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.