40.1 PostScript Hardcopy

These commands convert buffer contents to PostScript, either printing it or leaving it in another Emacs buffer.

M-x ps-print-buffer

Print hardcopy of the current buffer in PostScript form.

M-x ps-print-region

Print hardcopy of the current region in PostScript form.

M-x ps-print-buffer-with-faces

Print hardcopy of the current buffer in PostScript form, showing the faces used in the text by means of PostScript features.

M-x ps-print-region-with-faces

Print hardcopy of the current region in PostScript form, showing the faces used in the text.

M-x ps-spool-buffer

Generate and spool a PostScript image for the current buffer text.

M-x ps-spool-region

Generate and spool a PostScript image for the current region.

M-x ps-spool-buffer-with-faces

Generate and spool a PostScript image for the current buffer, showing the faces used.

M-x ps-spool-region-with-faces

Generate and spool a PostScript image for the current region, showing the faces used.

M-x ps-despool

Send the spooled PostScript to the printer.

M-x handwrite

Generate/print PostScript for the current buffer as if handwritten.

The ps-print-buffer and ps-print-region commands print buffer contents in PostScript form. One command prints the entire buffer; the other, just the region. The commands ps-print-buffer-with-faces and ps-print-region-with-faces behave similarly, but use PostScript features to show the faces (fonts and colors) of the buffer text.

Interactively, when you use a prefix argument ( C-u), these commands prompt the user for a file name, and save the PostScript image in that file instead of sending it to the printer.

The commands whose names have ‘ spool’ instead of ‘ print’, generate the PostScript output in an Emacs buffer instead of sending it to the printer.

Use the command ps-despool to send the spooled images to the printer. This command sends the PostScript generated by ‘ -spool-’ commands (see commands above) to the printer. With a prefix argument ( C-u), it prompts for a file name, and saves the spooled PostScript image in that file instead of sending it to the printer.

M-x handwrite is more frivolous. It generates a PostScript rendition of the current buffer as a cursive handwritten document. It can be customized in group handwrite. This function only supports ISO 8859-1 characters.