PostScript Level 2

PostScript Level 2
Name	PostScript Level 2
Developer	Adobe Systems
Released	1991
Latest release	Level 2
Genre	Page description language
Website	Adobe Systems

PostScript Level 2 PostScript Level 2 is a 1991 update to a page description language developed by Adobe Systems that extended the capabilities of the original language used in desktop publishing workflows involving companies like Apple Inc., Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft. The update influenced printing ecosystems used by manufacturers such as Canon Inc., Epson, Brother Industries, IBM, and Minolta, and affected software vendors including Aldus Corporation, Quark, Inc., Adobe PageMaker, and Macromedia. It played a role in publishing projects for Time (magazine), The New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters, and Associated Press.

Overview

PostScript Level 2 built on foundations laid by earlier efforts involving researchers at Xerox PARC, engineers collaborating with Steve Jobs, and standards discussions at organizations like ISO and IEEE. It was promoted by companies such as Adobe Systems, integrated into products from Apple Inc., supported by print hardware from Canon Inc., and adopted by service bureaus including RR Donnelley and Pitney Bowes. The update responded to demands from users at institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley for higher fidelity rendering and workflow reliability.

Features and Enhancements

Level 2 introduced enhancements that benefited applications from Aldus PageMaker to QuarkXPress and influenced output devices by Kodak, Agfa-Gevaert, and Heidelberg Druckmaschinen AG. Notable features included improved color handling used by design houses working with Pantone, tighter font management relevant to foundries like Monotype Imaging and Linotype GmbH, and performance optimizations employed by vendors such as Intel and Motorola. The release added device-independent color features appealing to publishers like Condé Nast and agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy.

Architecture and Language Changes

Architectural changes reflected input from standards bodies such as ISO/IEC and interactions with software from Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Level 2 expanded the imaging model, influenced workflows at printers like Toshiba Tec and Ricoh, and refined font hinting used by Monotype Imaging and Adobe Type Library. Its operator set and memory management improvements were relevant to developers at companies like Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics, and to research groups at Bell Labs and Carnegie Mellon University.

Compatibility and Implementations

Implementations by printer OEMs included firmware shipped by Epson, Canon Inc., Hewlett-Packard, Brother Industries, Ricoh, and Xerox. Software interpreters and RIPs were produced by vendors such as Adobe Systems, Global Graphics, Agfa-Gevaert, Caldera, and Harlequin (company), and were integrated into systems used by New York Times Company, Gannett, Tribune Publishing, and Hearst Communications. Compatibility testing occurred in labs at Bell Labs, IBM Research, and Microsoft Research, and was referenced by vendors like Apple Inc. and Intel when designing drivers and operating system support.

Adoption and Impact

The update accelerated desktop publishing adoption by organizations such as The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg L.P., Dow Jones & Company, and Financial Times. Printing houses like RR Donnelley, Quad/Graphics, Transcontinental Inc., and Cenveo integrated Level 2-compatible equipment. Education and research institutions including MIT Media Lab, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory used Level 2 capabilities in document production and posters, and commercial design studios collaborating with Walt Disney Company, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures leveraged its graphics improvements.

Security and Limitations

Security concerns around interpretive languages were discussed by teams at CERT, NIST, US-CERT, and within research groups at MIT and CMU. Limitations included device-dependent behaviors noted by manufacturers such as Canon Inc. and Hewlett-Packard, interoperability issues encountered by service bureaus like RR Donnelley and Pitney Bowes, and performance constraints on hardware from Motorola and Intel. The language’s complexity led to implementation bugs addressed in products from Adobe Systems, Global Graphics, and Harlequin (company).

Category:Page description languages