Reset to defaults
Need help?Convert PS to BMP Online
PostScript (.ps) is a page-description language Adobe released in 1984 — a fixed-layout document made of text, vector paths, and embedded images that a printer or interpreter draws page by page. BMP is Microsoft's uncompressed Windows raster format. This converter rasterizes each PostScript page into a Windows Bitmap, so a multi-page .ps comes back as one BMP per page (zipped when there is more than one), with the rendering resolution under your control.
PostScript (PS) Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Page-description language / fixed-layout document |
| Released | 1984, by Adobe Systems |
| Contents | Text, vector graphics (Bézier curves), embedded raster images |
| Resolution | Device-independent (vector) — rasterized at render time |
| Pages | Multi-page |
| Opened by | Ghostscript / GSview, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, macOS Preview |
| Best for | Sending documents to PostScript printers and pre-press workflows |
| Succeeded by | PDF (Adobe's portable, self-contained successor) |
BMP (Windows Bitmap) Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Raster image (grid of pixels) |
| Origin | Microsoft, Windows operating system |
| Compression | Usually none (raw BI_RGB pixels) — lossless but large |
| Color depth | 1-bit up to 24/32-bit |
| Transparency | Not reliably supported by common viewers |
| Best for | Legacy Windows apps, imaging tools, and panels that require raw bitmaps |
| Trade-off | No lossy artifacts, but file size scales with resolution, not content |
How to Convert PS to BMP
- Upload Your PS File: Drag and drop your .ps onto the page, or click "Add Files" to browse. Multi-page PostScript is accepted and rendered one page at a time.
- Set Conversion Quality (DPI): Open Advanced Options and pick a value under Conversion Quality — 72-96 DPI for on-screen use, 300 DPI for print-grade output, and 600-1200 DPI for OCR or archival fidelity. Higher DPI means a sharper but much larger BMP.
- Choose the Background Color: Under Image Transparency, the Color dropdown sets the fill behind the page, defaulting to White, since BMP has no dependable transparency.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert. Each page returns as its own BMP, bundled in a ZIP when there is more than one. No sign-up, no watermark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why convert PS to BMP instead of PDF?
PDF is Adobe's modern successor to PostScript and is the better choice if you just need a portable, viewable document — see PS to PDF for that. Convert to BMP only when a specific tool demands a raw Windows bitmap: some legacy Windows applications, scientific or medical imaging software, and older industrial display panels read BMP and nothing newer. BMP gives you a flat, uncompressed pixel grid those tools can ingest directly.
Should I use BMP or PNG for the rasterized pages?
For most uses, PNG is the smarter lossless option. PNG is also pixel-perfect with no compression artifacts, but it actually compresses the data, so the files are a fraction of a BMP's size, and PNG has a real alpha channel for transparency. Choose PS to PNG unless a downstream tool specifically requires the BMP container. Pick BMP when "uncompressed Windows Bitmap" is a hard requirement.
Why is my BMP so much larger than the original PS file?
A BMP stores the red, green, and blue value of every pixel with no compression, so its size depends on resolution rather than on how much is on the page. A US Letter or A4 page rendered at 300 DPI is roughly 24-25 MB as a 24-bit BMP, while the source .ps may be only a few hundred kilobytes. Lowering the DPI under Conversion Quality is the most direct way to shrink the output.
What DPI should I choose for PS to BMP?
Match the DPI to the end use. 72-96 DPI is fine for screen previews, 150-200 DPI is a balanced middle ground, and 300 DPI is the print standard. Go to 400, 600, or 1200 DPI only when you plan to OCR small text or archive at high fidelity — each step up multiplies the uncompressed file size.
Will text in my PostScript file stay selectable in the BMP?
No. Rasterizing turns every page into a fixed grid of pixels, so text becomes part of the image and can no longer be selected, searched, or copied. If you need searchable text, keep the file as PDF, or run OCR on the BMP afterward.
Does the converted BMP keep PostScript transparency?
Not dependably. Most BMP files are treated as fully opaque by common viewers, so any transparent regions are flattened onto a solid background. The Color dropdown under Image Transparency controls that fill color, defaulting to White. If transparency matters, use PS to PNG instead, since PNG has a true alpha channel.
What color depth is the output BMP?
A 24-bit true-color BMP — 8 bits each for red, green, and blue — which is why the file size tracks the pixel dimensions rather than what's on the page. There is no separate bit-depth control here; the converter writes standard 24-bit RGB. If a legacy tool specifically needs a 1-bit black-and-white or an 8-bit paletted BMP, that is a specialized requirement better handled by a desktop PostScript rasterizer such as Ghostscript.
Can I convert an EPS or a PDF the same way?
Not on this page — it accepts PostScript (.ps) input only. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is a close relative built for embedding a single graphic, but it is a distinct format and needs its own converter. PDF is PostScript's modern successor; to rasterize a PDF page to a bitmap, use a PDF-to-image tool instead. For a portable document straight from PostScript, PS to PDF is the natural first step.
Is converting PS to BMP on xconvert private?
Your file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our servers, and the result is returned for download. Uploaded files are deleted automatically a few hours after conversion — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public. In our testing, a single text-heavy A4 page at the 300 DPI default produced a 24-bit BMP of about 25 MB, so for large or multi-page documents the main practical limit is upload size and time, not the conversion itself.