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Install ghostscript with Homebrew
Interpreter for PostScript and PDF. Version 10.07.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-23.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Interpreter for PostScript and PDF
Project links
Commands and aliases
- dvipdf
- eps2eps
- gpcl6
- gpcl6c
- gpdlc
- gs
- gsbj
- gsc
- gsdj
- gsdj500
- gslj
- gslp
- gsnd
- gsx
- gxps
- gxpsc
- lprsetup.sh
- pdf2dsc
- pdf2ps
- pf2afm
- pfbtopfa
- pphs
- printafm
- ps2ascii
- ps2epsi
- ps2pdf
- ps2pdf12
- ps2pdf13
- ps2pdf14
- ps2pdfwr
- ps2ps
- ps2ps2
history
Project history and usage
Ghostscript is a long-running interpreter and conversion engine for PostScript and PDF files, with related GhostPDL components for other page description languages.
Project history
Ghostscript dates to the late 1980s: the official version history lists Ghostscript 1.0 on August 11, 1988, followed by early 1.x releases in 1989. The documentation describes the core product as a PostScript interpreter layer paired with a graphics library.
The project grew from a PostScript interpreter into the Ghostscript/GhostPDL family. Official documentation describes GhostPDF, GhostPCL, GhostXPS, and GhostPDL as related products sharing the Ghostscript graphics library, while Artifex documents a newer C-based PDF interpreter and the commercial Ghostscript Enterprise line.
Adoption history
Ghostscript became infrastructure for Unix printing, document conversion, prepress, archiving, and server-side PDF workflows. The project website describes uses in printers, multifunction devices, raster image processors, document management systems, PDF generation tools, and cloud printing.
How it is used
Practitioners usually encounter Ghostscript through the `gs` executable or helper commands such as `ps2pdf`. Common workflows include rendering PostScript or PDF to images, converting PostScript to PDF, selecting output devices, compressing or optimizing PDF files, and embedding the engine through an SDK.
Why package nerds care
Package nerds care about Ghostscript because it is one of the classic pieces of document-processing plumbing: a package that quietly enables print filters, TeX and publishing toolchains, image conversion, PDF generation, and archival pipelines across many operating systems.
Timeline
- 1988: Ghostscript 1.0 released.
- 1989: Ghostscript 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 released.
- 2010: Ghostscript 9.00 released.
- 2022: Ghostscript 10.00.0 released.
Related projects
- Related Artifex projects and product names include GhostPDF, GhostPCL, GhostXPS, GhostPDL, MuPDF, and Ghostscript Enterprise.
Sources
- https://ghostscript.readthedocs.io/en/gs10.05.1/Readme.html
- https://ghostscript.readthedocs.io/en/gs10.05.1/ReleaseDates.html
- https://ghostscript.readthedocs.io/en/gs10.05.1/Use.html
- https://github.com/ArtifexSoftware/ghostpdl-downloads
- https://web.mit.edu/ghostscript/www/History1.htm
- https://www.ghostscript.com/
security posture
Risk level: yellow
generalized runtime or code generation signal.
Risk classifier
yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime
Why
- generalized runtime or code generation signal
Signals
- text:interpreter
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
dvipdf | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
eps2eps | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gpcl6 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gpcl6c | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gpdlc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gs | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsbj | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsdj | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsdj500 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gslj | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gslp | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsnd | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gsx | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gxps | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
gxpsc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
lprsetup.sh | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
pdf2dsc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
pdf2ps | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
pf2afm | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
pfbtopfa | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
pphs | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
printafm | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2ascii | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2epsi | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2pdf | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2pdf12 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2pdf13 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2pdf14 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2pdfwr | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2ps | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ps2ps2 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unix-lpr.sh | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version10.07.1
manager updated2026-05-23
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ghostscript |
|---|---|
| Version | 10.07.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.ghostscript.com/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/ArtifexSoftware/ghostpdl |
| Last updated | 2026-05-23T00:55:24Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation