Free online BMP to PS converter

A print service, Unix graphics tool, or older publishing system may require a PostScript file instead of a BMP image. Converting the file places the raster image in a page-description format and lets you control its print resolution and placement.

What the BMP format is

BMP (Bitmap) is a raster format associated with Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Paint, screenshot tools, scanners, image editors, and older graphics applications commonly create or open BMP files.

BMP stores pixel data directly and can use indexed color, grayscale, or RGB color at depths such as 1, 4, 8, 24, and 32 bits per pixel. Files may be uncompressed or use limited RLE compression, so they are usually much larger than PNG or JPEG files. BMP is still useful for simple interchange, legacy artwork, screenshots, scanned images, and device-generated graphics.

What the PS format is

PS is the filename extension for PostScript, a page-description language developed by Adobe for printers and professional publishing systems. A PS file contains instructions for page geometry, text, paths, colors, and placed raster images; a PostScript printer or interpreter such as Ghostscript processes those instructions.

PostScript is suitable when a print workflow specifically requires it, when exact page positioning is needed, or when the file must pass through a PostScript-to-PDF workflow. Converting a BMP does not vectorize the artwork: the resulting PS file normally embeds the original raster pixels.

How to convert BMP to PS

ImageMagick provides a practical desktop and command-line method on Windows, macOS, and Linux. After installing it, open a terminal in the folder containing the BMP and run:

magick input.bmp -units PixelsPerInch -density 300 output.ps

Replace input.bmp and output.ps with the actual filenames. The -density 300 value sets the resolution used to calculate the image's physical size in the PostScript output; it does not add pixels or restore missing detail.

For an explicit sRGB conversion before writing the file, use:

magick input.bmp -colorspace sRGB -units PixelsPerInch -density 300 output.ps

For example, a 2400 × 3000 pixel image at 300 DPI occupies approximately 8 × 10 inches unless a page-layout application scales it.

For a page with a specific paper size, margins, or image position, place the BMP in a page-layout or graphics application, set the page and image dimensions, then use File → Print with a PostScript printer driver or File → Export if the application provides a PostScript option. This produces more predictable page geometry than converting the image alone.

You can also convert the file for free on 101convert.com without installing software: upload the BMP, select PS as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result. Check any available page-size or resolution settings before starting a print job.

Quality and compatibility limits

• The output remains raster artwork. Its maximum detail is limited by the BMP's pixel dimensions; choosing 600 DPI cannot create detail that is absent from a 300-DPI source.
• Resolution metadata changes physical print size, not image quality. Calculate the intended dimensions from pixel count divided by DPI before conversion.
• PostScript color handling depends on the interpreter, printer driver, and print provider. Confirm whether RGB, grayscale, or a particular CMYK profile is required.
• Traditional PostScript has limited transparency support. Transparent or partially transparent pixels may be flattened against a background, and older BMP workflows may not preserve alpha data at all.
• Some modern viewers do not open PS files directly, and security policies may block PostScript because it can contain executable instructions. Ghostscript, a compatible printer, or a publishing application may be required for viewing or further conversion.
• Inspect the generated PS with a PostScript interpreter or test print before sending it to production. If the recipient does not specifically require PS, PDF is often the more portable delivery format.