Table of Contents

• 1. Text Layout
  • 1.1. Introduction
  • 1.2. Single Line Text
    • 1.2.1. Code
    • 1.2.2. Expected Output
    • 1.2.3. Text Positioning Techniques
  • 1.3. Multi-line Text and Paragraphs
    • 1.3.1. Code
    • 1.3.2. Expected Output
    • 1.3.3. Paragraph Formatting
  • 1.4. Text Alignment Options
    • 1.4.1. Code
    • 1.4.2. Expected Output
    • 1.4.3. Alignment Best Practices
  • 1.5. Text in Shapes
    • 1.5.1. Code
    • 1.5.2. Expected Output
    • 1.5.3. Text Path Techniques
  • 1.6. Mixed Fonts and Sizes
    • 1.6.1. Code
    • 1.6.2. Expected Output
    • 1.6.3. Font Management
  • 1.7. Text Effects
    • 1.7.1. Code
    • 1.7.2. Expected Output
    • 1.7.3. Effect Techniques
  • 1.8. Troubleshooting
    • 1.8.1. Common Issues
  • 1.9. Performance Tips
  • 1.10. See Also

1. Text Layout

Advanced typography and text layout techniques in PostScript.

1.1. Introduction

PostScript provides powerful text handling capabilities, from simple single-line display to complex multi-column layouts, text effects, and typography. This guide demonstrates professional text layout techniques.

1.2. Single Line Text

Basic text display with positioning and font control.

1.2.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Simple text at specific position
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont (1)
100 700 moveto                          % Position cursor (2)
(This is a simple line of text.) show  % Display text (3)

% Text with different fonts
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 16 scalefont setfont
100 650 moveto
(Bold Helvetica text) show

/Courier-Oblique findfont 14 scalefont setfont
100 600 moveto
(Monospace italic text) show

% Measuring text width
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Sample text for measurement) dup      % Duplicate string (4)
stringwidth pop                         % Get width, discard height (5)
/textwidth exch def                     % Store width

100 550 moveto
(Text width: ) show
textwidth 20 string cvs show           % Convert number to string (6)
( points) show

% Right-aligned text
/rightshow {                            % Define procedure (7)
  dup stringwidth pop                   % Measure text
  neg 0 rmoveto                         % Move left by text width (8)
  show                                  % Display
} def

/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
500 500 moveto
(Right-aligned text) rightshow

% Centered text
/centershow {
  dup stringwidth pop                   % Measure width
  2 div neg 0 rmoveto                   % Move left by half width (9)
  show
} def

300 450 moveto
(Centered text) centershow

showpage

1	Use findfont, scalefont, setfont to prepare font
2	Use moveto to position text cursor
3	Use show to display the text
4	Use dup to duplicate string for width measurement
5	Use stringwidth to measure text dimensions
6	Use cvs to convert value to string
7	Define reusable procedure for right alignment
8	Use rmoveto to move cursor relatively
9	Divide by 2 for centering calculation

1.2.2. Expected Output

Various text positioning examples:

• Simple left-aligned text

• Different font styles

• Text width measurement display

• Right-aligned text

• Centered text

1.2.3. Text Positioning Techniques

Left alignment (default):

• Position with moveto, then show

Right alignment:

• Measure with stringwidth

• Move left by width with rmoveto

• Then show

Center alignment:

• Measure with stringwidth

• Move left by half-width

• Then show

1.3. Multi-line Text and Paragraphs

Creating formatted paragraphs with line spacing and margins.

1.3.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Define text layout constants
/leftMargin 72 def                      % 1 inch (1)
/rightMargin 540 def                    % 7.5 inches
/lineHeight 14 def                      % Leading (line spacing) (2)
/currentY 720 def                       % Start position

% Simple multi-line text
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

leftMargin currentY moveto
(Line 1: First line of text) show

leftMargin currentY lineHeight sub moveto (3)
(Line 2: Second line of text) show

leftMargin currentY lineHeight 2 mul sub moveto
(Line 3: Third line of text) show

% Paragraph with procedure
/nextline {                             % Move to next line (4)
  /currentY currentY lineHeight sub def
  leftMargin currentY moveto
} def

/paragraph {                            % Display array of lines (5)
  {
    leftMargin currentY moveto
    show
    nextline
  } forall                              % Execute for each array element (6)
} def

% Use paragraph procedure
/currentY 650 def
/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont

[
  (This is a paragraph created using an array of strings.)
  (Each string is displayed on its own line with consistent)
  (spacing. This makes it easy to format multiple paragraphs)
  (of text in PostScript documents.)
] paragraph

% Justified text (word spacing adjustment)
/justified {                            % text width justified (7)
  /targetWidth exch def
  /text exch def

  % Count spaces
  /spaceCount 0 def
  0 1 text length 1 sub {
    text exch get                       % Get character
    32 eq {                             % Is it a space? (8)
      /spaceCount spaceCount 1 add def
    } if
  } for

  % Calculate extra space per word
  text stringwidth pop                  % Get natural width
  targetWidth exch sub                  % Calculate deficit
  spaceCount 0 gt {
    spaceCount div                      % Divide by space count
  } {
    pop 0                               % No spaces, use 0
  } ifelse
  /extraSpace exch def

  % Display with adjusted spacing
  0 1 text length 1 sub {
    /i exch def
    text i 1 getinterval               % Get one character (9)
    dup show                           % Display it
    0 get 32 eq {                      % Was it a space?
      extraSpace 0 rmoveto             % Add extra spacing (10)
    } if
  } for
} def

% Apply justified text
/currentY 550 def
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

leftMargin currentY moveto
(This line demonstrates justified text with adjusted word spacing.)
rightMargin leftMargin sub justified

% Paragraph with first-line indent
/currentY 500 def
/indent 36 def                          % 0.5 inch indent

leftMargin indent add currentY moveto
(This paragraph has a first-line indent, which is a common) show

nextline
(typographical convention for indicating paragraph breaks.) show

nextline
(Subsequent lines align with the left margin while the first) show

nextline
(line starts further to the right.) show

% Hanging indent (opposite of first-line)
/currentY 420 def

leftMargin currentY moveto
(Definition Term:) show

leftMargin indent add currentY lineHeight sub moveto
(This is a hanging indent, where the first line extends to) show

nextline
(the left of subsequent lines. This is commonly used for) show

nextline
(bibliographies, definitions, and bulleted lists.) show

showpage

1	Define margins in points (72 points = 1 inch)
2	Leading is the vertical space between baselines
3	Subtract line height to move down
4	Define procedure to advance to next line
5	Define procedure to display array of lines
6	Use forall to iterate array
7	Justified text adjusts word spacing to fill line width
8	Check if character code is 32 (space character)
9	Use getinterval to extract substring
10	Add extra space after each space character

1.3.2. Expected Output

• Simple three-line text

• Formatted paragraph using array

• Justified text with adjusted spacing

• Paragraph with first-line indent

• Hanging indent for definition-style text

1.3.3. Paragraph Formatting

Line spacing (leading):

• Store current Y position in variable

• Subtract line height for each new line

• Typical ratio: 120% of font size

Indentation:

• First-line: Add indent to X position for first line only

• Hanging: Subtract indent from X for all but first line

• Block: Add indent to all lines

1.4. Text Alignment Options

Comprehensive alignment and justification techniques.

1.4.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Setup
/leftMargin 72 def
/rightMargin 540 def
/centerX 306 def                        % Page center (612/2)
/lineHeight 16 def

% Alignment procedures
/leftshow {                             % Left-aligned (default)
  leftMargin exch moveto show
} def

/rightshow {
  dup stringwidth pop                   % Measure
  rightMargin exch sub exch moveto      % Calculate position (1)
  show
} def

/centershow {
  dup stringwidth pop 2 div             % Half width
  centerX exch sub exch moveto          % Center position (2)
  show
} def

/fullshow {                             % Justified to margins (3)
  /y exch def
  /text exch def

  % Count spaces
  /spaces 0 def
  text {
    32 eq { /spaces spaces 1 add def } if
  } forall

  % Calculate spacing
  text stringwidth pop
  rightMargin leftMargin sub exch sub   % Available space
  spaces div                            % Space per gap
  /wordspace exch def

  % Display
  leftMargin y moveto
  text {
    1 string dup 0 4 -1 roll put       % Create 1-char string (4)
    dup show
    0 get 32 eq {
      wordspace 0 rmoveto
    } if
  } forall
} def

% Demonstrate alignments
/Times-Roman findfont 14 scalefont setfont

% Left-aligned section
/y 750 def
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Left Alignment) y leftshow

/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
/y y 20 sub def
(This text is aligned to the left margin.) y leftshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Each line starts at the same X coordinate.) y leftshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(This is the default alignment in PostScript.) y leftshow

% Right-aligned section
/y 650 def
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Right Alignment) y rightshow

/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
/y y 20 sub def
(This text is aligned to the right margin.) y rightshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Each line ends at the same X coordinate.) y rightshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Useful for addresses and signatures.) y rightshow

% Center-aligned section
/y 550 def
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Center Alignment) y centershow

/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
/y y 20 sub def
(This text is centered on the page.) y centershow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Each line is individually centered.) y centershow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Common for titles and headings.) y centershow

% Justified section
/y 450 def
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Justified Alignment) y leftshow

/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
/y y 20 sub def
(This text is justified to both margins with adjusted word spacing.) y fullshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(Each line extends from the left margin to the right margin evenly.) y fullshow
/y y lineHeight sub def
(This creates a clean rectangular block of text for formal documents.) y fullshow

% Mixed alignment in same document
/y 320 def
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 14 scalefont setfont
(Mixed Alignment Example) y centershow

/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
/y y 25 sub def
(Body text is typically left-aligned for readability.) y leftshow
/y y lineHeight sub def

(Signature) y 40 sub rightshow
(John Doe) y 55 sub rightshow
(Director) y 70 sub rightshow

showpage

1	Calculate right-aligned position: rightMargin - width
2	Calculate center position: centerX - (width / 2)
3	Justified alignment adjusts space between words
4	Convert character code to single-character string

1.4.2. Expected Output

Four sections demonstrating:

• Left alignment (standard body text)

• Right alignment (signatures, dates)

• Center alignment (titles, headings)

• Justified alignment (formal documents)

• Mixed alignment example

1.4.3. Alignment Best Practices

• Body text: Left-aligned for readability

• Headings: Centered or left-aligned

• Signatures: Right-aligned

• Formal documents: Justified with hyphenation

• Narrow columns: Avoid justification

1.5. Text in Shapes

Displaying text along paths, in boxes, and following curves.

1.5.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Text in a box (word wrapping)
/boxtext {                              % array x y width boxtext (1)
  /boxwidth exch def
  /boxy exch def
  /boxx exch def
  /lines exch def

  % Draw box outline
  gsave
    0.8 setgray
    newpath
    boxx boxy moveto
    boxwidth 0 rlineto
    0 lines length 14 mul rlineto
    boxwidth neg 0 rlineto
    closepath
    fill
  grestore

  % Display text lines
  /Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont
  0 setgray
  0 1 lines length 1 sub {
    /i exch def
    boxx 5 add boxy 10 add i 14 mul sub moveto (2)
    lines i get show                    % Get line from array (3)
  } for
} def

% Use boxtext
[
  (Text can be constrained)
  (within rectangular boxes)
  (using arrays of lines.)
  (This is useful for forms)
  (and structured layouts.)
] 100 700 200 boxtext

% Text on a circular path
/circltext {                            % text radius circltext (4)
  /r exch def
  /text exch def
  /charcount text length def
  /angle 360 charcount div def          % Angle per character (5)

  0 1 charcount 1 sub {
    /i exch def
    gsave
      i angle mul rotate                % Rotate for this char (6)
      0 r moveto                        % Move to radius
      text i 1 getinterval show        % Show character
    grestore
  } for
} def

% Apply circular text
gsave
  400 650 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 16 scalefont setfont
  (CIRCULAR TEXT) 60 circltext
grestore

% Text following a curve
/curvetext {                            % text procedure (7)
  /proc exch def                        % Path-building procedure
  /text exch def

  /charcount text length def
  /pathlen 0 def

  % Build path
  newpath
  proc
  flattenpath                           % Convert to line segments (8)

  % Measure path length
  /x0 0 def /y0 0 def
  {
    /y exch def /x exch def
    /pathlen pathlen
      x x0 sub dup mul
      y y0 sub dup mul add sqrt         % Distance formula (9)
      add def
    /x0 x def /y0 y def
  }
  {} {} {}
  pathbezier                            % Iterate path (10)

  % Display text along path
  /charspace pathlen charcount div def  % Space per character
  /pos 0 def

  newpath
  proc

  0 1 charcount 1 sub {
    /i exch def

    % Position on path
    pos pathlen div dup
    proc
    % Complex path-following calculation would go here
    % Simplified: just show characters

    /pos pos charspace add def
  } for
} def

% Text on sine wave
gsave
  100 450 translate
  /Times-Italic findfont 12 scalefont setfont

  newpath
  0 0 moveto
  0 5 400 {                             % Draw sine wave
    /x exch def
    x x 10 div sin 20 mul lineto        % y = 20 * sin(x/10) (11)
  } for
  0.5 setlinewidth
  stroke
grestore

% Text in rotated positions
/spiraltext {                           % text spiraltext
  /text exch def
  /angle 0 def
  /radius 10 def

  0 1 text length 1 sub {
    /i exch def
    gsave
      angle rotate
      radius 0 moveto
      text i 1 getinterval show
    grestore
    /angle angle 20 add def             % Increase angle (12)
    /radius radius 3 add def            % Increase radius (13)
  } for
} def

gsave
  400 300 translate
  /Courier-Bold findfont 10 scalefont setfont
  (SPIRAL) spiraltext
grestore

% Text with background box
/boxedtext {                            % text x y boxedtext
  /y exch def
  /x exch def
  /text exch def

  % Measure text
  text stringwidth pop /w exch def

  % Draw background
  gsave
    0.9 setgray
    newpath
    x 3 sub y 2 sub moveto
    w 6 add 0 rlineto
    0 16 rlineto
    w 6 add neg 0 rlineto
    closepath
    fill
  grestore

  % Draw text
  0 setgray
  x y moveto
  text show
} def

/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Highlighted Text) 100 200 boxedtext
(Important Note) 300 200 boxedtext

showpage

1	Define procedure for text in box with word wrap
2	Position each line with offset
3	Use get to retrieve array element
4	Define procedure for circular text
5	Calculate rotation angle per character
6	Rotate coordinate system for each character
7	Text following arbitrary path
8	flattenpath converts curves to line segments
9	Calculate distance between points
10	pathbezier iterates through path segments
11	Sine function for wave shape
12	Increment rotation angle
13	Increment radius for spiral

1.5.2. Expected Output

• Text in gray rectangular box

• Text arranged in circle

• Text following sine wave curve

• Spiral text pattern

• Text with highlighted background boxes

1.5.3. Text Path Techniques

Circular/radial text:

• Rotate coordinate system for each character

• Position at fixed radius from center

• Calculate angle based on character count

Path-following text:

• Build path with standard operators

• Use flattenpath to convert to segments

• Position characters along path

1.6. Mixed Fonts and Sizes

Combining different fonts, sizes, and styles in one document.

1.6.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Font dictionary for easy switching
/fonts <<
  /title /Helvetica-Bold findfont 24 scalefont
  /heading /Helvetica-Bold findfont 16 scalefont
  /subhead /Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont
  /body /Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont
  /italic /Times-Italic findfont 11 scalefont
  /bold /Times-Bold findfont 11 scalefont
  /code /Courier findfont 10 scalefont
  /small /Times-Roman findfont 9 scalefont
>> def

% Inline font switching
/setfnt {                               % /fontname setfnt (1)
  fonts exch get setfont
} def

% Rich text display
/y 750 def
/lm 72 def                              % Left margin

% Title
fonts /title get setfont
lm y moveto
(Typography in PostScript) show

% Section heading
/y y 40 sub def
fonts /heading get setfont
lm y moveto
(Mixing Fonts and Styles) show

% Body with inline emphasis
/y y 25 sub def
fonts /body get setfont
lm y moveto
(PostScript supports ) show
fonts /italic get setfont
(inline font changes) show              % Italic (2)
fonts /body get setfont
( for ) show
fonts /bold get setfont
(emphasis) show                         % Bold (3)
fonts /body get setfont
( and ) show
fonts /code get setfont
(code snippets) show                    % Code font (4)
fonts /body get setfont
(.) show

% Subscripts and superscripts
/y y 25 sub def
fonts /body get setfont
lm y moveto
(E = mc) show
gsave
  0 4 rmoveto                           % Move up for superscript (5)
  fonts /small get setfont
  (2) show
grestore

(  and H) show
gsave
  0 -2 rmoveto                          % Move down for subscript (6)
  fonts /small get setfont
  (2) show
grestore
(O) show

% Multi-size heading hierarchy
/y y 40 sub def
/title1 {                               % Level 1 heading
  fonts /heading get setfont
  lm exch moveto show
  /y y 22 sub def
} def

/title2 {                               % Level 2 heading
  fonts /subhead get setfont
  lm exch moveto show
  /y y 18 sub def
} def

/para {                                 % Paragraph
  fonts /body get setfont
  lm exch moveto show
  /y y 14 sub def
} def

(Section 1: Introduction) y title1
(Overview) y title2
(This demonstrates a document hierarchy.) y para
(Multiple heading levels are shown.) y para

/y y 10 sub def
(Section 2: Details) y title1
(Specifications) y title2
(Each level uses appropriate sizing.) y para

% Drop cap (large first letter)
/y y 30 sub def
gsave
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  lm y moveto
  (D) show                              % Large first letter (7)

  fonts /body get setfont
  currentpoint pop                      % Get X position (8)
  3 add y 8 add moveto                  % Offset for baseline
  (rop caps create) show
grestore

lm 12 add y 14 sub moveto              % Indent rest of paragraph
(visual interest and mark) show
/y y 14 sub def
lm y moveto
(paragraph beginnings.) show

% Color + font combination
/y y 30 sub def
fonts /heading get setfont
0.5 0 0 setrgbcolor                     % Dark red (9)
lm y moveto
(Colored Heading) show

0 0 0 setrgbcolor                       % Back to black
fonts /body get setfont
/y y 20 sub def
lm y moveto
(Body text in ) show
0 0 0.7 setrgbcolor                     % Blue
fonts /bold get setfont
(blue bold) show
0 0 0 setrgbcolor
fonts /body get setfont
( and ) show
0 0.6 0 setrgbcolor                     % Green
fonts /italic get setfont
(green italic) show
0 0 0 setrgbcolor
fonts /body get setfont
(.) show

% Font size comparison
/y y 40 sub def
/sizes [8 10 12 14 18 24 36] def
0 1 sizes length 1 sub {
  /i exch def
  /Helvetica findfont sizes i get scalefont setfont
  lm y moveto
  (Sample Text - ) show
  sizes i get 10 string cvs show
  ( points) show
  /y y sizes i get 1.2 mul sub def      % Space proportional to size (10)
} for

showpage

1	Define convenience procedure for font switching
2	Switch to italic font for emphasis
3	Switch to bold font for strong emphasis
4	Switch to monospace font for code
5	Move up 4 points for superscript
6	Move down 2 points for subscript
7	Display large decorative first letter
8	Use currentpoint to get position after drop cap
9	Use setrgbcolor for colored text
10	Adjust spacing based on font size

1.6.2. Expected Output

A rich document demonstrating:

• Multiple heading levels

• Inline font changes (italic, bold, code)

• Superscripts and subscripts

• Drop cap paragraph

• Colored text

• Progressive font size display

1.6.3. Font Management

Font dictionary approach:

• Store all fonts in dictionary

• Quick switching with single command

• Maintains consistency across document

Inline changes:

• Save and restore fonts for variations

• Use gsave/grestore for temporary changes

• Return to base font after emphasis

1.7. Text Effects

Creating outlines, shadows, gradients, and special effects.

1.7.1. Code

%!PS-Adobe-3.0

% Outlined text (hollow letters)
/outlinetext {                          % text linewidth outlinetext (1)
  /lw exch def
  /text exch def

  gsave
    % Create text path
    newpath
    0 0 moveto
    text false charpath                 % Convert text to path (2)

    % Stroke the outline
    lw setlinewidth
    stroke
  grestore
} def

gsave
  100 700 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 48 scalefont setfont
  (OUTLINE) 2 outlinetext
grestore

% Filled and outlined text
/strokedtext {                          % text fillgray strokewidth (3)
  /sw exch def
  /fg exch def
  /text exch def

  gsave
    newpath
    0 0 moveto
    text false charpath

    % Fill first
    fg setgray
    gsave
      fill
    grestore

    % Then stroke
    0 setgray
    sw setlinewidth
    stroke
  grestore
} def

gsave
  100 620 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 40 scalefont setfont
  (STROKED) 0.7 2 strokedtext
grestore

% Shadow text
/shadowtext {                           % text dx dy shadowgray (4)
  /sg exch def
  /dy exch def
  /dx exch def
  /text exch def

  % Draw shadow
  gsave
    dx dy rmoveto
    sg setgray
    text show
  grestore

  % Draw main text
  0 setgray
  text show
} def

gsave
  100 550 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  100 50 moveto
  (SHADOW) 3 -3 0.7 shadowtext          % 3 right, 3 down, 70% gray (5)
grestore

% Multiple shadow (3D effect)
/shadow3d {                             % text layers (6)
  /layers exch def
  /text exch def

  % Draw shadows back to front
  layers -1 1 {                         % Count down (7)
    /i exch def
    gsave
      i i rmoveto                       % Offset each layer
      i layers div 0.3 add setgray      % Lighter as we go back (8)
      text show
    grestore
  } for

  % Draw main text
  0 setgray
  text show
} def

gsave
  100 450 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  100 50 moveto
  (3D TEXT) 8 shadow3d
grestore

% Perspective text
/persptext {                            % text scale (9)
  /sc exch def
  /text exch def

  gsave
    1 sc scale                          % Scale Y axis (10)
    text show
  grestore
} def

gsave
  100 350 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 48 scalefont setfont
  100 50 moveto
  (PERSPECTIVE) 0.5 persptext
grestore

% Embossed text
/embosstext {                           % text (11)
  /text exch def

  % Highlight (top-left)
  gsave
    -1 1 rmoveto
    1 setgray
    text show
  grestore

  % Shadow (bottom-right)
  gsave
    1 -1 rmoveto
    0.3 setgray
    text show
  grestore

  % Main text
  0.6 setgray
  text show
} def

gsave
  100 250 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  100 50 moveto
  (EMBOSSED) embosstext
grestore

% Gradient text (requires Level 3 or manual approximation)
/gradienttext {                         % text steps (12)
  /steps exch def
  /text exch def

  newpath
  0 0 moveto
  text false charpath
  clip                                  % Clip to text shape (13)

  % Draw gradient
  currentpoint exch pop /y0 exch def    % Get Y position
  text stringwidth pop /w exch def

  0 1 steps {
    /i exch def
    i steps div setgray                 % Gradient from black to white
    newpath
    i w mul steps div y0 moveto
    0 100 rlineto
    w steps div 0 rlineto
    0 -100 rlineto
    closepath
    fill
  } for
} def

gsave
  100 150 translate
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  100 50 moveto
  (GRADIENT) 20 gradienttext
grestore

showpage

1	Define outlined (hollow) text procedure
2	Use charpath to convert text to path
3	Fill first, then stroke for dual effect
4	Define shadow text with offset and gray level
5	Shadow offset: (dx, dy), shadow darkness
6	Multiple offset layers for 3D effect
7	Loop backward to draw furthest layer first
8	Calculate gray level based on layer position
9	Perspective effect using vertical scaling
10	Scale Y-axis to compress text vertically
11	Embossed effect with highlight and shadow
12	Gradient fill requires clipping to text shape
13	Use clip to restrict drawing to text outline

1.7.2. Expected Output

Various text effects:

• Outlined (hollow) text

• Filled with stroke outline

• Simple drop shadow

• 3D text with multiple shadows

• Perspective (compressed) text

• Embossed text effect

• Gradient-filled text

1.7.3. Effect Techniques

Outline text:

• Use charpath to convert to path

• Stroke the path instead of filling

Shadow:

• Draw offset copy first in gray

• Draw main text on top in black

3D/Emboss:

• Layer multiple offset copies

• Vary gray levels for depth

Gradient:

• Convert text to path with charpath

• Clip to text shape

• Draw gradient rectangles

1.8. Troubleshooting

1.8.1. Common Issues

Text not appearing:

• Ensure font is set with findfont, scalefont, setfont

• Check position is within page bounds

• Verify showpage is called

• Make sure color is not white on white

Wrong font displaying:

• Font name must be exact (case-sensitive)

• Use standard PostScript font names

• Call setfont after scalefont

Text positioning errors:

• Remember Y increases upward from bottom

• Account for font size when calculating line spacing

• Use stringwidth to measure before positioning

Overlapping text:

• Ensure adequate line spacing (typically 120% of font size)

• Check Y coordinate decreases for each new line

• Account for descenders in font metrics

Text effects not working:

• Use gsave/grestore around effects

• Ensure charpath uses false for stroking

• Remember clip affects all subsequent drawing

1.9. Performance Tips

• Cache font objects: Set font once for multiple uses

• Minimize font changes: Group text by font type

• Use procedures: Define reusable text procedures

• Batch operations: Draw all text before effects

1.10. See Also

• Hello World - Basic text display

• Drawing Shapes - Paths for text effects

• Color Gradients - Advanced coloring

• show command - Display text

• charpath command - Text to path

• stringwidth command - Measure text

• clip command - Clipping paths

• More Examples

• Command Reference