The result of a Postscript post-processor run is, as described above, a Postscript file (suffixed .ps) which can be sent to a laserprinter to produce the desired output pages. The Postscript files produced by DVI post-processors are generated relatively quickly, but tend to be quite large (about 40K for an average single page, rising non-linearly to about 250K for about 25-30 pages). Since disk space on local systems is almost always in short supply, it will be appreciated if users could remove Postscript files whenever possible, and try not to leave them around in between processing sessions. During the annual dissertation crisis experienced every spring semester, the amount of disk space which can be reclaimed simply by trawling user file systems for Postscript files created by dvips is phenomenal, but it is a task much better performed by the individual conscientious user than the desperate system administrator.
Despite the usual provision of several megabytes of memory in each laser printer, it is perfectly possible to generate Postscript files which exceed the capability of any particular printer to print them. It is effectively impossible to determine in advance whether any particular Postscript file will cause trouble, and in any case users who create large print jobs during prime time make themselves rapidly very unpopular anyway. Users are advised to use page-selection arguments to slice large documents up into several parts of perhaps 20-25 pages or about 250K and to check the size of any particular Postscript file before aiming it at a printer. Since diagrams included via \special can occupy sizeable amounts of disk space (200K or more for a full X screen dump) documents containing figures incorporated in this manner deserve special attention. It may sometimes be useful, having generated the diagram itself, simply to leave the space for it blank in the draft document, include the diagram proper at the last minute and print off the page bearing the diagram separately.