GNU Ghostscript

Introduction to GNU Ghostscript

Ghostscript is the name of a set of software that provides:

• An interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format,
• A set of C procedures (the Ghostscript library) that implement the graphics capabilities that appear as primitive operations in the PostScript language, and
• A wide variety of output drivers for various file formats and printers.

Ghostscript was originally written by Peter Deutsch.

The original Ghostscript program is maintained by a group of developers from Artifex Software Inc. Henry Stiles and Ray Johnston are the main developers.

GNU Ghostscript is maintained by a team of GNU programmers. The GNU version of the software is a distribution of the Ghostscript project from Artifex Software.

GNU Ghostscript is known to run on the following platform families:

• A wide variety of Unix systems using X Window version 11, release 4, 5, and 6, including Sun-3, Sun-4, Sun-386i, and Sun SPARCStation; generic machines running GNU/Linux, 386/ix, ISC Unix, SCO Unix, and Solaris; H-P 9000/300 and 9000/800; DECStation 2100 and 3100; VAX running Ultrix and OSF/1; Sequent Symmetry; Convex C1 and C2; Tektronix 4300; SGI Iris Indigo;
• Sun workstations (Sun-3, SPARC, Sun-386i) running SunView;
• VAX or AXP systems running VMS with X11R4/5 and DEC C or gcc.

Obtaining GNU Ghostscript

GNU Ghostscript is a copyrighted work; it is distributed under the GNU General Public License. You can get the current version of GNU Ghostscript by Internet FTP from ftp.gnu.org/gnu/ghostscript from any of the GNU distribution sites; likely, alpha versions may be available on alpha.gnu.org/gnu/ghostscript.

The Ghostscript source code distribution requires the jpeg library, the zlib compression library, optionally the libpng image format library, Jasper (for JPEG2000 format support), expat, freetype, jbig2dec, lcms and tiff. The versions eventually included in the distribution sources contain some modifications essentials to Ghostscript and not included upstream for the moment.

Documentation

GNU Ghostscript documentation is distributed with the source packages.

Mailing Lists/Newsgroups

The main GNU Ghostscript mailing list is <bug-ghostscript@gnu.org> (subscribe) (archive).
It is used to discuss all aspects of GNU Ghostscript, including development and porting.

Discussion about GNU Ghostscript and Ghostview can be found in the USENET gnu.ghostscript.bug newsgroup.

Getting involved

Please remember that development of GNU Ghostscript is a volunteer effort, and you can also contribute to its development. For information about contributing to the GNU Project, please read How to help GNU.

Request an Enhancement

If you would like any new feature to be included in future versions of GNU Ghostscript, please send a request to <bug-ghostscript@gnu.org>.

Report a Bug

If you think you have found a bug in GNU Ghostscript, then you should send as complete a report as possible to <bug-ghostscript@gnu.org>.

Development

GNU Ghostscript development is done on the appropiate savannah project.

Maintainer

GNU Ghostscript is currently maintained by Didier Link (<didier@famille-link.fr>) and José E. Marchesi (<jemarch@gnu.org>).

Additional Information

• Introduction to GNU Ghostscript
• GV allows to view and navigate through PostScript and PDF documents on an X display by providing a user interface for the ghostscript interpreter.