Creating GrADS Output: Creating Postscript and GIF Files

Note: Commands that you enter are in red type; messages from GrADS are in green type.

Postscript Files

Use the gxps command to convert GrADS output files to .ps files.

Run your GrADS script, making sure to enable print _file in your GrADS script. (see example script here) and print your image to that file (after drawing your graph and all text, the command print will print your graphic to the GrADS output file you enabled). After you exit GrADs, at the UNIX command prompt type:

gxps -i  name_of_GrADS_output_file -o  output_ps_file.ps

Some options you may add to this command are:

          -i       input GrADS meta file
          -o      output postscript file
          -c      color output (default is black and white)
          -r      reverse background (typically black); default is white background
          -b      border width in inches (default is 0.5)
          -a      create ps suitable for A4 printers
          -d      do NOT add ctrl-d to end of ps file
                    (added for some HP printers, generally ignored)

Example: to make a file with color output, type:

        gxps -c  -i  input_file -o output_file.ps

Example: to make a file with color output on a black background with a border with of 0.10 inches, type:

       gxps -b 0.10 -c -r -i input_file -o output_file.ps

To use a GrADS .ps file with graphics software (e.g., Canvas): Using a text editor, edit the first line of the GrADS .ps file, changing it from %! to %!PS-Adobe-3.0.

GIF Files

Use the gxgif command to convert GrADS output to GIF files.

Run your GrADS script, making sure to enable a print file (enable print name_of_GrADS_output_file) and print your image to that file (after drawing your graph and all text, the command print will print your graphic to the GrADS output file you enabled). AFTER you exit GrADS, at the unix command prompt type:

gxgif -i input_file -o output_file.gif

Some options you may add to this command are:

-i   <in_file>[.gm]
-o   <out_file> (default: basename(in_file).gif, '-' = stdout)
-r   Black background
-v   Verbose
-x <pixels>  # pixels horizontally
-y <pixels>  # pixels vertically

Example: to make a .gif file with a black background and dimensions of 200 x 200 pixels, type:

gxgif -x 200 -y 200 -r -i input_file -o output_file.gif