psfstriptable

psfstriptable PostScriptFile

PostScriptFile
    The PostScript file to be processed. The file will be modified in-place.

The psfstriptable command removes printable ASCII strings from a PostScript file, making it less human-readable but potentially smaller. This is achieved by replacing the printable strings within the PostScript code with equivalent expressions that produce the same string but are not immediately recognizable as text. The primary use case is to reduce file size and obfuscate the PostScript code, not for security purposes. It modifies the PostScript code in place, so it's crucial to back up the original file before using this command. While it aims to preserve the functionality of the PostScript file, complex or unusual PostScript constructs may not be handled correctly, potentially leading to rendering issues. The command operates by identifying sequences of printable characters and converting them into a series of character code representations, typically using `char` and `string` operators. This conversion makes it difficult to extract the text directly without executing or interpreting the PostScript code. It can be helpful if one is trying to avoid simple keyword searches from revealing too much about how the code operates.

The command modifies the PostScript file in-place. Always create a backup of the original file before running psfstriptable. The command's effectiveness depends on the complexity of the PostScript code. Heavily optimized or obfuscated PostScript files may not be significantly affected. It may also negatively affect the result in case of non-standard Postscript, for example non standard encodings.

To strip printable strings from a file named `document.ps`, run:
`psfstriptable document.ps`
Remember to back up the file first!

ps2ascii(1), strings(1)