How to create a postscript or pdf file?
Most of you won't have an option and will have to turn in a postscript file.
If you happen to have Adobe Acrobat (not Acrobat Reader...you need the full
version) or a Macintosh, you can easily turn in a pdf file. For Linux users,
there is a ps2pdf application but I have had minimul luck with it.
Ghostscript
may be used as well. So, the
majority of you need to turn in a postscript file (and besides, with
Ghostscript or ps2pdf,
you need the postscript file first before you can make a pdf).
First off, what is a postscript file?
Here is what postscript is
That's nice, but just tell me how to make one
- Making a postscript file is very simple because you technically
make one each
time you print to a postscript printer (you just don't know it). To actually
save the postscript file, in whatever application you are using, go to print.
Somewhere there will be an option to "print to file" (in Word it is a check
box). Click print and a dialog box will ask you where you want to save it.
Word by default calls this file a *.prn file. You can overwrite this and
force it to be a *.ps file (*.prn...*.ps...same difference but we would like
you must use the file extension *.ps for our grading program).
There you go. You have your postscript
file. (I think you can only do this when you have a postscript printer added
to your computer. If you don't have a postscript printer at home, you can
do this process on a computer in the CS department. The printers in the
labs are postscript printers. Or you can simply create a dummy printer
on your computer by just choosing one of the postscript printers when
adding a printer.)
I still can't create the postscript file. How do I create a PDF?
- Option 1 - If you use a Macintosh, you can create a pdf very easily.
Go to print for whatever application you are using and there is a button that
says "Save as PDF.." Easy as that.
- Option 2 - Use Adobe Acrobat. However, you actually have to PURCHASE the
product to do this so I don't suggest you use the option unless you have already
purchased Adobe Acrobat
- Option 3 - Let Adobe make the PDF for you. If you go to
here, Adobe will create 5 free PDF files for you. You just submit your
document and they will produce the PDF for you. However, you only get 5
for each email address you sign up with. That works perfect for this course
however since you will have 5 PDFs that you need to turn in. Although, you
could always sign up again with another email address if you run out
of free trial conversions
- Option 4 - ** I highly suggest this one** Learn how to use LaTeX. You
can easily make ps or pdf files from LaTeX. Use google to learn.
Here is a post to the mailing list about using
LaTex.
- Option 5 - Scan homework to a pdf file however if we can't read what
you scanned, we can't grade it
- Option 6 - Download OpenOffice.
There is an export to pdf option.
- Option 7 - Download
PDFCreator.
- Option 8 - Download a free PDF writer CutePDF
View/print it before turning it it
Make sure that it looks okay before turning it in. You can do this in Linux
using Ghostview or the lpr command to print it (do a man on lpr if you do not
know that command). There is also a Ghostview for Windows. No resubmissions
will be accepted if you turn in a blank/corrupted postscript/pdf file.