PS File printed from macOS Preview crashes Publisher

[Thomas Ebert]

I have a postscript file sitting here that I created from printing a PDF in macOS Preview and selecting to save as postscript file. It simply crashes any Affinity app when dragging it in or selecting `Open with`. It converts fine when opening in Preview. Could you send me a file drop link, so I can provide you with the file? 

Additionally, after the crash it takes several minutes for macOS to show the `An error occurred` dialog. I will also make sure to include the error log with the file :-)

Thanks in advance

– Thomas

[Pauls]

Here's a link

[garrettm30]

I didn't even know that Affinity apps could open .ps files. Out of curiosity, I just selected one of my .ps files (which was created from within InDesign), right-clicked on it in Finder to tell it to open with Publisher, and then Publisher launched and promptly crashed.

I suppose the error is that Publisher should not be trying to open it in the first place. When Preview opens a postscript file, it first has to convert to PDF, and I am not aware that the Affinity apps have any such capability.

[Thomas Ebert]

Files is uploaded, thank you!

I think, the fact that Affinity apps try to open the file and don't throw a `Can't open this type of file` warning speaks to the assumption that it is potentially possible to open and place postscript files. I'm trying to do so to avoid font-replacement problems that occur when placing as PDF.

I also was under the impression that I was able to place a postscript file that I created through Preview's `Export` feature, holding `Option-Key` and selecting `PostScript`. But maybe in reality that's actually a PDF file? I can't quite remember anymore and macOS is kind of fuzzy with file endings...

[mac_heibu]

You can‘t place postscript (.ps) files, but encapsulated postscript (.eps).

[Thomas Ebert]

Alright, then it's maybe the case that Preview creates an encapsulated postscript file when choosing `Export` and the print dialogue creates a “simple” postscript file. Unfortunately, mentioned export option fails with an error for me for some pdf files, so I had to go the long way and use the print dialog. Still, postscript files shouldn't crash Affinity apps in my opinion  

The PDF import is incredibly amazing, but I really wish there was a switch to just use the pdf “as is”. I'm preparing a publication with some printed commercials. And the pdf files I received are some though ones and of course I don't have all the fonts. So, for some the export from Preview trick worked and I imported them as `.ps` files (although it might just be .eps in reality), for others I grabbed the trial version of Acrobat and converted everything to curves and for the most tricky ones I simply rasterized them at the document's print resolution and will import them as images. That's quite far from “simply dropping some pdfs into your design“.

But I also remember that it was quite a fight in InDesign. It would always keep the color space of the placed pdf and sometimes completely destroy the placed PDF on export of the document...

So much for my monologue – maybe this crash can simply be caught and replaced by a message stating exactly what you wrote @mac_heibu.

[thomaso]

Maybe it depends on the complexity? Or the creator? – Here is a little postcript file (grey rectangle + blue word), created from an AfPub PDF via 'print' from Preview.

It can be placed + edited (text became curved) and opened by AfPublisher without any harm:

postcript of pdf-x1a _test.ps

[v_kyr]

Well there is of course a format difference between PS, EPS and PDF, though hacking and running/viewing real Postscript code on OSX isn't difficult and supported to some degree. A little MacOS PS Interpreter ...

 

[Jon P]

This only seems to crash on Mac. I've logged it for the developers to look into.

Thanks for reporting it

[Thomas Ebert]

Thanks a lot!

[Patrick Connor]

We have made fixes/improvements to this area (Specific PS file crashes when placed/opened) of the program in the latest customer beta. If you would like to try these changes the beta software is available in the forum posts listed below.

The latest beta builds are downloadable from links at the top of each of these beta forum posts.

• Affinity Publisher 1.8.0.556 for Windows
• Affinity Publisher 1.8.0.556 for Mac

These betas install parallel, next to the release version (they do not overwrite your release) and so the fixes can be tried in the beta without affecting your normal workflow in the release version.

Once these programs have been through a full beta process the change will be released in a future free 1.8.0 update/patch to all customers.

[Thomas Ebert]

Hey Patrick,

Thanks so much for fixing this. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time right now to test the fix.

But very soon I'll get back to the publication where this was a problem, so I'll see if the issue still exists and report back :-)

Thanks again,

– Thomas

[benwiggy]

On 7/24/2019 at 4:47 AM, v_kyr said:

Well there is of course a format difference between PS, EPS and PDF, though hacking and running/viewing real Postscript code on OSX isn't difficult and supported to some degree. A little MacOS PS Interpreter ..

Ooh: I tried to Google this app but can't find it. Can you tell me where I could get it? Thanks.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, benwiggy said:

Ooh: I tried to Google this app but can't find it. Can you tell me where I could get it? Thanks.

AFAI remember it's part of some Swift code examples from the Big Nerd Ranch. - You can try out if the below Mac GrafDemo.app related file works for you ...

• GrafDemo.app.zip

Copy the GrafDemo.app into your "username/Applications/" folder. - You can use copy/paste (cmd-c/cmd-v) of text from any texteditor to insert/change text etc.