These instructions describe how to access the postscript publications via a WWW browser.

PostScript files

The PostScript language, by Adobe, is a programming language designed for describing documents. Most modern printers understand the PostScript language, i.e. they have a PostScript interpreter built into them. When a printer receives a PostScript file, it executes the program and as a result a document is printed. PostScript files normally have the extension .ps.

Viewing PostScript files

You can view a PostScript document on your screen without printing it. To do this, you need to install a PostScript viewer, i.e. a program that can interpret PostScript code and present the resulting document on your screen. A widely used (public domain) PostScript interpreter for Unix, Windows and Macintosh computers is Ghostscript.

Installing a PostScript viewer in your web browser

To be able to view PostScript files that you have downloaded from the web, you have to install a PostScript viewer as a helper application in your web browser. The following instructions assume that you use Netscape 2.0 or newer as your web browser, but the procedure is similar for other browsers too.
  1. Download the Ghostscript program for your machine.
    Instructions on what you exactly need are available from the Ghostscript page.

    Macintosh users should use the Glyphic Technology port of Ghostscript.

  2. Install Ghostview as a helper application in your web browser.

    If you use Netscape Navigator you should check the page How to Configure Helper Applications.

Now your web browser is set up so that whenever it receives a PostScript file it will open it with the GhostView application.

Compressed files

Unfortunately, a document stored as a PostScript file can be quite big. The size depends on how many pages the document has, but also on what fonts are used in the document, the pictures, and so on. Therefore, PostScript files are often compressed with some generally available compression utility, like the Gnu zip program. A file compressed with this utility has the extension .gz.

When you see a file with the name (for instance) TR1.ps.gz you know that this is a PostScript file that has been compressed with the Gnu zip program. If you want to view this document you first have to uncompress it and then open the resulting PostScript file with Ghostview.

Your web browser can uncompress files automatically for you, provided that you have set up a helper application for compressed files. You do this in the same way as above, except that the Mime type is application/x-gzip and the application to launch should be a program that can decompress Gnu zip files. There are many such programs available, for instance gzip for Unix, StuffIt Expander for Macintosh and GZIP.EXE for DOS or StuffIt Expander for Windows. See also Netscape's page about Helper Applications.

More problems

Now you have configured your web browser to recognize and process Gnu zip compressed files (.gz) and PostSpript files (.ps). However, only Unix-based web browsers can automatically process compressed PostScript files (.ps.gz) so that they are first uncompressed (with Gnu unzip) and then presented on the screen (with Ghostview). Both Macintosh- and Windows-based web browsers will leave the downloaded PostScript file in the browser's Temporary Directory. You can specify which subdirectory on your harddisk to use as the temporary directory for downloaded files in the Options/General Preferences/Applications menu. Check which directory this is, go to that directory and then manually open the PostScript file with Ghostview.

How do I print a PostScript file?

On a Unix workstation:
use the command lp -dprinter file.ps  under Solaris 2.x
use the command lpr -Pprinter file.ps  under SunOS 4.x
where printer  is the name of your laserprinter and file.ps  is the name of the PostScript file.
On a Macintosh:
use the program DropPS to send the PostScript file to a printer.
On a PC with Windows
print the PostScript file directly from Ghostview