There are very many viewers and browsers which display previews for EPS files. However, actually there are no viewers which display previews for all EPS files.

It has very simple explanation. EPS files contain encapsulated postscript always, and can contain some embedded preview. Usually the previews are displayed by viewers with variable success (these previews can have various formats: WMF, TIFF or PICT). However, the embedded preview can be absent in a file! In this case, the viewers don't show anything (or shows an icon only).

Of course, having Adobe Ilustrator (or other programs which can open EPSs) these files can be saved with embedded previews. However, many individuals and companies have accumulated a lot EPS files without previews, and to convert its manually is very toilfully.

Currently we suggest a partial solution for the problem at least for those who has Illustrator 10-C3: ST EPS Converter v1.3, the batch converter for all files which can be opened in Adobe Illustrator 10-CS3 to EPS files with embedded previews (STEPSCONVERT, freeware). It does not require any registration. You may download (staddepspreview.zip, 108 KB), and try it right now.

Note.
•.Since the v1.2.2150, ST Thumbnails Explorer (STTX) shows the majority of pixel-based EPS (Adobe Photoshop EPS) without embedded previews or thumbnails.
• STTX v1.2.3400 and STTX v1.5 Beta 6 show all [uncorrupted] EPS files if Ghostscript 7.0+ is installed.
•.This script uses JavaScript engine implemented in Adobe Illustrator 10-CS3. Therefore, it can be used on all platforms supported by Adobe Illustrator 10-C3 (e.g. Mac OS or UNIX).
•.The converter was not tested with Adobe Illustrator CS4 - CS6 - CC2013+.
•.ST EPS Converter can be used to convert any files to EPS files with embedded previews. Of course, if these files can be opened in Adobe Illustrator.
•.You can use ST AI Converter to convert any files to AI v7-CS3 files with built-in thumbnails.

ST EPS Converter v1.3 User's Guide

• Requirements

Adobe Illustrator 10+ should be installed.

• Installation scripts

• Unzip the archive staddepspreview.zip to temp folder and close Illustrator if it's launched.

• Copy all files with extension .js from temp folder to folder <Illustrator>\Presets\Scripts.

For example: if your copy Adobe Illustrator 10 is installed to
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Illustrator 10, copy the files AddPreviewToEPS_v7.js,
AddPreviewToEPS_v8.js, AddPreviewToEPS_v9.js, and AddPreviewToEPS_v10.js
from temp folder to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Illustrator 10\Presets\Scripts.

Note. If Adobe Illustrator CS2 is installed to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Illustrator CS2, copy the files AddPreviewToEPS_v8.js, AddPreviewToEPS_v9.js, AddPreviewToEPS_v10.js, and AddPreviewToEPS_v11.js from temp folder to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Illustrator CS2\Presets\Scripts.

• Copy the file AddPreviewToEPS.aia from temp folder to folder
<Illustrator>\Presets\Action Sets.

Note. If Adobe Illustrator CS/CS2/CS3 is installed copy the file AddPreviewToEPS.aia from temp folder to folder <Illustrator CS/CS2/CS3>\Presets\Actions accordingly.

• Script settings

• Launch Adobe Illustrator and open palette Actions (click in menu: Window|Actions).

• Click expanding button in the right upper corner of the palette and click
Load Actions...   

• In the Open File dialog select AddPreviewToEPS.aia. It will add the Action Set with the name AddPreviewToEPS to the Actions palette.    

• Select in the set AddPreviewToEPS the appropriate action (AddPreviewToEPS_v7 for conversion to version compatible with Illustrator 7+ and containing preview, AddPreviewToEPS_v8 for conversion to version compatible with Illustrator 8+, etc.), and click the triangle at the left.    

Note. JavaScript for Adobe Illustrator CS+ cannot convert files to EPS files compatible with Adobe Illustrator 7. If you select this action in Adobe Illustrator CS+, the files will be converted to EPS files compatible with Adobe Illustrator 8+.
Similarly, JavaScript for Adobe Illustrator 10 cannot convert files to EPS files compatible with Adobe Illustrator CS/CS2/CS3. If you select this action in Adobe Illustrator 10, the files will be converted to EPS files compatible with Adobe Illustrator 10.

• Click expanding button and select in the popup menu Start Recording.    

• Click expanding button once again and select Insert Menu Item....    

• Click in the main menu File|Scripts|AddPreviewToEPS_v10  , and click Ok in the dialog Insert Menu Item....   

• Click button Stop Playing/Regording on the bottom this palette.

• Batch conversion

• Clear folders with processed files from files of types which don't opened in Illustrator.

•.Select the string AddPreviewToEPS_v10 in Actions palette and click Batch... in expanding button menu. Set up all parameters how its are set on screenshot.

• Click Choose in the Source group of the Batch dialog and select folder with files which should be converted. For process the subfolders, check Include All Subdirectories option.

Note. If you wish to process at once some thousands files (for example, a CD), Adobe Illustrator can lose stability. In this case will be reasonable to divide all files on groups for 200-300 files in everyone. Except it, is desirable the Illustrator relaunch after processing each group.

• Click Save As in the Errors group and select folder for Log Errors.txt file.

• Click Ok for start of the processing. All files from selected folder (and subfolders if you check Include All Subdirectories option) will be automatically open, processed, saved in the selected version and closed.

Note. If stability of Illistrator during execution of the script seems to you unacceptable, try set of the delay after opening a file before its write. For this purpose before run the script please click expanding button in a right upper corner of the Actions palette and click Playback Options. In the opened dialog set up Performance parameter to Pause for: x seconds, where x is the pause in seconds after opening a file prior to the beginning of its processing by script. We recommend values from 1 to 5 seconds.