Why won't OS X print direct to a .epsf?

C

Colin Dolphin

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In OS9 one could easily print to a .eps file with or without a preview. The file would autmatically clip to leave a boundary box enclosing just the relevant image or text. For example, a small abstract typed in the centre of a single page in Word could be printed to a .epsf & the resulting file (containing just the text portion) placed in something like Canvas where it could be resized, etc, with no fear of formatting problems, etc.

Why, oh why, can one not, apparently, do this same thing within OS X? Yes, you can save as a PDF and even as a .ps file but it won't let you create a nicely clippped .eps file directly as before. You can open the PDF in Acrobat and SAVE AS a epsf BUT this includes the entire page and isn't clipped to just include the text (or image) as in OS9. I know there are things like pstoeps utilities but why should I need them when OS9 & earlier did it all perfectly?

Why has something that I used to use A LOT and was very easy and reliable been removed from OS X? Am I missing something here?

I have googled the web and others have asked very similar questions but none have yet been supplied with a convincing answer as to why its missing from OS X.

Is this due, perhaps, to some problem between Apple & Adobe?

Colin
 
Unfortunately, the lack of .epsf printing is a real omission in MacOS X. That there is no way to limit .pdf files to the boundaries of your image is a major annoyance. BTW, I have not been able to save Canvas files as .epsf with preview since a particular QuickTime update back in the Canvas 8 days. This issue was not fixed in Canvas 9, and it was not fixed in Canvas X. Canvas still saves valid EPSF files, but without visible preview. If I use EPSF, I have to work in the blind. PDF works and works well, but it is a pain to use owing to the fact that all files are full page.
 
I started with Canvas 3.54 & have upgraded over the years through 5, 8 & now X. However, I still end up using 3.54 in Classic mode nearly every time as it will do things that none of the upgrades seem able to...
 
I guess it's simply not a problem with layout software like XPress and InDesign. I don't know about others, but at least in ID, you simply place the PDF and crop it. Easy.
 
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