Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!hercules!fernwood!decwrl!adobe!jeynes
From: jeynes@adobe.COM (Ross A. Jeynes)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: GEM EPS --> Illustrator
Keywords: bit-mapped images
Message-ID: <1370@adobe.UUCP>
Date: 28 Oct 89 00:46:46 GMT
References: <928@mtk.UUCP> <4096@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: jeynes@adobe.UUCP (Ross A. Jeynes)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Lines: 28

In article <4096@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> cem@ihlpa.ATT.COM 8Clancy Malloy) writes:
>> Can anyone out there tell me how to use Adobe Illustrator to open EPS
>> files created in GEM Artline?  If it can't be done, can anyone explain
>> why not?
>
>Most of the problems that I have found with programs that save a file
>as EPS, save with a bit-mapped image that Adobe Illustrator cannot
>understand.  If I remember correctly, Artline save with a CGM bit-mapped

The problem here is that Illustrator does not read arbitrary PostScript 
language files.  Illustrator recognizes a script which is composed of the
procedures defined in the Illustrator prolog.  The ability to interpret
an arbitrary PostScript file would require a full PostScript interpreter,
which isn't really practical for a single application given current limits 
on CPU, memory, and so on in today's personal computers.

The specification for the files that Illustrator does recognize is available
from the Adobe file server.  This may help if you wanted to (for instance) 
build a utility that converts GEM Artline EPS output into Illustrator-compatible
files.  (If you are unfamilliar with the server, send a mail message containing
the word "help" to ps-file-server@adobe.com.) 

I hope this helps.


Ross Jeynes              
Developer Support                                   jeynes@adobe.com
Adobe Systems Incorporated                 {sun|decwrl}!adobe!jeynes