M Puzzle: A Problem With Printing

by Denis and Marc Moskowitz

The provided file consists of 5 PostScript documents, shuffled together but not rearranged. Pulling out the postscript to create the provided images leaves the postscript for the answer.

The four postscript files to produce each of the four pictures are:

%!
/check 0 def
check 0 eq {72 dup scale 8.5 2 div 11 2 div translate .25 dup scale /check 1 def} if 
5 72 div setlinewidth

90 rotate
3 0 moveto
2 0 1 0 360 arc
1 0 moveto
-1 0 lineto
0.5 2 moveto
0.5 -2 lineto
-3 2 moveto
-1 0 lineto
-3 -2 lineto
stroke 0 0 moveto

showpage /check 0 def


%!
/check 0 def
check 0 eq {72 dup scale 8.5 2 div 11 2 div translate .25 dup scale /check 1 def} if 
5 72 div setlinewidth

gsave
 -3.5 dup translate
 1 2 div setlinewidth
 0.7 setgray
 8 {
   0 0 moveto
   7 0 lineto 
   stroke 0 0 moveto
   0 1 translate
 } repeat
grestore 0 0 moveto

7 {
  0 setgray
  0 0 moveto
  3 0 lineto
  360 14 div rotate
  1 0 lineto
  closepath fill 0 0 moveto
  0 1 1 sethsbcolor
  0 0 moveto
  1 0 lineto
  360 14 div rotate
  3 0 lineto
  closepath fill 0 0 moveto
} repeat

showpage /check 0 def


%!
/check 0 def
check 0 eq {72 dup scale 8.5 2 div 11 2 div translate .25 dup scale /check 1 def} if 
5 72 div setlinewidth

0 1 1 sethsbcolor
5 {
  gsave
   1 0.5 scale
   2.5 0 moveto 1.5 0 1 0 360 arc fill 0 0 moveto 
  grestore 0 0 moveto
  gsave
   0 setgray
   0 0 moveto
   0.75 0 lineto
   1 0 .25 180 90 arcn
   1 0 .25 90 270 arc
   stroke 0 0 moveto
  grestore 0 0 moveto
  currenthsbcolor 3 2 roll 1 5 div add 3 1 roll sethsbcolor 
  360 5 div rotate
} repeat

showpage /check 0 def


%!
/check 0 def
check 0 eq {72 dup scale 8.5 2 div 11 2 div translate .25 dup scale /check 1 def} if 
5 72 div setlinewidth

0 1 .75 sethsbcolor
4 {
 -1.25 0.5 moveto
 -1.25 3 lineto
 1.25 3 lineto
 1.25 0.5 lineto
 -1.25 0.5 lineto
 stroke 0 0 moveto
 currenthsbcolor 3 2 roll 1 8 div add 3 1 roll sethsbcolor 
 1.25 3 moveto
 3 1.25 lineto 
 1.25 -0.5 lineto
 -0.5 1.25 lineto
 1.25 3 lineto
 stroke 0 0 moveto
 currenthsbcolor 3 2 roll 1 8 div add 3 1 roll sethsbcolor 
 360 4 div rotate
} repeat

showpage /check 0 def


The file for the final answer is

%!
/check 0 def
check 0 eq {72 dup scale 8.5 2 div 11 2 div translate .25 dup scale /check 1 def} if 
5 72 div setlinewidth

3 {
    5 6 div 1 .75 sethsbcolor
    2 {
    0 0 moveto 2 0 1 -120 120 arc closepath 
    fill 0 0 moveto
    360 2 div rotate
    } repeat
    1 3 div 1 1 sethsbcolor
    360 9 div -0.5 mul rotate
    3 {
	0 0 moveto
    	2 0 lineto
	stroke 0 0 moveto
    	360 9 div 5 mul rotate
    } repeat
    360 9 div -2.5 mul rotate
} repeat
1 3 div 1 1 sethsbcolor
1 0 moveto 0 0 1 0 360 arc fill 0 0 moveto
5 6 div 1 .75 sethsbcolor
1 .2 2 { dup 0 moveto 0 0 3 2 roll 0 360 arc } for
stroke 0 0 moveto

showpage /check 0 def

And the image file that is the answer is:

The training for this puzzle is IKEBANA ("when I arrange them over that picture of a vase") whose solution is REMOVE THE BLUE. So the trained answer for this puzzle is a red-and-yellow flower:

Note that this is "removing the blue" in a painterly sense, not an RGB sense. This should be obvious because: a) printers are CMYK, not RGB, devices, and b) the colors specified in the postscript are HSB, not RGB.