ETD Guide/Technical Issues/Page Description Languages
Evolution of Networks and the World Wide Web
The evolution of networks and the World Wide Web have profoundly affected the content and quality of communications. The complexity and visual content of documents is no longer limited by the artistic skills of the designer. Itranets and Web sites are being tapped into for creative content that is much more complex than could have been imagined. As creative expression expands to new levels, the quality of the printed output must also rise to the challenge.
The Internet and Printing Workflow Process
The Internet has changed not only the dynamics of the creative process but the entire printing workflow process. The Internet is used to transmit information electronically while CD-ROMs and servers are used for storing and accessing data. One often finds difficulty in predicting what will be printed because documents can come from many sources. And it’s equally difficult to predict where they will be printed, because documents can be distributed around the world electronically and printed locally. The printing workflow has evolved from creating, printing, copying, and distributing hard-copy documents to creating, electronically publishing, and printing documents on demand. It was clearly time to advance the imaging standard.
Adobe Postscript
With the introduction of PostScript in 1985, Adobe Systems Incorporated sparked a revolution in how we communicate on the printed page. Since its introduction, Adobe PostScript has become the printing and imaging technology of choice for corporations, publishers, and government agencies throughout the world. In fact, 75 percent of commercial publications are printed on Adobe PostScript devices, including black-and white printers, color printers, imagesetters, platesetters, and direct digital printing systems. Adobe PostScript is also the display imaging system in some of the most advanced workstations on the market today.
Adobe PostScript 3 takes the PostScript standard beyond a page description language into a fully optimized printing system that addresses the broad range of new requirements in today’s increasingly complex and distributed printing environments.
Adobe Postscript and PDF
By fully integrating Portable Document Format (PDF) - an open file format that preserves the visual fidelity of documents across applications and platforms - into Adobe PostScript 3, documents can be delivered electronically and printed directly. A PDF file delivers the single "digital master" for use in electronic, printed, and mixed workflows, ensuring the highest fidelity across all media.
Adobe Postscript Advanced Features
With Adobe PostScript 3, Adobe delivers advanced features for the new digital document. Today, document creators draw on a variety of sources and increasingly rely on color to convey their messages. And tomorrow, these documents will be delivered and printed on a virtually unlimited range of devices.
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