Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)


EPS files can contain text, vector graphics, and bitmaps and are intended to be included (encapsulated) in other documents. Unlike other PostScript files, which can contain multiple pages, an EPS file is always a single page.

EPS files usually contain a preview image (header) that lets you view the file content without the help of a PostScript interpreter. An EPS file without a preview image is displayed as a gray box in Corel applications.

You can import and export EPS files. You can import an EPS file as a group of editable objects as you would import any other PostScript (PS) file. You can also bring the file as encapsulated, placing the preview image in the drawing window. The preview image is linked to the file. It is recommended that you import an EPS file as encapsulated in the following situations:

You want text in the EPS file to be displayed with the original fonts, without any font substitutions.
You are working with a large EPS file, and you don’t want to slow down the application.

During the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite installation, you have the option of installing Ghostscript, which is an application that interprets the PostScript file format. Ghostscript allows you to import PostScript Level 3 files. If you did not install Ghostscript when you first installed the product, you can do so now.

To import an encapsulated PostScript file

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1 Click File Import.
2 Locate the folder in which the file is stored.
3 Choose PS, EPS, PRN - PostScript (*.ps; *.eps; *.prn) from the list box next to the File name box.
4 Click the filename.
5 Click Import.
6 In the Import EPS dialog box, enable one of the following options:
Import as editable — brings in the file as a group of CorelDRAW objects that you can modify
Place as encapsulated PostScript — places the preview image in the drawing. You cannot modify specific parts of the file, but you can edit the file as a whole by applying transformations, such as sizing and rotation.
7 If you are importing the file as editable, enable one of the following text options:
Text — preserves text objects in the imported file so that you can edit the text
Curves — converts text to curves
8 Click OK.
9 Click the drawing page.

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Some restrictions apply when you modify EPS files imported as editable. For more information, see PostScript (PS or PRN) technical notes.

If the EPS file contains text converted to curves, the text in the imported file is not editable, even if you choose to import the text as text.

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You can also drag an EPS file from Windows Explorer into the drawing window.

To export an encapsulated PostScript file

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1 Click File Export.
2 Locate the folder in which you want to save the file.
3 Choose EPS - Encapsulated PostScript from the Save as type list box.
4 Type a filename in the File name list box.
5 Click Export.
6 In the EPS export dialog box, adjust any of the settings.

To set general exporting options

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1 In the EPS export dialog box, click the General tab.
2 Perform one or more tasks from the following table.

 

To
Do the following
Specify the color mode for exporting to eps
In the Color management area, choose an option from the Output colors as list box:
Native
RGB
CMYK
Grayscale
If you choose the Native option, all objects preserve the color mode in which they were created, for example RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, or spot.
Convert spot colors
In the Color management area, enable the Convert spot colors to check box, and select an option from the list box.
Choose a file format for previewing the PostScript image
In the Preview image area, choose one of the following options from the Type list box:
None
TIFF
WMF
If you choose the TIFF format, choose a color mode and resolution.
Specify how to export text
Enable one of the following options in the Export text as area:
Curves — lets you export text as curves
Text — lets you export text as editable characters
If you want to include PostScript font information with your file, enable the Include fonts check box.
Choose a compatibility option
From the Compatibility list box, choose a PostScript level that is supported by the printer or the application with which you will be printing or displaying the file.

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Objects are always output as CMYK. Bitmaps have the option of different color modes.

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If you choose the 8-bit TIFF format for previewing images, you can make the background of the bitmap transparent by enabling the Transparent background check box in the Preview image area.

To set advanced exporting options

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1 In the EPS export dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
2 Perform one or more tasks from the following table.

 

To
Do the following
Specify the author’s name
Type a name in the Author box.
Apply bitmap compression
In the Bitmap compression area, enable the Use JPEG compression check box. Move the JPEG quality slider to adjust the quality of the bitmaps.
Apply a trapping option
In the Trapping area, enable any of the following options:
Preserve document overprint settings — maintains current settings on objects
Always overprint black — creates a color trap by causing any objects that contain at least 95 percent black to overprint any underlying objects
Auto-spreading — creates a color trap by assigning an outline to an object that is the same color as its fill and having it overprint underlying objects
Maximum — lets you specify the amount of spread that the Auto-spreading option assigns to an object
If you want to specify the minimum font size to which Auto-Spreading is applied, type a value in the Text above box.
If you want the outlines of all objects on the page to have the same width, enable the Fixed width check box.
Apply a bounding box
In the Bounding box area, enable any of the following options:
Objects — aligns the bounding box exactly to the objects in the file
Page — aligns the bounding box to the page
Bleed limit — lets you specify how far the bleed extends beyond the edge of the area to be printed
Crop marks — lets you use crop marks as alignment aids when you trim the print output to its final size
Floating point numbers — lets you use numbers with decimals
Maintain OPI link
Enable the Maintain OPI links check box to use low-resolution images as placeholders for high-resolution images.
Automatically increase fountain steps
Enable the Auto-increase fountain steps check box to automatically increase the number of steps used to create fountain fills.

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The Use JPEG compression check box remains disabled until you choose a PostScript level that supports this feature.

To install Ghostscript

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1 Close any open programs.
2 On the Windows taskbar, click Start Control panel.
3 Click Uninstall a program.
4 Double-click CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 from the Uninstall or change a program page.
5 Enable the Modify option.
6 On the Features page, enable the GPL Ghostscript check box.
7 Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) technical notes

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Importing an EPS file

When you import an EPS file as editable, the PostScript information in the file is converted to native CorelDRAW objects that you can edit with some restrictions. For information about these restrictions, see PostScript (PS or PRN) technical notes.
If the encapsulated PostScript file was imported with the Place as Encapsulated PostScript option, and if it contains a preview image (called a header), the preview image is imported and displayed. The EPS information remains attached to the header and is used when the image is printed to a PostScript printer.

Exporting an EPS file

On a PostScript printer, graphics exported to the encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format print from other programs exactly as they do from a Corel graphics programs.
You can save a header to the Tagged Image file format (TIFF) or Windows Metafile format (WMF) in black and white, 4-bit grayscale or color, or 8-bit grayscale or color. You can set the header resolution between 1 and 300 dots per inch (dpi); the default header resolution is 72 dpi. If the program importing the EPS file has a limitation on the image header size, you might receive an error message stating that the file is too large. To reduce file size, in the EPS export dialog box, choose Black and White from the Mode box, and lower the header resolution before exporting the file. The setting determines only the resolution of the header and has no impact on the print quality of a drawing. Color headers are useful for viewing EPS files. If the program in which you are going to use the file does not support color headers, try exporting with a mono header instead. You can also export without a header.
Along with the graphic, exported EPS files contain a filename, program name, and date.
To save font information in an EPS file, enable the Include fonts check box in the Export text as area.
If you export text as curves, text is converted to vector curves.
If a font used in the file is not available on the printer or has not been saved in the file, either the text is printed in Courier font or the drawing is not printed.

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The features documented in the Help are available in the full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. Some features may not be available in this version of the product.