EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) Format

Encapsulated PostScript can be called the most reliable and versatile way to save data. It uses a simplified version of PostScript: it cannot contain more than one page in one file, it does not save a number of printer settings.

 

Like in PostScript print files, the final version of the work is recorded in EPS, although programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop can use it as a worker.  

EPS is designed to transfer vectors and raster to publishing systems, it is created by almost all programs working with graphics. It only makes sense to use it when outputting to a PostScript device. 

EPS supports all the necessary color models for printing, among them, such as Duotone, it can also record data in RGB, clipping path, information and trapping and raster’s, embedded fonts. Exchange with each other.

Together with the file, you can save the thumbnail (image header, preview). This is a low-resolution copy in PICT, TIFF, JPEG, or WMF format, which is saved with the EPS file and allows you to see what's inside, since only Photoshop and Illustrator can open the file for editing. 

 

 All the others import a sketch, replacing it with original information when printing on a PostScript printer. 

A non-PostScript printer prints the thumbnail itself. If you are working on Adobe Photoshop for Mac, save the thumbnails in JPEG format, the rest of the Mac programs save thumbnails in the PICT format. 

These and JPEG thumbnails cannot use Windows applications. If you are working on a PC or do not know where the file will be used, save the thumbnail in TIFF format (when option is given). 

Corel Draw also offers WMF vector format for sketching, it is worth very carefully to use this Microsoft brainchild - it will not lead to any good.

Initially, EPS was developed as a vector format, later its raster version appeared - Photoshop EPS. 

In addition to the thumbnail type (TIFF, PICT, JPEG), Photoshop allows you to choose how to encode data. 

ASCII, Binary and JPEG. The first two were described above, JPEG is worth staying.

Adobe Photoshop allows you to compress raster data using the JPEG algorithm. Adobe Photoshop has improved this compression method. 

 Now JPEG, performed by Photoshop, supports CMYK and compresses better than JPEG, which fully complies with the original specifications. 

In other words, non-thumbnail EPS files with JPEG encoding weigh less than similar JPEG files! However, I will draw attention to an important feature in working with JPEG compression in EPS. 

Printer drivers and photon dialing machines cannot perform color separation of such files .That is, when performing color separation on your computer, an EPS image with JPEG compression will be completely on the first board (Cyan, usually). 

 

However, in the service bureau, Scitex workstations (most of them in Israel) can color-separate pages with JPEG EPS illustrations without any problems. 

Systems of other companies, I think, also support JPEG EPS, in any case, it is worth asking. In Tel Aviv service bureaus and printing houses, I was often recommended to use JPEG EPS instead of TIFF for recording raster data, since it is output faster.

EPS has many varieties, depending on the creator program. 

The most reliable EPS create a program of production Adobe Systems: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Since 1996, Adobe programs have a built-in PostScript interpreter, so they can open EPS and edit them. This opportunity seems to me very important. The rest of graphic editors cannot open EPS, moreover, the EPS files they create sometimes turn out to be special, to say the least. 

Among the most problematic are Quark EPS, created by Save Page as EPS and FreeHand editable EPS, created by Save As. Do not particularly trust Corel'ovskimi EPS version 6 and below, and EPS from Corel XARA. 

EPS files from CorelDraw 7 and above still have the problem of adding fields to the Bounding Box (a conditional rectangle in PostScript that describes all objects on the page). 
 

Before exporting from CorelDraw, Corel XARA and, to a lesser extent, from FreeHand ' EPS files should convert many program effects (translucent fills, for example) into raster or simple vector objects. 

Thick contours (more than 2 pt) may make sense to convert into objects as well, when the program provides such an opportunity. You can check the EPS file with Adobe Illustrator; if it opens, then everything is fine.