import of postscript files

users
#1

Hi,
I'm rather new to this list (worked before with OO) and would like to know if in LO there is a better way to import postscript files than the route via ps2pdf and then import it using the pdf-import plugin.
I need it very much as I have music (in scores) which the notation program can export as .ps (well, it is simply actually writing to a file in .ps format). I want to import it in a frame in LO so I can shape it Ideal would be of course if LO could import musicxml (mxml) directly, a sort of lingua franca in music notation but there are more urgent matters that must be solved first.
Hope anybody has a suggestion.
Thanks in advance,
Joep

#2

Hi. I convert the postscript files to eps files with Karbon14 and then import the epsfiles.
steve

#3

Steve,
Thanks for your reply. However, how do you import eps-files? I haven't found a filter for .eps files. Is there e plugin to do that?
Thanks in advance
Joep

#4

Steven,
Followup: I could read a .eps file but when I made a .epsi file, ot couldn't be read (I did that with ps2epsi).
But I am looking further.
Joep

#5

Hi Joep. One application I use to create my eps files saves them as epsi. I just rename them to eps and they import ok. I have done this a lot to import drawings from our CAD system and don't know if the epsi from the program I use to adjust the line thicknesses and add text are actually eps but it works for those drawings. Sometimes I use both Karbon14 and Inkscape. One edits attributes easier and one saves a better preview.

#6

Steve,
Thanks for your reply.
I did that and LO read the file and produced output that was vaguely recognizable for what is was meant to be. To clarify:
Originally the text is a music score that is produces as output of a music notation program as a .ps file (which normally is sent to a postscript printer). Normally I translate it to .pdf with ps2pdf to sent to others.
However, when I import the .eps file the resolution is far too low and when I import the .pdf file it uses apparently an own font and not the font of the .pdf file and of course that is also not usable.
I have still no reliable way to import music scores in LO.
Joep

#7

What is your intended use for the scores imported to LO. Do you intend
to print them or make a PDF of them or just view on screen.
The preview bitmap image with the eps is low resolution. You can change
this in Karbon14/Inkscape I think to get higher quality.
I find when I print, my prints are high resolution, from the eps vector
information, not the preview, so check a print.
For high resolution pdf documents from LO I need to print to ps and use
ps2pdf. Printing to pdf direct from LO uses the preview image and the
quality is not good.
steve

#8

You may have already explored this, but can you use oolilypond?

http://ooolilypond.sourceforge.net/
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/en/project/OOoLilyPondhttp://www.lilypond.org/

#9

Gary,
No, I didn't. I looked at it but the big snag is that you must translate first to Lilypond format.The music I write is much too cumbersome for writing directly in Lilypond format (I write arrangements for 2 piano's and big bands) and in my book there will be many examples.
However, I can try the route: Finale (Windows) -> .mxml -> Musescore (Linux notation program that reads .mxml and can give Lilypond output) -> Lilypond output -> oolilypond in libreoffice.
I need to use Finale as the Linux programs don't have the opportunities I need to write efficiently.
However, it's - as usual - a very good suggestion and I sure will explore it. Maybe someone will make a oomxml plugin!
Thanks,
Joep

#10

I momentarily gave up on direct import but instead explored how to import as a picture. I found 2 routes to convert .ps to .jpg.
The most simple is to use convert:
convert sample.ps sample.jpg.
  This gives rather small files but the resolution is not really optimal despite the use of several options to enhance the quality.
Another route is via gs. There a better control of the resolution can be achieved using:
gs -sDEVICE=jpeg -r300 -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sOutputFile=testpage-a4.jpg testpage-a4.ps
  Here r300 is the resolution (I have found that r 150 is also acceptable and the file is 75 % smaller), dBATCH makes that gs finishes automatically and dNOPAUSE makes it process all pages without prompt.
It is not exactly what I wanted but this is very usable. I publish it here so that it may be of some help to others.
Joep

#11

You can use GIMP to directly import the postscript file and then export to
any image format you want. GIMP, of course, would let you edit the image if
you want. I use to use ghostscript as you've described to convert
postscript to TIFF for publication quality images. However, since I would
crop using GIMP eventually, I played with and found that the import of
postscript is actually very good. Just set the resolution in the initial
dialog after opening up the postscript file. Also, select to anti-alias at
high quality the text and graphics.
Best wishes,
Dow

#12

Dow,
Thanks for the interesting suggestion. However, I am a musician and graphics simply doesn't like me. I have often tackled the Gimp and always ended by tearing on the few hairs I've left as the logic of the program escapes me completely. I would love to grasp it so I can enhance pictures etc. but it's simply not given.
For my application the route via gs suites me fine. it gives a good resolution for printing and it is reasonably fast. I think I will make a simple script in LO to import .ps directly.
But thanks again for the suggestion.
Joep