PDF to PostScript Converter: Get a .ps File for Printing
Convert PDF to PostScript when a printer, RIP or older program wants a .ps file instead of a PDF. Ghostscript writes Level 2 PostScript on our server, and you download one .ps file with every page.
// how it works
How to Convert PDF to PostScript in 4 Steps
Upload a PDF and get it back as a PostScript (.ps) file to download.
- 01Pick a PDF file, or drag it into the upload area.
- 02Check it's the right PDF and click 'Convert'.
- 03Wait while the PDF gets converted to PostScript.
- 04Download the .ps file.
PDF to PostScript: What You Get and a Real Test
Convert PDF to PostScript when a print shop, a raster image processor or an older program wants a .ps file instead of a PDF. This converter runs Ghostscript on our server and gives you back one PostScript file with every page of your PDF. You don't need desktop software or an account.
Convert your PDF to PostScriptHow to convert PDF to PostScript
- Choose one PDF of up to 25 MB, or drag it into the upload area.
- Check the right file is listed and click Convert.
- Wait while Ghostscript writes the PostScript file.
- Download the file ending in .ps.
There's nothing to set. Every page of the PDF goes into the same .ps file, in the original order.
What is PostScript?
PostScript is a page description language that Adobe created in the early 1980s. A PS file is really a program: it tells a printer or interpreter how to draw the text, shapes and images on each page.
PDF grew out of PostScript, but it's built for viewing and sharing, with links, forms and bookmarks. PostScript has none of that, so only convert when the system on the other end asks for PS.
What kind of PS file you get
The converter uses Ghostscript's ps2write device, which writes PostScript language level 2 according to the Ghostscript device documentation. Text, vector shapes and images all become PostScript drawing instructions.
You get a regular .ps document, not an EPS file for placing in a layout. It'll be a lot bigger than the PDF, as our test shows.
What happened when we tested PDF to PostScript
We uploaded our small test file test1.pdf (4.9 KB, 1 page); there are no options to choose. The download, test1_PDFToPostScript.ps, was 163.8 KB. Tested in October 2026.
Why is the PS file so large, and will it print correctly?
Every file starts with about 162 KB of Ghostscript setup code (its prolog), and transparency makes it explode, because the whole page turns into one picture. Fonts do get embedded, and each page keeps its size. We converted five PDFs in October 2026 to find out.
| PDF size | PS size | What the PS holds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three short pages of different sizes | 1.6 KB | 163.6 KB | 99.1% prolog; text stays text |
| 20 pages of plain text | 24.9 KB | 266.1 KB | Text with its font embedded |
| Two-page report with a photo | 121.3 KB | 662.7 KB | Text, plus the 400 by 300 pixel photo |
| Photo with a semi-transparent box and text | 36.8 KB | 12.6 MB | One 5953 by 8419 pixel picture of the page, at 720 dpi, and no text at all |
| German, Chinese and Arabic lines | 43.7 KB | 224.9 KB | Text with all four fonts embedded |
To check the output, we turned each PS file back into a PDF with Ghostscript. The three-page file kept A4 portrait, A4 landscape and US Letter, one size per page. The report's Helvetica, which the PDF hadn't embedded, was embedded in the PS, so the printer doesn't have to supply it.
If your PDF uses transparency, you'll get a very large file in which the text is part of a picture, so ask the print shop whether they'll take the PDF instead. Every file's header reads %!PS-Adobe-3.0 with %%LanguageLevel: 2, so tell them it's level 2 PostScript.
When a PS file is the right choice
Some print queues, RIPs and prepress systems take PostScript as their input. Ask your print provider which format, page size and color settings they expect before you send a PS file.
Older programs and print servers built around PostScript are the other reason. Keep the original PDF as your archive copy, though, since it holds the bookmarks, links and form fields that PostScript drops.
Going the other way? The PostScript to PDF converter turns a .ps file back into a PDF. For black and white printing, you can make the PDF gray first with Grayscale PDF.
Troubleshooting PDF to PS conversion
A PDF that needs a password to open can't be converted. If you're allowed to open it, take the password off with one of our PDF security tools first.
A damaged PDF can make the conversion fail, so try our tools to repair and optimize PDFs and convert the repaired file. If the PS file prints at the wrong page size, look at the paper size and orientation settings of the printer queue.
Limits and privacy
The converter takes one PDF of up to 25 MB per run. Both the PDF and the PostScript file get processed on our server and deleted automatically within two hours.
Frequently Asked Questions about PDF to PostScript
What file extension does the converter produce?
A .ps file, the usual extension for PostScript. Make sure your printer or program accepts PS before you send it.
Which PostScript level is the output?
Level 2. Ghostscript's ps2write device writes PostScript language level 2.
Can a multi-page PDF become one PS file?
Yes. All the pages go into one PostScript file, in their original order.
Can I get an EPS file?
No. The converter writes a regular PostScript document, not Encapsulated PostScript.
Should I keep my original PDF?
Yes. The PDF keeps links, bookmarks, forms and other features that a PostScript file doesn't carry.
Do I need to install software?
No. You upload the PDF and download the PS file in your browser.