macOS Ventura Preview has removed support for viewing PostScript vector files.

The macOS Ventura Preview application no longer lets you preview PostScript files, although you can still print them as you used to without having to download any applications.

• What is happening? Apple has confirmed that Preview no longer supports PostScript files in macOS 13. macOS Monterey and earlier are not affected.
• Why care? If you ever receive a PostScript file, you will need to download a dedicated application that can view these types of documents.
• What to do? Find several apps in the App Store to convert any PostScript files you may have to PDF. You can also submit feedback to Apple about this.

macOS Ventura Preview drops support for PostScript files

Following the release of the macOS Ventura software update on October 24, 2022, Apple announced in a new support document that its Preview application no longer supports vector files saved in the PostScript file format.

If your Mac is running macOS Ventura 13.0 or later (verify by choosing About This Mac from the Apple menu), you won’t be able to open PostScript (.ps) and Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) files in Preview mode. viewing. Deletion occurs at the system level.

For example, you also cannot preview a PostScript file by selecting it in the Finder and pressing the space bar. And since Preview doesn’t support plugins, don’t wait for third parties to add the missing PostScript support.

How to view PostScript files in macOS Ventura

For those still dealing with PostScript files, the company suggests downloading one of the App Store apps that can view or convert PostScript files. “You can still print files. ps and. eps files by dragging them into the print queue,”notes Apple.

As mentioned, viewing PostScript files on macOS Ventura requires a compatible third-party application such as Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Distiller, Affinity Publisher or Designer, etc. Free applications such as the GIMP image editor can convert PostScript vector files to bitmap graphics. Read. How to View Print Job Details in macOS

Luckily, the pstopdfterminal command still works.

Why did Apple do it?

Apple hasn’t said why it removed PostScript support from the Preview app and the rest of macOS Ventura, but we can make educated guesses. On the technical side, Apple chips can certainly handle the vector file format of the 1980s.

This seems like a security measure because PostScript files can include inline scripts, which opens up a potentially dangerous new attack vector. For the same reasons, Microsoft removed PostScript support from its Office suite in 2018.

History of PostScript and why it is no longer relevant

Although PostScript is the first major vector file format and one of the oldest formats for storing images, PDF is now preferred by service bureaus.

However, PostScript was all the rage a few decades earlier. Photoshop manufacturer Adobe developed the PostScript format in the 1980s. Conceived as a page description language, it was quickly adopted by the nascent electronic publishing industry.

Converting text and graphics to hard copies proved to be a major advantage of PostScript. Since PostScript is a mathematical model for drawing objects, elements such as fonts and vector illustrations do not look blurry when magnified.

Sign in to desktop publishing

When PostScript shipped with the first Apple printers, suddenly anyone with a Mac and a LaserWriter printer could create and print professional-looking documents. This is how desktop publishing was born.

The use of PostScript has declined dramatically over the past two decades because the ubiquitous PDF file format has slowly but surely become the new PostScript.

This is recognized even by Adobe itself, the creator of PostScript. “Now that direct-to-the-web publishing has overtaken print for all but the most specialized publications, the PostScript file format is no longer as popular as it used to be,” says the Adobe website.

How to Save PostScript Documents on macOS

macOS Ventura continues to support saving any document from any application as a PostScript file directly from the Save As dialog box.

1. Create your document in an application such as Microsoft Word.
2. Click the “File”menu and select the “Print”command to open the print sheet.
3. Click the down arrow on the PDF pop-up menu and choose Save As PostScript.
4. Navigate to the desired folder, then click Save.

The document will be saved as an ASCII Level 2 PostScript file in the location you selected. You can print it by dragging the file. ps to the print queue.

How to print PostScript files in macOS Ventura

To print one or more files saved in PostScript (.ps) or Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) format, simply drag and drop them into the print queue.

1. Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, select Printers & Scanners from the sidebar.
3. Click on the name of your printer on the right.
4. Now click the Print Queue button.
5. Finally, drag the file. ps or. eps to the print queue window.

Most people will never come across a PostScript file. As we said, this vector and page description file format has been replaced by the more common PDF format.