.eps files
.eps file
Encapsulated PostScript
A self-contained PostScript drawing, still requested by printers and sign makers.
What opens a .eps file
- Windows
- Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, CorelDRAW, GIMP (rasterises via Ghostscript)
- macOS
- Preview (built in — converts to PDF), Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape
- Linux
- Inkscape, Okular / Evince (via Ghostscript), GIMP
What a .eps file is
EPS wraps a single PostScript graphic with a bounding box so page-layout software can place it. It predates PDF and has been officially superseded by it, but print shops, embroidery services and clipart libraries still ask for EPS. The body is plain PostScript text, though many files also carry a small binary preview image at the front.
Converting it
A .eps file is commonly converted to .pdf, .svg, .ai, .png or .jpg. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .eps
- Full name
- Encapsulated PostScript
- Category
- Images
- MIME type
- application/postscript
- Created by
- Adobe
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .eps file?
- On Windows use Adobe Illustrator; on macOS use Preview (built in — converts to PDF); on Linux use Inkscape. A self-contained PostScript drawing, still requested by printers and sign makers.
- What is a .eps file?
- Encapsulated PostScript. EPS wraps a single PostScript graphic with a bounding box so page-layout software can place it. It predates PDF and has been officially superseded by it, but print shops, embroidery services and clipart libraries still ask for EPS.
- Can I convert a .eps file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .pdf, .svg, .ai, .png or .jpg, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
- .png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
- .jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
- .heic — High Efficiency Image Container The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same
- .webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
- .gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
- .psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
- .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at an
- .ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
- .avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
- .tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
- .raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place