Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!sgi!daisy!cplai
From: cplai@daisy.UUCP (Chung-Pang Lai)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Trim down epsf
Keywords: EPSF filters convertor Adobe Illustrator
Message-ID: <2926@daisy.UUCP>
Date: 12 Apr 89 01:31:08 GMT
Organization: Daisy Systems, Mt. View, CA
Lines: 37

I have a simple picture created by Adobe Illustrator 88.  It consists of
about 200 lineto + curveto operations. The file was saved in EPSF format.  

Before I did this using Adobe Illustrator 88, the original was done in
hand-built PostScript.  The printing is pretty fast.  At least I never
had the impatient feeling.

I redid this picture in Adobe Illustrator 88 because I need a screen preview
for imbedded graphics.  The resulting number of l + c operations are
the same.  However, the file size grew 5 times, from 10k to 50k+ partly due 
to the preview rasterized Screen Image in Hex format (I actually used the 
EPSI format) and partly due to a leeeeengthly Illustrator prolog.  The 
printing time is now making me impatient.  I do not have the timer
program to do any benchmark.  I guess it is about 5 min verses 1-2 minutes.
I simply like to make it print faster.

This triggered several questions:
1.  Why does the Illustrator software dump out the full prolog, including
    blah-blah-CustomColor...  blah-blah-cymkcolor...  while my
    drawing doesn't even use any color?  Would it make the printing much
    faster if the prolog is shrinked to what the "meat" (or the "script"
    if put in PS jargon) of the file really asked for?  The software could 
    keep track of what type of operations are being used in the file and dump 
    out only the subset of prolog really needed.

2.  In case that the creator is not care enough to improve, is there a post 
    processor that trim EPSF down to the minimum?

3.  Could the slow down be caused by the hugh preview image alone?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

-- 
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{pyramid, osu-cis, uunet, killer}!daisy!cplai    C.P. Lai
cplai%daisy.UUCP@uunet.UU.NET   cplai%daisy@killer.DALLAS.TX.USA
Daisy Systems Corp, 700B Middlefield Road, Mtn View CA 94039.  (415)960-6961