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=== PostScript language ===
[[PostScript]] is a [[page description language]] run in an [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] to generate an image. It can handle graphics and has standard features of [[programming language]]s such as [[conditional (computer programming)|branching]] and [[loop (computing)|looping]]. PDF is a subset of PostScript, simplified to remove such
PostScript was originally designed for a drastically different [[use case]]: transmission of one-way linear [[print job]]s in which the PostScript interpreter would collect a series of commands until it encountered the <code>showpage</code> command, then execute all the commands to render a page to a printing device. PostScript was not intended for long-term storage and real-time interactive rendering of [[electronic document]]s, so there was no need to support scrolling back to previous pages.
Traditionally, to go from PostScript to PDF, a source PostScript file (that is, an executable program) is used as the basis for generating PostScript-like PDF code. This is done by applying standard [[compiler]] techniques like [[loop unrolling]], [[inline expansion|inlining]] and removing unused branches, resulting in code that is purely declarative and static. The end result is then packaged into a [[container format]], together with all necessary [[Dependency (computer science)|dependencies]] for correct rendering (external files, graphics, or fonts to which the document refers), and [[Data compression|compressed]].
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