PostScript (PS) is Adobe's page description language, a Turing-complete programming language designed to describe the appearance of printed pages with mathematical precision. PostScript files contain vector graphics, text with embedded fonts, and rasterized images, all described through a stack-based programming syntax. PS was the dominant language for professional printing from the 1980s through the 2000s before PDF largely replaced it. BMP (Bitmap Image) is Windows' native uncompressed raster image format, storing pixel data without any lossy compression.

Converting PS to BMP rasterizes a PostScript page description into an uncompressed bitmap image. This conversion is needed when PostScript artwork, technical drawings, or print-ready pages need to be used in contexts that require raster image files — image editors, web pages, presentations, or applications that cannot interpret PostScript commands.

PostScript files cannot be viewed by most modern applications — they require a PostScript interpreter (like Ghostscript) or a professional prepress RIP. Converting PS to BMP creates a universally viewable image that any computer, phone, or web browser can display. BMP's uncompressed nature means zero quality loss from the rasterization, preserving every pixel of the rendered output.

Legacy print archives often contain thousands of PS files from prepress workflows of the 1990s and 2000s. These archives need to be migrated to modern image formats for viewing, cataloging, and integration into digital asset management systems. BMP serves as a lossless intermediate format that can be further converted to PNG, JPEG, or TIFF as needed.

Ghostscript interprets the PostScript program, executing all drawing commands (moveto, lineto, curveto, show, image), font rendering, color operations, and compositing. The result is a rasterized bitmap at the specified resolution (DPI). This bitmap is then written to BMP format using Windows Bitmap File Format (DIB) with 24-bit RGB color depth and no compression. Ghostscript handles PostScript's full feature set: Level 1/2/3 operations, Type 1 and TrueType fonts, color management (CMYK-to-RGB conversion), transparency, gradients, and clipping paths. The rasterization resolution is configurable — 72 DPI for screen viewing, 150 DPI for standard quality, 300 DPI for print-quality output.

For screen viewing: 72-96 DPI. For document embedding: 150 DPI. For print-quality output: 300 DPI. Higher resolutions produce larger files but sharper detail. A letter-size page at 300 DPI produces a 24.75 MB uncompressed BMP.

Multi-page PostScript files are rasterized page by page, producing one BMP image per page. Specify which page to convert or convert all pages to separate BMP files.

BMP files are uncompressed — every pixel is stored raw. A letter-size page at 300 DPI with 24-bit color is approximately 25 MB. For smaller files with the same quality, consider converting to PNG (lossless compression) instead.

Yes. Ghostscript supports all PostScript language levels (1, 2, and 3), including advanced features like smooth shading, image interpolation, and masked images.

Yes. Ghostscript renders Type 1, TrueType, and CID-keyed fonts. If fonts are embedded in the PostScript file, they render correctly. If fonts reference system-installed fonts, Ghostscript substitutes from its built-in font collection.

Device	PS	BMP
Windows PC	Partial	Native
macOS	Partial	Partial
iPhone/iPad	Partial	Partial
Android	Partial	Partial
Linux	Partial	Partial
Web Browser	No	No

Feature	PS	BMP
Full Name	PostScript	Bitmap Image
Extension	.ps	.bmp
Best For	Page description language	Uncompressed

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