In an earlier article I talked about using a picture environment in LaTeX
to add lines and text over an image. In another article I showed how to draw
with PostScript, including using Encapsulated PostScript to include arbitrary images.
In this article I want to cover the pros and cons of these methods and introduce a third method: TikZ.
PostScript (in the form of ghostscript) was for me the first way to generate vector graphics outside of a CAD program. I have several hundreds of figures written in PostScript for inclusion in e.g. LaTeX document.
Later I’ve started using other programs and modules like asymptote and TikZ. But there are cases (especially if you want a small file) where directly drawing in PostScript is still the best way to go.
When the book Mathematical Illustrations was mentioned on hacker news, this re-kindled my interest in PostScript. And I learned some valuable lessons from it.
Using Acrobat Reader’s ability to add text et cetera has proven unreliable for me. On multiple occasions I have lost all the text added to a PDF file. When your filling in 20-plus pages worth of permit forms this is a huge waste of time and extremely annoying.
So I set out to find another way using the free and open-source tools I have available.