Product Perfect

PostScript is a page description language developed by Adobe Systems in 1982, primarily for electronic and desktop publishing purposes. It utilizes a stack-based approach to programming, making it an effective tool for managing complex graphic design tasks. The language played a pivotal role in the desktop publishing revolution, making it possible to print high-quality text and images on personal computers for the first time. Its introduction led to the creation of the PDF file format, which remains widely used today. The information about PostScript is referenced from Adobe Systems Incorporated and historical data from "A Quarter Century of PostScript" by Peter Vollenweider.

Ask the right questions secure the right PostScript talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General PostScript app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in PostScript application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you define PostScript?

PostScript is a page description language used in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. It's a programming language that describes the appearance of a printed page.

What are the main uses of PostScript?

PostScript is mainly used for printing and desktop publishing. It's also used in the creation of fonts and in 3D rendering.

Describe the difference between PostScript and PDF.

PostScript is a programming language that describes the appearance of a printed page, while PDF is a file format that represents documents in a manner independent of the software, hardware, and operating system.

How would you convert a PostScript file to PDF?

You can use tools like Ghostscript or Adobe Acrobat Distiller to convert a PostScript file to PDF.

What are the basic data types in PostScript?

The basic data types in PostScript are integers, real numbers, booleans, names, strings, arrays, and dictionaries.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of PostScript language?

Can the candidate effectively troubleshoot and debug PostScript files?

Is the candidate able to create and modify PostScript files?

Does the candidate have experience with other programming languages?

Next 20 minutes

Specific PostScript development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you create a simple loop in PostScript?

You can create a simple loop in PostScript using the 'repeat' operator. For example, '5 { ... } repeat' will repeat the code block 5 times.

What is the purpose of the 'showpage' operator in PostScript?

The 'showpage' operator in PostScript is used to print the current page and start a new one.

Describe the difference between 'def' and 'store' in PostScript.

'def' creates or modifies an entry in the current dictionary, while 'store' modifies an existing entry without changing the current dictionary.

How would you handle errors in PostScript?

You can handle errors in PostScript using the 'errordict' dictionary, which contains procedures to be executed when specific errors occur.

What are the steps to create a custom font in PostScript?

To create a custom font in PostScript, you need to define the font dictionary, define the character metrics, define the character outlines, and define the encoding.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

At this point, a skilled PostScript engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in PostScript programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with PostScript.

What does this simple PostScript code do?
/inch {72 mul} def
5 inch
This code defines a function called 'inch' that multiplies a number by 72. Then it calls this function with the argument 5. The result will be 360, which is the number of PostScript points in 5 inches.
What will be the output of the following PostScript code?
/x 5 def
/x x 1 add def
x
This code defines a variable 'x' and assigns it the value 5. Then it redefines 'x' as 'x + 1'. The output will be 6.
What does this PostScript code do with an array?
[1 2 3 4 5] {2 mul} forall
This code multiplies every element in the array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] by 2. However, it doesn't save the result anywhere, so it's effectively lost.
What does this PostScript code do with threading?
/x 5 def
[1 2 3 4 5] {x mul} forall
x
This code defines a variable 'x' and assigns it the value 5. Then it multiplies every element in the array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] by 'x'. However, since PostScript is not a multi-threaded language, the operations are performed sequentially, not concurrently.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for PostScript Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle PostScript application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

How would you implement recursion in PostScript?

You can implement recursion in PostScript by defining a procedure that calls itself. However, you need to be careful to avoid infinite recursion.

What is the role of the 'exec' operator in PostScript?

The 'exec' operator in PostScript is used to execute a procedure or name.

Describe the difference between 'image' and 'colorimage' in PostScript.

'image' is used to define a grayscale or binary image, while 'colorimage' is used to define a color image.

PostScript application related

Product Perfect's PostScript development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your PostScript engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in PostScript projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

PostScript Consultive assessments

PostScript Application Conversion Assessment PostScript Application Integration Assessment PostScript Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom PostScript development projects

Custom PostScript App Conversion PostScript Custom App Development Process App UI Design for PostScript Facelifts

Hiring guide for PostScript Engineers

PostScript Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the PostScript engineer at this point.

PostScript Consultive assessments

Custom PostScript development projects