.dvi
) is TeX’s main output file, when we use
“original” TeX; later TeX systems, such as
PDFTeX
may use other formats. \xetex (released some time
after PDFTeX) uses an
“extended DVI format” (XDV) to send its output to its
close-coupled DVI driver,
xdvipdfmx.
‘DVI’ is supposed to be an acronym for
DeVice-Independent, meaning that the file can be
processed for printing or viewing on most kinds of typographic output
device or display. The DVI file may be processed by a
DVI driver to produce further output designed
specifically for a particular printer, or it may be used by a
previewer for display on a computer screen. The character encoding of
a DVI file is determined by the document itself — see
“what are encodings” for an explanation of what A
TeX input file should produce the same DVI file regardless
of which implementation of TeX is used to produce it.
A DVI file contains all the information that is needed for printing
or previewing except for the actual bitmaps or outlines of fonts, and
possibly material to be introduced by means of
\
special
commands.
The canonical reference for the structure of a DVI file is the
source of Knuth’s program dvitype (whose original purpose,
as its name implies, was to view the content of a DVI file),
and a partially complete “standard” for the way they should be
processed may offer further enlightenment.
This answer last edited: 2011-10-10
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