How Do I View EPS Files?

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files can be a boon to the desktop publishing world. This file format allows any variation of images, text and full graphics to be easily transferable and print ready. It is important to note that all EPS files must be in line with the Adobe Document Structuring Conventions to work properly; this also includes the ability to open and view these files. The Adobe group was the original creator of the Encapsulated PostScript file format released back in the mid 1980's.

Here, we are going to answer the question "How do I view EPS files?" by taking a look at various ways that you can open these files on your personal computer. Whether you are working with a Mac or Windows operating system these simple ways can allow you to open and view any imported Encapsulated PostScript files you need to viewed.

Opening and viewing EPS files doesn't have to become a problem. On both Mac and Windows running machines the operating system comes with programs that can open EPS files for viewing. In the Mac machines, Apple Preview will open an EPS file for viewing, and that application comes installed on Apple systems. On a Windows OS machine with Microsoft Office installed, EPS files can be embedded into documents for viewing.

Adobe Acrobat is versatile when it comes to viewing EPS files. The application can open any Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files for viewing on any machine running either Mac or Windows operating systems. Other applications from Adobe that can open EPS files for viewing are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PageMaker and Adobe Photoshop.

Other applications that can open EPS files for viewing are as follows:

• OpenOffice
• Ghostview
• ImageMagick
• Brava Desktop Viewer

The above sites offer free software available for download online. Each link will take you to the main page of the listed sources and will not start an automatic download. The four sites listed are all also open source software, which means that improvements on each application may be added at anytime from the many developers who are working on the applications. If you do chose to go with one of the four listed open source sites, it is important to remember to check back at the sites on a regular basis to both provide feedback on how the applications work for you and to get any new patches that are created for the software that you have downloaded.

Another free way to view Encapsulated PostScript files is available from EPS Viewer. This software was made exclusively for showing preview images and gives users the ability to convert an open EPS to other formats such as JPG and GIF. In order to use this software users must have one of the following Microsoft operating systems running on their machines: Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista.