Press Releases

Download PDF file

November 20 , 2002

Artifex Software Inc. of San Rafael, California is pleased to announce the release of Ghostscript 8.00, the most comprehensive software solution for page description languages. Ghostscript is a leader in PDF, PostScript, and PCL technologies. Ghostscript 8.00 features the following new capabilities:

DeviceN color

With the 8.00 release, Ghostscript now offers true DeviceN color space support, natively rendering spot colors, multicolor images, and gradient effects up to 8 color planes. DeviceN also affords direct and precise control over ink balances in large format inkjet devices. Ghostscript currently powers inkjet RIPs from Best Color GmbH, Xerox XES (in partnership with Caldera Graphics), MacDermid/ColorSpan, and Mutoh America.

Spot color

Ghostscript 8.00 fully supports spot colors and Separation color spaces. This functionality is actually a subset of DeviceN color spaces, and has a high performance implementation.

Overprint

Ghostscript 8.00 also brings native rendering of overprint and overprint mode, as specified in PDF 1.3, and PostScript LanguageLevel 3. Thus, Ghostscript's power and efficiency is now brought to new domains, including packaging, high end prepress, and others.

Well Tempered Screening

Integration of "Well Tempered Screening", an imagesetter-optimized screening technology from artofcode LLC. WTS produces exact irrational angles, as opposed to the rational supercell approximation common in most competitive RIPs. Dots are exceptionally smooth, even at relatively high rulings and low resolutions. Screener-induced (internal) moire is virtually eliminated. In addition, the WTS integration provides significantly higher throughput when rendering precise color angles than previous Ghostscript releases.

DiskN

Ghostscript now implements DiskN file resources within PostScript, significantly improving the integration with font downloading utilities.

Agfa UFST support

Long recognized as the leader in font solutions for embedded applications, Agfa's UFST font solution is now plug-in ready for use with Ghostscript's PDF and PostScript (GhostPCL has supported Agfa's UFST for several years).

_________________________________________________________

Artifex is a leading core technology provider with the most comprehensive software solution for the embedded printing market. Artifex's Ghostscript offers all the major leading Page Distribution Languages (PDLs) including Postscript, Portable Document Format (PDF), PCL5e/c, and PCLXL (together = PCL6), along with PCL drivers for Windows and a combination of fonts compatible with leading printers. No other software vendor offers a solution this complete. Millions of users have benefited from its ability to preview documents on the screen or provide high quality raster for hardcopy output. In addition, Artifex's Ghostscript combines the tools, information and technical support needed in order to meet the reliability and performance requirements of its OEM customers. Artifex's Ghostscript has been integrated with over 80 OEM customers' products, including: Hewlett Packard, IBM, Macromedia and Xerox. Artifex's Ghostscript software solution set operates on all major platforms as well as most embedded system CPU's.