[Haskell-cafe] PDF generation?

[Andrew Coppin]

>> Isn't there a problem with non-type 1 vectorial fonts being
>> rasterized during this conversion ?
>>     
>
> No.
>
> PDF is just a simplified, compressed encoding of PostScript.
> Unless there is some special reason to do so, why would
> a conversion utility go to the trouble of rasterizing fonts
> instead of just copying them in?
>   

To be clear: PostScript is a Turing-complete programming language. PDF 
is deliberately *not* a programming language. (This makes it less 
imperative, more declarative, and easier to manipulate.)

One effect of this is that it's possible to write a 2KB PostScript file 
with algorithmically constructs some horrifically complex image, and 
when you convert it to PDF it becomes 3MB or something.

None of which has anything at all to do with rasterisation. I gather, 
however, that various outline fonts have different spline capabilities; 
I don't recall the details any more, but that might plausibly force you 
to rasterise fonts. But heck, if you only use the (36?) standard 
PostScript fonts, you won't have to embed them in either the PostScript 
or PDF files. The standard includes serif, sans serif, monospace, bold, 
italic, etc., so unless you want something fancy like complex typesetting...

PS. I leaned to program in PostScript on day in my lunch break because I 
was bored. I almost wish I could put that on my CV...