TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
The preferred method for PDFing from PageMaker is generally:
1. save to file a postcript [.ps] version of yr PageMaker file by checking
"Write PostScript to file" under the Options part of the Print Document
dialog box. You must have the right PS printer PPD [postscript printer
device description] installed. You should also have the latest version of
Adobe PS for yr operating system
[If you have not yet installed AdobePS, install it using the installation
instructions that came with it. AdobePS is available for free from the Adobe
Web site at: http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/download.html ]
2. click on the .ps file you have just created from PM [as from Win.
Explorer/FileMgr] and the Acrobat Distiller application will then distill it
into a PDF. There are options [Job Options and Security Options, for
example] that you can define in Distiller. You can have look up advice on
how best to adjust these for your files if they have odd fonts or intensive
graphics requirements. There's a wealth of info & many opprtunities for
dsicovering weirdness,,, 'nuff said.
You can add/import multiple PDFs into one PDF and then Save_As to a new name
for multi-chapter/multi-part files. When done assembling regular [no
security options defined] PDFs, then you can set Security on the final
renamed file to protect it by disallowing "Changing document," etc. in the
options listed. Import by Ctrl-Shift-I or just drag-&-drop PDFs into the 1st
PDF--append to end, or insert at front [as for a cover/title page, etc.]
Save often, esp. if you're running NT [as I am] -- it may be "state of the
art" but it's still a klunky POS all too often.
There's lots more--adding bookmarks, hyperlinks, etc. Go to the PDF sites on
the web for advice, tips, problem resolution, etc. PFDzone.com ;
planetpdf.com ; purepdf.com ; check Abobe.com for info
PDFzone's archives can be searched at: http://www.pdfzone.org/cgi-bin/wilma.cgi/pdf
Most agree, do NOT use PDF Writer except for text-only files, and even then,
why bother--you're likelier to get a picture-perfect PDF by using a
postscript source file. You can specify a page size to allow better
on-screen display or printout.
Someone else can weigh in with Photoshop advice perhaps. Dealing with
graphics is, like, a whole separate discipline, yaknow, fraught with its own
universe of possibilities for success or frustration.
YITB, Al
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lisa Hunt [SMTP:LHUNT -at- refs -dot- gtsduratek -dot- com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 7:09 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: PDF File Question
>
> I apologize in advance if I'm asking a question that has been asked
> before....I'm new here.
>
> I have Adobe Distiller and Adobe Acrobat Reader. How do I save a
> PageMaker file into PDF format? Also, is it true that Photoshop
> allows for saving a file as PDF without using Distiller?
>