WD: Introduction to PostScript Using Microsoft Word

• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02, 4.0, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0

SUMMARY

The information in this article describes procedures for using PostScript with Microsoft Word. This information is available as part of an Application Note titled "MW0316: Introduction to PostScript Using Microsoft Word."

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library:

 ~ MW0316.HQX (size: 49888 bytes) 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

MORE INFORMATION

PostScript is a powerful and versatile language used by the Apple LaserWriter and other PostScript printers to produce graphics and text. Using Microsoft Word, you can program your own PostScript code and send it to any PostScript printer.

The Coordinate System and the Pen

As far as PostScript is concerned, a piece of paper is a coordinate system measured in points (a point is 1/72 of an inch). The origin, or point (0,0), is in the bottom-left corner. On a standard 8.5-inch by 11-inch page, the bottom-right corner is coordinate (612,0), the top-left corner is coordinate (0,792), and a point 4 inches over and 4 inches up from the point of origin is (288,288).

PostScript describes graphics by defining the line that an imaginary pen would follow on this coordinate system.

The Stack

The most distinctive element of the PostScript language is that it uses a concept it refers to as a "stack" to store and manipulate information. Any number that is typed in PostScript goes to the top of the stack, and the numbers that preceded it are moved down one position in the stack. The stack is accessed by commands from the top down, so that the only way to move farther down in the stack is to remove the top item in the stack. The concept of the stack is important in understanding how PostScript code is interpreted and written.