1. Fonts and Text

Typography and text rendering in PostScript provide sophisticated control over font selection, text layout, and character positioning. Mastering these capabilities is essential for professional document production.

1.1. Overview

PostScript text capabilities include:

  • Font management - Loading, scaling, and caching fonts

  • Text rendering - Basic and advanced text display

  • Character positioning - Precise character placement

  • Text metrics - Measuring text dimensions

  • Font transformations - Scaling, rotating, and skewing fonts

  • Custom text effects - Outlines, shadows, and patterns

PostScript uses vector fonts that scale to any size without quality loss.

1.2. Font Basics

1.2.1. Font Selection

The standard font workflow:

% 1. Find font by name
/Times-Roman findfont

% 2. Scale to desired size
12 scalefont

% 3. Make it current
setfont

% Or in one line:
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

1.2.2. Standard Fonts

PostScript Level 1 guaranteed fonts:

% Serif fonts
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Times-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Times-Italic findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Times-BoldItalic findfont 12 scalefont setfont

% Sans-serif fonts
/Helvetica findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Helvetica-Oblique findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Helvetica-BoldOblique findfont 12 scalefont setfont

% Monospaced fonts
/Courier findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Courier-Bold findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Courier-Oblique findfont 12 scalefont setfont
/Courier-BoldOblique findfont 12 scalefont setfont

% Symbol font
/Symbol findfont 12 scalefont setfont

1.2.3. Font Dictionaries

Fonts are dictionaries containing font data:

% Get current font
currentfont

% Access font dictionary entries
currentfont /FontName get =     % Font name
currentfont /FontType get =     % Font type
currentfont /FontMatrix get =   % Font transformation matrix

1.3. Basic Text Rendering

1.3.1. The show Operator

Display text at current point:

% Set up
/Helvetica findfont 24 scalefont setfont
100 100 moveto

% Show text
(Hello, World!) show

Multiple text segments:

/Times-Roman findfont 14 scalefont setfont
100 100 moveto
(This is ) show
/Times-Bold findfont 14 scalefont setfont
(bold ) show
/Times-Roman findfont 14 scalefont setfont
(text.) show

1.3.2. Text Positioning

Text updates the current point:

100 100 moveto
(Line 1) show

% Current point is now at end of "Line 1"
% Move down for next line
0 -20 rmoveto
(Line 2) show

Common line spacing:

/fontSize 12 def
/leading fontSize 1.2 mul def  % 120% of font size

/Times-Roman findfont fontSize scalefont setfont
100 500 moveto
(Line 1) show
0 leading neg rmoveto
(Line 2) show
0 leading neg rmoveto
(Line 3) show

1.3.3. Text Alignment

Left-aligned (default):

100 100 moveto
(Left aligned) show

Right-aligned:

/text (Right aligned) def
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

% Measure text width
text stringwidth pop

% Move left by text width
neg 0 rmoveto

% Show text
text show

Center-aligned:

/text (Centered) def
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

% Measure and divide by 2
text stringwidth pop 2 div

% Move left by half width
neg 0 rmoveto

% Show text
text show

Alignment helper:

/alignText {  % x y text alignment -> -
  % alignment: 0=left, 1=center, 2=right
  4 dict begin
    /align exch def
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    text stringwidth pop

    align 1 eq {
      2 div neg 0
    } {
      align 2 eq {
        neg 0
      } {
        pop 0 0
      } ifelse
    } ifelse

    x add y moveto
    text show
  end
} def

% Usage
100 100 (Left) 0 alignText
200 100 (Center) 1 alignText
300 100 (Right) 2 alignText

1.4. Advanced Text Operators

1.4.1. The ashow Operator

Add space after each character:

% ashow: ax ay string ashow
100 100 moveto
5 0 (Spaced Text) ashow
% Adds 5 points horizontal space after each character

1.4.2. The widthshow Operator

Add space after specific character:

% widthshow: cx cy char string widthshow
100 100 moveto
10 0 32 (Add space after spaces) widthshow
% Adds 10 points after each space (ASCII 32)

1.4.3. The awidthshow Operator

Combines ashow and widthshow:

% awidthshow: cx cy char ax ay string awidthshow
100 100 moveto
20 0 32 2 0 (Spacing example) awidthshow
% 2 points after each char, 20 points after spaces

1.4.4. The kshow Operator

Custom kerning with procedure:

% kshow: string procedure kshow
% Procedure called between each character pair

/Times-Roman findfont 24 scalefont setfont
100 100 moveto

(WAVE) {
  % Add custom spacing based on characters
  pop  % Current character code
  2 0 rmoveto  % Add 2 points between chars
} kshow

Advanced kerning:

% Custom kerning pairs
/kerningPairs <<
  (AV) -2
  (VA) -2
  (To) -1
  (Wo) -1
>> def

/kernedShow {  % string -> -
  {
    % Get character
    1 string dup 0 4 -1 roll put

    % Show it
    dup show

    % Check for kerning pair
    % (implementation simplified)
  } kshow
} def

(WAVE) kernedShow

1.4.5. The cshow Operator

Callback for each character position:

% cshow: string procedure cshow
% Procedure gets character code before showing

100 100 moveto
(ABC) {
  % Character code on stack
  dup =  % Print character code
  % Character is shown automatically after procedure
} cshow

1.5. Text Metrics

1.5.1. The stringwidth Operator

Get text dimensions:

% stringwidth: string -> width height
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
(Sample Text) stringwidth
% Returns: width height

% Common usage - get width only
(Sample Text) stringwidth pop pop  % Discard both
(Sample Text) stringwidth exch pop % Keep height
(Sample Text) stringwidth pop      % Keep width

Measuring for centering:

/centerText {  % x y text -> -
  3 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    text stringwidth pop 2 div
    x exch sub y moveto
    text show
  end
} def

300 400 (Centered Text) centerText

1.5.2. Bounding Box

Get character bounding boxes:

% Using charpath to get bounds
/getTextBounds {  % string -> llx lly urx ury
  gsave
    newpath
    0 0 moveto
    true charpath
    pathbbox
  grestore
} def

% Usage
(Text) getTextBounds
% Returns: llx lly urx ury

1.6. Font Transformations

1.6.1. The scalefont Operator

Scale font to size:

% scalefont: font scale -> scaledfont
/Times-Roman findfont
12 scalefont setfont

% Different sizes
/Times-Roman findfont 8 scalefont setfont   % Small
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont  % Normal
/Times-Roman findfont 24 scalefont setfont  % Large
/Times-Roman findfont 72 scalefont setfont  % Huge

1.6.2. The makefont Operator

Apply arbitrary transformation matrix:

% makefont: font matrix -> transformedfont

% Condensed font (50% width)
/Times-Roman findfont
[6 0 0 12 0 0] makefont setfont
100 100 moveto
(Condensed) show

% Expanded font (200% width)
/Times-Roman findfont
[24 0 0 12 0 0] makefont setfont
100 80 moveto
(Expanded) show

% Italic (slanted)
/Times-Roman findfont
[12 0 6 12 0 0] makefont setfont
100 60 moveto
(Slanted) show

% Rotated
/Times-Roman findfont
[0 12 -12 0 0 0] makefont setfont
100 40 moveto
(Rotated) show

Combined transformations:

% Create fancy font transformation
/Times-Bold findfont
[20 0 4 24 0 0] makefont  % Wide and slanted
setfont
100 100 moveto
(Fancy!) show

1.7. Text as Paths

1.7.1. The charpath Operator

Convert text to path outline:

% charpath: string boolean charpath
% boolean: true=stroke outline, false=fill outline

/Helvetica-Bold findfont 72 scalefont setfont
newpath
100 200 moveto
(TEXT) true charpath  % Create stroke outline
2 setlinewidth
stroke

Outlined text:

/outlineText {  % text -> -
  gsave
    % Fill
    1 1 1 setrgbcolor
    newpath
    100 200 moveto
    dup false charpath
    fill
  grestore

  % Outline
  0 0 0 setrgbcolor
  newpath
  100 200 moveto
  true charpath
  2 setlinewidth
  stroke
} def

(OUTLINED) outlineText

Text with gradient (simulated):

/Helvetica-Bold findfont 72 scalefont setfont
newpath
100 200 moveto
(GRADIENT) false charpath

% Clip to text
clip
newpath

% Draw gradient through text
0 1 100 {
  /i exch def
  i 100 div dup 0 setrgbcolor
  i 100 200 1 72 rectfill
} for

1.8. Text Effects

1.8.1. Drop Shadow 

/shadowText {  % x y text -> -
  3 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    % Shadow
    gsave
      0.7 setgray
      x 3 add y 3 sub moveto
      text show
    grestore

    % Text
    0 setgray
    x y moveto
    text show
  end
} def

100 100 (Shadow Text) shadowText

1.8.2. Outline Text 

/outlineText {  % x y text outlineWidth -> -
  4 dict begin
    /width exch def
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    /Helvetica-Bold findfont 48 scalefont setfont

    % Outline
    1 1 1 setrgbcolor
    width setlinewidth
    newpath
    x y moveto
    text true charpath
    stroke

    % Fill
    0 0 0 setrgbcolor
    x y moveto
    text show
  end
} def

100 100 (OUTLINE) 3 outlineText

1.8.3. 3D Text Effect 

/text3D {  % x y text depth -> -
  4 dict begin
    /depth exch def
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    /Helvetica-Bold findfont 72 scalefont setfont

    % Depth layers
    depth -1 1 {
      /d exch def
      d depth div 0.3 add setgray
      x d add y d sub moveto
      text show
    } for

    % Front
    1 1 0 setrgbcolor
    x y moveto
    text show
  end
} def

100 200 (3D!) 5 text3D

1.8.4. Patterned Text 

/patternText {  % x y text -> -
  3 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    /Helvetica-Bold findfont 72 scalefont setfont

    % Create clipping path from text
    gsave
      newpath
      x y moveto
      text false charpath
      clip
      newpath

      % Draw pattern
      0 5 100 {
        /i exch def
        i 10 mod 10 div setgray
        x i add y 1 72 rectfill
      } for
    grestore
  end
} def

100 200 (PATTERN) patternText

1.9. Multi-line Text

1.9.1. Basic Multi-line 

/multiLine {  % x y lineHeight textArray -> -
  4 dict begin
    /lines exch def
    /leading exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    lines {
      x y moveto
      show
      /y y leading sub def
    } forall
  end
} def

% Usage
100 500 15 [
  (Line 1)
  (Line 2)
  (Line 3)
] multiLine

1.9.2. Text Box with Word Wrap 

/textBox {  % x y width text -> -
  4 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /boxWidth exch def
    /startY exch def
    /startX exch def

    /currentX startX def
    /currentY startY def
    /fontSize 12 def
    /leading fontSize 1.2 mul def

    /Helvetica findfont fontSize scalefont setfont

    % Split text into words
    text ( ) {
      search {
        % Found space
        dup stringwidth pop
        currentX add boxWidth startX add gt {
          % Word doesn't fit, new line
          /currentX startX def
          /currentY currentY leading sub def
        } if

        currentX currentY moveto
        dup show
        stringwidth pop currentX add
        /currentX exch def

        % Add space width
        ( ) stringwidth pop currentX add
        /currentX exch def
      } {
        % Last word
        currentX currentY moveto
        show
        exit
      } ifelse
    } loop
  end
} def

% Usage
50 500 200 (This is a long text that will automatically wrap to fit within the specified width.) textBox

1.10. Text Layout Patterns

1.10.1. Justified Text 

/justifyLine {  % x y width text -> -
  4 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /lineWidth exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    % Count spaces
    /spaces 0 def
    0 1 text length 1 sub {
      text exch get 32 eq {
        /spaces spaces 1 add def
      } if
    } for

    % Calculate extra space per gap
    spaces 0 gt {
      text stringwidth pop
      lineWidth exch sub
      spaces div

      % Show with extra spacing
      x y moveto
      0 32 text widthshow
    } {
      % No spaces, just show
      x y moveto
      text show
    } ifelse
  end
} def

% Usage
50 100 500 (This line will be justified across the width.) justifyLine

1.10.2. Vertical Text 

/verticalText {  % x y text -> -
  3 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    /Helvetica findfont 12 scalefont setfont
    /charHeight 14 def

    0 1 text length 1 sub {
      /i exch def
      x y i charHeight mul sub moveto
      text i 1 getinterval show
    } for
  end
} def

100 500 (VERTICAL) verticalText

1.10.3. Circular Text 

/circularText {  % centerX centerY radius text -> -
  4 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /r exch def
    /cy exch def
    /cx exch def

    /Helvetica findfont 12 scalefont setfont
    /angleStep 360 text length div def

    0 1 text length 1 sub {
      /i exch def
      /angle i angleStep mul 90 add def

      gsave
        cx cy translate
        angle rotate
        0 r moveto
        text i 1 getinterval show
      grestore
    } for
  end
} def

200 200 100 (CIRCULAR TEXT!) circularText

1.11. Font Management

1.11.1. Defining Custom Fonts 

% Define a font alias
/MyFont /Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont def

% Use it
MyFont setfont
100 100 moveto
(Using custom font) show

1.11.2. Font Cache 

% Cache scaled fonts for performance
/fontCache 10 dict def

/getCachedFont {  % fontName size -> font
  2 dict begin
    /size exch def
    /name exch def

    /key name =string cvs (-) exch concatstrings
         size =string cvs concatstrings def

    fontCache key known {
      fontCache key get
    } {
      name findfont size scalefont
      dup fontCache key 3 -1 roll put
    } ifelse
  end
} def

% Usage
/Times-Roman 12 getCachedFont setfont
/Helvetica 14 getCachedFont setfont

1.11.3. Fallback Fonts 

/findFontSafe {  % fontName -> font
  dup
  {
    findfont
  } stopped {
    pop
    (Font not found, using Courier) print
    /Courier findfont
  } if
} def

% Usage
/NonExistentFont findFontSafe 12 scalefont setfont

1.12. Practical Examples

1.12.1. Example 1: Title Page 

/titlePage {
  % Title
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 36 scalefont setfont
  306 600 moveto
  (Document Title) dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
  show

  % Subtitle
  /Helvetica findfont 18 scalefont setfont
  306 560 moveto
  (A Comprehensive Guide) dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
  show

  % Author
  /Times-Italic findfont 14 scalefont setfont
  306 400 moveto
  (By Author Name) dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
  show

  % Date
  /Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
  306 370 moveto
  (January 2024) dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
  show
} def

titlePage

1.12.2. Example 2: Business Card 

/businessCard {
  % Border
  0.5 setlinewidth
  50 50 252 144 rectstroke

  % Name
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 16 scalefont setfont
  60 160 moveto
  (John Doe) show

  % Title
  /Helvetica findfont 10 scalefont setfont
  60 145 moveto
  (Senior Developer) show

  % Contact info
  /Courier findfont 8 scalefont setfont
  60 120 moveto (Email: john@example.com) show
  60 110 moveto (Phone: +1-555-0123) show
  60 100 moveto (Web: www.example.com) show
} def

businessCard

1.12.3. Example 3: Invoice Header 

/invoiceHeader {
  % Company name
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 24 scalefont setfont
  50 750 moveto
  (ACME Corporation) show

  % Address
  /Helvetica findfont 10 scalefont setfont
  50 735 moveto (123 Business St) show
  50 725 moveto (City, State 12345) show

  % Invoice title
  /Helvetica-Bold findfont 18 scalefont setfont
  450 750 moveto (INVOICE) show

  % Invoice details
  /Helvetica findfont 10 scalefont setfont
  450 730 moveto (Invoice #: 12345) show
  450 720 moveto (Date: 2024-01-15) show
  450 710 moveto (Due: 2024-02-15) show
} def

invoiceHeader

1.12.4. Example 4: Code Listing 

/codeListing {  % lines -> -
  1 dict begin
    /lines exch def
    /y 700 def
    /lineHeight 12 def

    % Background
    0.95 setgray
    50 y lineHeight lines length mul add 500 lineHeight lines length mul sub rectfill

    % Line numbers and code
    /Courier findfont 9 scalefont setfont

    0 1 lines length 1 sub {
      /i exch def

      % Line number
      0.5 setgray
      55 y moveto
      i 1 add =string cvs show

      % Code
      0 setgray
      90 y moveto
      lines i get show

      /y y lineHeight sub def
    } for
  end
} def

% Usage
[
  (function hello() {)
  (  console.log("Hello");)
  (})
] codeListing

1.13. Best Practices

1.13.1. Cache Fonts 

% Good: define once, use many times
/bodyFont /Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont def
/headingFont /Helvetica-Bold findfont 18 scalefont def

bodyFont setfont
(Body text) show

headingFont setfont
(Heading) show

1.13.2. Use Appropriate Fonts 

% Serif for body text (easier to read)
/Times-Roman findfont 11 scalefont setfont

% Sans-serif for headings
/Helvetica-Bold findfont 18 scalefont setfont

% Monospace for code
/Courier findfont 9 scalefont setfont

1.13.3. Consistent Leading 

% Define leading as multiple of font size
/fontSize 12 def
/leading fontSize 1.2 mul def  % 120% = good readability

% Or
/leading fontSize 1.5 mul def  % 150% = loose, airy

1.13.4. Check Text Bounds 

/showInBounds {  % x y width text -> -
  4 dict begin
    /text exch def
    /maxWidth exch def
    /y exch def
    /x exch def

    text stringwidth pop maxWidth gt {
      % Text too wide, scale down
      /Times-Roman findfont
      maxWidth text stringwidth pop div 12 mul
      scalefont setfont
    } if

    x y moveto text show
  end
} def

1.14. Common Pitfalls

1.14.1. Forgetting Current Point 

% Wrong: no current point
(Text) show  % ERROR: nocurrentpoint

% Correct: set position first
100 100 moveto
(Text) show

1.14.2. Mixing Coordinate Systems 

% Be careful with transformations
gsave
  100 100 translate
  0 0 moveto  % Now at (100, 100) in page space
  (Text) show
grestore

1.14.3. Not Scaling Font 

% Wrong: font not scaled
/Times-Roman findfont setfont  % HUGE!

% Correct: always scale
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont

1.15. Performance Tips

1.15.1. Minimize Font Changes 

% Good: batch by font
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
100 100 moveto (Line 1) show
100 85 moveto (Line 2) show
100 70 moveto (Line 3) show

% Less efficient: font changes
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
100 100 moveto (Line 1) show
/Helvetica findfont 12 scalefont setfont
100 85 moveto (Line 2) show
/Times-Roman findfont 12 scalefont setfont
100 70 moveto (Line 3) show

1.15.2. Use bind for Text Procedures 

/showCentered {
  dup stringwidth pop 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
  show
} bind def

1.16. See Also

Back to top

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