diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.pyindex f209e811f1..4d31fd881a 100644--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_ps.py@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import datetime from enum import Enum import functools from io import StringIO+import itertools import logging import os import pathlib@@ -626,10 +627,13 @@ grestore         if ismath:             return self.draw_mathtext(gc, x, y, s, prop, angle)+        stream = []  # list of (ps_name, x, char_name)+         if mpl.rcParams['ps.useafm']:             font = self._get_font_afm(prop)+            ps_name = (font.postscript_name+                       .encode("ascii", "replace").decode("ascii"))             scale = 0.001 * prop.get_size_in_points()-            stream = []             thisx = 0             last_name = None  # kerns returns 0 for None.             xs_names = []@@ -643,37 +647,24 @@ grestore                 kern = font.get_kern_dist_from_name(last_name, name)                 last_name = name                 thisx += kern * scale-                xs_names.append((thisx, name))+                xs_names.append((ps_name, thisx, name))                 thisx += width * scale-            ps_name = (font.postscript_name-                       .encode("ascii", "replace").decode("ascii"))-            stream.append((ps_name, xs_names))          else:             font = self._get_font_ttf(prop)             self._character_tracker.track(font, s)-            stream = []-            prev_font = curr_stream = None             for item in _text_helpers.layout(s, font):                 ps_name = (item.ft_object.postscript_name                            .encode("ascii", "replace").decode("ascii"))-                if item.ft_object is not prev_font:-                    if curr_stream:-                        stream.append(curr_stream)-                    prev_font = item.ft_object-                    curr_stream = [ps_name, []]-                curr_stream[1].append(-                    (item.x, item.ft_object.get_glyph_name(item.glyph_idx))-                )-            # append the last entry-            stream.append(curr_stream)+                glyph_name = item.ft_object.get_glyph_name(item.glyph_idx)+                stream.append((ps_name, item.x, glyph_name))          self.set_color(*gc.get_rgb())-        for ps_name, xs_names in stream:+        for ps_name, group in itertools.groupby(stream, lambda entry: entry[0]):             self.set_font(ps_name, prop.get_size_in_points(), False)             thetext = "\n".join(f"{x:g} 0 m /{name:s} glyphshow"-                                for x, name in xs_names)+                                for _, x, name in group)             self._pswriter.write(f"""\ gsave {self._get_clip_cmd(gc)}