Learn everything you need to know about Interpress, a page description language used in medium to large-scale laser printers.
What is Interpress?
Interpress is a page description language developed at Xerox PARC and based on the Forth programming language and an older graphics language called JaM. Initially, it was used as the output for Ventura Publisher but was not commercially successful for PARC. Interpress is a device-independent language that describes a document’s ideal appearance.
How is Interpress Used?
Interpress is used to determine line endings, hyphenation, line justification, and the forms and placements of images before generating a master. The master can be printed on various devices, each producing the closest approximation to the ideal represented by the master. Interpress is also used as the output format for InterScript, a word processor format for rich text documents developed by PARC.
Is Interpress still used today?
Although Interpress was not commercially successful, some Xerox printers, such as the DocuTech Network Production Publisher, still employ Interpress, and Xerox Ventura Publisher supports it. PostScript, a related language, was created by two of its developers, Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, when they left Xerox to found Adobe Systems.
Conclusion
Interpress may not have been widely adopted, but it played a crucial role in the development of other page description languages, notably PostScript. Understanding Interpress can provide insight into the evolution of printing technology and the development of more specialized page description languages.
FAQ
What is InterScript?
InterScript is a word processor format for rich text documents developed by PARC that uses Interpress as its output format.
What is PostScript?
PostScript is a page description language created by Chuck Geschke and John Warnock when they left Xerox and founded Adobe Systems.
