \newbox\logobox \bgroup\SetEPSFDirectory{ \global\setbox\logobox=% \hbox{\BoxedEPSF { scaled }}\egroup \gdef\Logo{\copy\logobox} Thereafter, \Logo places the logo very quickly and can be reused. 2) It is possible to use simultaneously several graphics directories by further exploiting TeX grouping. Suppose, for example, that one wants an extra directory for scientific graphs. Then one can define \BoxedGraph behaving just like \BoxedEPSF but always using directory , as follows: \def\BoxedGraph#1{\bgroup\SetEPSFDirectory{}% \BoxedEPSF{#1}\egroup} \BoxedGraph is insensitive to occurences elsewhere of \SetEPSFDirectory. 3) A useful special case of this approach gives a "wildcard" macro: \def\BoxedEPSFx#1{\bgroup\SetEPSFDirectory{}% \BoxedEPSF{#1}\egroup} (This of course assumes one has used or will use \SetEPSFDirectory{}, for otherwise \BoxedEPSFx will behave much like \BoxedEPSF.) One can use either "full" or "relative" file specifications in \BoxedEPSFx{ [scaled ]} Here "full" means no separator out front, and "relative" means separator out front. The separator is the character "/" for unix and ":" for Macintosh. In the relative case, your current directory behaves as root; normally, this is the directory of the .tex file you launched. Example for the Macintosh: \BoxedEPSFx{:art:monalisa.eps} This searches in "art" a subdirectory of the default directory for an EPS file called monalisa.eps. ****** Changing PostScript printer drivers ****** The obstacle to portability is a lack of standard syntax for the \special commands; they vary from driver to driver. This is overcome by using a local standard "fake special" within BoxedEPS.tex, and relating each driver to it. This local BoxedEPS.tex standard is a two-argument macro \EPSFSpecial#1#2 where #1 is and #2 is . A different definition is given for each driver. For example, for Textures, the user types \SetTexturesEPSFSpecial and this package then institutes essentially the definition: \gdef\EPSFSpecial#1#2{\relax \special{postscriptfile #1 scaled #2}}% Actually, it is not quite that simple, because we allow decimal scaling factors like 726.7 (mils) while Textures requires integer values. Definitions for other drivers are being added: %% \SetTexturesEPSFSpecial %% Textures %% \SetUnixCoopEPSFSpecial %% dvi2ps early unix %% \SetBechtolsheimDVI2PSEPSFSpecial and %% \SetBechtolsheimDVITPSEPSFSpecial %% by S.P.Bechtolsheim %% \SetLisEPSFSpecial %% dvi2ps by Tony Lis %% \SetRokickiEPSFSpecial %% dvips by Tom Rokicki %% --- also for DVIReader, in DirectTeX by W. Ricken %% \SetOzTeXEPSFSpecial %% OzTeX (>=1.42) by Andrew Trevorrow %% \SetPSprintEPSFSpecial %% PSprint by Andrew Trevorrow %% --- also for OzTeX versions <= 1.41 !! %% \SetArborEPSFSpecial %% ArborTeX DVILASER/PS %% \SetClarkEPSFSpecial %% dvitops by James Clark %% \SetDVIPSoneEPSFSpecial %% DVIPSONE of Y&Y %% \SetBeebeEPSFSpecial %% DVIALW by N. Beebe %% \SetNorthlakeEPSFSpecial %% Northlake Software %% \SetStandardEPSFSpecial %% Nonexistant: Placebo below etc... on demand --- see appendix. ****** Compatibility with T. Rokicki's integration package ****** For users of Rokicki's integration package epsf.tex attached to his C driver dvips (which has been widely ported), we support the following alternative syntax. \EPSFbox or \EPSFfile equivalent to \bBoxedEPSF. \EPSFxsize=126pt equivalent to \ForceWidth{126pt} \EPSFysize=76pt equivalent to \ForceHeight{76pt} This compatibility makes it straightforeward to move a manuscript prepared with the most basic features of epsf.tex to a TeX site with a driver other than dvips. Rokicki uses all-lowercase commands (epsf for EPSF); hence his epsf.tex can be loaded along with BoxedEPS.tex without conflict. If, on the other hand, you want BoxedEPS.tex to accept the lowercase syntax and execute the three commands in place of epsf.tex, you can type \EmulateRokicki. ****** Known Problems ****** 1) The process of reading bounding boxes may prove annoyingly slow on smaller computers when inserts are numerous. This problem will be lessened if you can make the "BoundingBox" comment one of the first in each PostScript file. The larger BoxedArt.tex package for Macintosh users provides a complete cure through use of a "graphics specification file", which can be read quickly. 2) TeX permanently uses up the string space needed to record the (full) name of each EPS file it opens. If you are short on string space use succinct EPS file names like F1, F2, ... and put your TeX file in your graphics directory to make the default directory coincide with the graphics directory. Then \BoxedEPSF{F1} will use up just two string characters. 3) Textures/Macintosh: PostScript files that have a resource fork may upset the Textures driver. Typically, nothing after the figure will print. This can be cured by deleting the resource fork. For a PostScript file of Illustrator88, the preview graphics are in a PICT resource; try deleting all resources EXCEPT this PICT. ****** Availability, and support ****** --- ftp 130.84.128.100 (alias rsovax.circe.fr); login: anonymous; password: ; directory [anonymous.siebenmann]; this is the master copy in 1992. --- ftp 192.54.146.4 (matups.matups.fr); projected to be the master copy in 1993. login: anonymous; password: . --- ftp 129.69.1.12 (alias rusinfo.rus.uni-stuttgart.de); login: anonymous; password: . Laurent Siebenmann Mathematique, Bat. 425, Univ de Paris-Sud, 91405-Orsay, France siebenmann@LALCLS.IN2P3.FR siebenmann@matups.matups.fr Fax number: 33-1-6941-6221 REFERENCES The following may give you leads to alternative solutions. --- PSFIG a package by Trevor Darrell (for at least two drivers) available by anonymous ftp from whitechapel.media.mit.edu (18.85.0.124) in ./psfig or linc.cis.upenn.edu (130.91.6.8) in the directory ./dist/psfig. --- Merging PostScript Illustrations: Gerald Roylance 1987, 1989, see MIT AI Laboratory Working Paper 299a; this package supports dvi2ps and DVILASER/PS. --- dvips and epsf.tex by by T. Rokicki --- Une meilleure integration du graphisme Macintosh, par Laurent Siebenmann, Cahiers GUTenberg, No. 4 (Dec 1989), pages 29-38. The native Macintosh grapics norm is called PICT. TeX has not been able to read PICT resources and files, as the resources are not files and the files are "binary". Nevertheless, good integration under Textures is possible with the help of a preprocessor "ArtDealer" and the notion of a "graphics description file". The strong points of this approach are speed and compactness. Portability poses some problems. The package BoxedArt.tex, BoxedArt.doc, ArtDealer available (hopefully) from the same sources as this package combines both approaches. --- Nicolas Jungers two postings in the GUTenberg forum 9 Nov 90 and 17 Nov 90. [A good "do-it-yourself" kit!] --- Michael Ferguson espouses the \ForceHeight{...} approach in Cahiers GUTenberg, No. 3 (May 1989); it does not require TeX to read the EPS file. N. Beebe indicates that his macros are available for DVIALW. APPENDIX: A FIRST QUICK TEST OF BoxedEPS.tex Hopefully you have found your PostScript printer driver in the above list of \Set...EPSFSpecial commands. In that case, try the following test to check that this package is working ------ cut here %% Test.tex for Plain TeX; can be adapted to LaTeX, by puting %% everything from \input to ZZ into middle of a LateX file. %\magnification=1200 %% uncomment later \input BoxedEPS.tex \Set...EPSFSpecial %%%% complete this line!!!!!!!! \ShowDisplacementBoxes%\HideDisplacementBoxes %%alternatives \null\vfill\vfill AA\BoxedEPSF{gdisk.eps scaled 500}ZZ \bye ------ cut here %!PS-Adobe-2.0 EPSF-1.2 %%Title: gdisk.eps %%Remark: A simple test file %%Remark: DELETE SPACES BEFORE ALL %% (especially for Textures) %%Pages: 0 %%BoundingBox: 216 216 432 432 %%EndComments 72 72 scale % units are now inches instead of big points newpath 4.5 4.5 1.5 0 360 arc closepath 0.9 setgray fill ------ cut here The files Test.tex and gdisk.eps should be in the same directory. A grey disk should appear fitting snuggly between AA and ZZ. It should be neatly bounded by a square (the displacement box). Once this test is working you should be able to elaborate and test all features. APPENDIX: HOW TO GET SUPPORT FOR YOUR DRIVER To get support for your dvi to PostScript printer driver, please send the \special syntax required to insert a file myfile.eps with scaling 76 percent! For example, the answer for the ArborText DVILASER/PS driver was: \special{ps: epsfile myfile.eps 760} And that was (almost) enough to let me program \SetArborEPSFSpecial. One more scrap of information is essential. Some \special's for EPSFs place the lower left corner of the (scaled) bounding box at the TeX insertion point, and others place the lower left corner of the artist's page at the insertion point. No other choice seems consistent with Knuth's recommendations in the TeXbook. Textures and ArborTeX belong to the first type, while OzTeX and Rokicki's dvips belong to the second. The first type of driver must read the "bounding box comment" in the EPS File header. Please report on the basis of documentation and/or experimentation, which type is in question. An experimental test routine is provided below. In general, some testing and/or driver documentation may be needed to clear up lingering questions. For example, are decimals allowed in in the scaling specification? For ArborTeX I believe the answer is no. An information form is included below for those who would like to see BoxedEPS.tex adapted to another driver. APPENDIX: AN INFORMATION KIT FOR OTHER DRIVERS -------------------------------cut %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%% spectest.tex for Plain TeX %%% Test to discover which point in % the graphics page (plane) your \special % command distinguishes and identifies to % the TeX insertion point. % % --- Put the file gsquare.eps into the same folder as % TeX and this testfile. Hopefully this will make % gsquare.eps accessible to the printer driver. % % --- Complete the \special{... gsquare.eps ...} command below % as your driver documentation recommends for printing % the EPSF file gsquare.eps --- without any scaling, or other % refinement. For example % \special{ps: epsfile gsquare.eps 1000} % is suitable for the ArborteX driver. % % --- Typeset this file % % --- Print the resulting .dvi file using your driver. % % INTERPRETATION: % % If the black box lies in the square, the % distinguished point is the lower, left-hand corner of the % PostScript bounding box. % % If the black box lies outside the square, the % distinguished point is the lower, left-hand corner of the % artist's page, i.e. the the PostScript origin. % % If the square is missing, your driver has probably not found % the EPS file gsquare.eps, or you have formulated the \special % command incorrectly. Follow driver instructions more % carefully. % % --- report results to Laurent Siebenmann % % on the special reply "reply.doc" form provided below. % % \null \vfill \vskip -1 in \moveright 1 in \vbox{\hrule height 1 in width 1 in} \vskip 1 in \special{... gsquare.eps ...}%% please carefully adjust this \eject \bye %% end of spectest.tex %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% -------------------------------cut %!PS-Adobe-2.0 EPSF-1.2 %%Title: gsquare.eps %%Remark: Another simple test file %%Remark: DELETE SPACES BEFORE ALL %% (especially for Textures) %%Pages: 0 %%BoundingBox: 216 216 432 432 %%EndComments 72 72 scale % units are now inches instead of big points newpath 3 3 moveto 3 6 lineto 6 6 lineto 6 3 lineto closepath 0.8 setgray fill -------------------------------cut %!PS-Adobe-2.0 EPSF-1.2 %%Title: heat.eps %%Remark: Another simple test file %%Remark: DELETE SPACES BEFORE ALL %% (especially for Textures) %%Pages: 0 %%BoundingBox: 216 216 432 432 %%EndComments 72 72 scale % units are now inches instead of big points newpath 4.5 4.5 1.5 0 360 arc closepath 0.9 setgray fill /Times-Italic findfont .8 scalefont setfont 3.75 4.3 moveto 0 setgray (Heat) show -------------------------------cut %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%% reply.doc %%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% INFORMATION FORM for adaptation of BoxedEPS.tex to other "dvi-to-PostScript" printer drivers %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Please provide information on the following items: --- Name and email address(es) of correspondent. --- Driver information :Name, version, date, copyright, vendor, computer(s) served, price etc. --- Syntax required to print the EPS File gsquare.eps scaled to 76 percent using a command of the form \special{... gsquare.eps ...}. Is scaling to exactly 76.33 percent available? --- More info on \special. --- Location of the distinguished point. (Report result of test in spectest.tex above). --- Source(s) of your EPSF files. --- Do you progam TeX? PostScript? A trial adaptation to your driver will be returned with BoxedEPS.tex. Thank you for cooperating! Laurent Siebenmann Mathematique, Bat. 425, Univ de Paris-Sud, 91405-Orsay, France lcs@matups.matups.fr (best for big files) LS@FrMaP711.bitnet (good for big files) siebenma@FRLAL51.bitnet (reliable!) siebenmann@LALCLS.decnet.cern.ch (reliable!) Fax number: 33-1-6941-6221 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% -------------------------------cut APPENDIX. HOW ARE THE EPS GRAPHICS FILES BEING CREATED? While everyone admires PostScript graphics, few TeX users are entirely happy with their tools for producing the EPSF files. As soon as your integration problem has been disposed of, this one will be back to haunt you! Here are a few notes that may help: a) DrawOver 1.0 copyright Michael Everest 1986, is a converter to EPSF from the PICT graphics norm of the Macintosh, a norm for which there are many excellent drawing programs such as MacDraw. It is distributed with Illustrator 88 on the Mac. Its output has to be "validated" by passage through Illustrator. DrawOver is aging inasmuch as it handles the PICTs of more recent MacDraw versions less and less well. One does best by using PICT files (re)generated by MacDraw versions anterior to MacDrawII. b) Illustrator 88 on the Mac by Adobe Corp is a MacDraw-like program that uses the EPSF norm. Although in some respects rustic, it is favored by professionals since it is geared for highest quality output. c) Macintosh output to LaserWriter printers is PostScript code, and can be diverted into a file. This file cannot be used as is, but a header file can be added which with a few other changes produces a (bulky) EPSF file. See the macps converter of unix, or OzTeX or the $20 shareware Mac package AddLPrep copyright 1988 by SoftWare 101, 15151 Old Ranch road, Los Gatos CA. The output is I believe equivalent at similar resolution to what the Macintosh-LaserWriter combination produces. However, starting from the same PICT file, method (a) often gives better results! d) fig and xfig by Micah Beck, Cornell University are MacDraw-like programs for unix and unix X-windows, for which a translator transfig exists to EPSF norm. e) Naked PostScript code. PostScript is a beautiful language, and the three Adobe manuals are very helpful. f) Aldus Freehand on the Macintosh: see Berthold K.P. Horn's comments below. g) Canvas on Macintosh in versions from 1991 (3.0) on will have the ability to save a file in EPS format (and also PICT and Illustrator 88 formats etc., the most impressive list so far); published by Denaba Software. h) Classic MacDraw, MacDraw Pro, indeed all versions from 1991 of MacDraw on Macintosh, on will have the ability to save a file in EPS as well as PICT format. At the same time Apple is producing more and more non-PostScript printers... ***************************************** I am sure it would be extremely useful if readers would extend and improve the above list! Here is a first response from Berthold K.P. Horn: (*) Aldus Freehand on the Mac is a more sophisticated tool for generating graphic illustrations than Adobe Illustrator. Both are constrained to basically two-dimensional patterns. Both can produce output in EPS form. [[See the "export" menu item, and use the simple or Mac version of EPS format, not the IBMPC version that yields a partly binary file. The Mac version includes a PICT resource containing a bitmap visible in the Textures preview. Aldus Freehand freehand also imports PICT resources via the Mac clipboard, and this provides an interesting alternative to DrawOver, the converter of Illustrator88. This conversion sometimes handles MacDrawII PICT files better than DrawOver. Freehand, unlike Illustrator, has its own binary file format.]] (*) Micrografx Designer on the PC is a more sophisticated tool for generating graphics illustrations than Adobe Illustrator. It is the PC's answer to `MacEnvy', since it provides a Windows based tool that is about as good as any on the Mac. Designer is also constrained to basically two-dimensional patterns. It can produce output in EPS form. (*) There are also CAD/CAM applications that run on high end PC's, Sun workstations that can handle `solid modelling' of three dimensional objects, but they are an order of magnitude more expensive, so few people have access to them. (*) Illustrate on the Symbolics LispMachine was one of the first drawing programs and is still used quite a bit. It can produce output in EPS form. Very similar features to the other 2-D illustration applications mentioned above. (*) Screen Dumps. Another useful source of graphic illustrations are screen dumps available on LispMachine, Windows on PC, and on Mac in EPS form. OF course, they are in bitmap form so very limited in quality and not resolution-independent, but useful for illustrating program operations. (*) Paint Programs. On the Mac and the PC there are programs that instead of manipulating curves and areas work directly with bitmaps. The output can be in EPS form. But same drawback as screendumps. Not used much. Max Calviani mentions (**) Mongo or Supermongo ... superb ... produce a .ps file ... on vax/vms, also under Unix. They are copyrighted, Mongo costs approx 500 USD, SuperMongo only 250 USD. Antonio Possolo in Seattle makes recommendations for unix: An excellent tool to generate postscript figures in Unix is the S programming environment for data analysis and graphics, originally from AT&T Bell Labs, and S-PLUS, a superset [of S] from Statistical Sciences, Inc. (Seattle, Washington, USA). This is not a drawing tool in the sense of Adobe's Illustrator, or MacDraw: instead, it is driven by issuing drawing commands. S is described in R.A. Becker, J.M. Chambers, & A.R. Wilks (1988) "The New S Language", Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole, and you will find there many examples of its capabilities to produce beautiful pictures (note the postscript() command, in particular, as means to generate postscript output).