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Adobe Classroom in a Book: Acrobat 3.0

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Creating PDF Documents

Create PDF documents quickly and easily from your existing electronic files using
Acrobat Distiller or PDF Writer 3.0. Your document type, content, and layout determine which component you use to create a PDF file.

In this lesson you will learn how to do the following:

• Use PDF Writer to create a PDF document.
  
  
• Use Distiller to create a PDF document.
  
  
• Compare the output between PDF documents created with Distiller and PDF Writer.
  
  
• Set up a PostScript printer driver.
  
  
• Create a PDF file from PageMaker 6.5.

This lesson will take about 40 minutes to complete.

Creating PDF documents

The content of a PDF file must be created in a program other than Acrobat. You can use any of your favorite word-processing, page-layout, graphic, or business programs to create content and then convert those documents to PDF at the time you would normally print to paper. You can think of PDF files as the electronic paper version of your original documents.

Creating PDF files is as easy as printing from your application. You have two "printing" choices, PDF Writer or Distiller. Both are installed as part of the default Acrobat 3.0 installation process. But when should you use one and when the other?

PDF Writer or Distiller?

Your work-flow process, document type, and document content determine which Acrobat producer--PDF Writer or Distiller--you should use to create your PDF document.

Use PDF Writer for quick conversion of simple business documents to PDF. If you do not obtain satisfactory results with PDF Writer, convert the document to PDF with Distiller.

Use Distiller for documents containing Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphics, documents containing bitmap images for which you need to choose specific
resampling and compression methods, or documents produced from desktop publishing applications, such as Adobe® FrameMaker®, Adobe PageMaker, and QuarkXPress®, that have been optimized to print to PostScript. Also use Distiller for batch processing on your hard drive or over a network.

The following table provides general guidelines to help you determine which producer to select for specific types of documents.

PDF Writer is best used with simple business documents that contain mostly text. The process of using PDF Writer to create a PDF file is usually faster than using Distiller. But in some documents, especially those containing placed EPS images, you may not obtain satisfactory results using PDF Writer. In those cases, use Distiller to process the files.

In this section, you will create a PDF file of a simple document, created in a word processor, using PDF Writer. We have supplied a Microsoft Word document. If your word processor cannot open a Microsoft Word document, skip to the "Viewing the PDF file" on page 58, and use the supplied PDF document.

Opening the work file

1 Start your word processor.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Contract.doc from the list of files in the Lesson03 folder, and click Open. If you receive a message indicating that the necessary fonts are not installed, see "Install the Classroom in a Book Fonts" on page 5, and install the fonts from the Classroom in a Book CD-ROM. Note: If viewing the document in Word for Windows, the Encapsulated PostScript Import Graphic Filter must be installed to preview the car logo at the top of the page correctly. See your Word for Windows user manual for installation instructions.

Using PDF Writer

Creating a P DF file is as easy as selecting PDF Writer and printing. This section has been organized by platform. Find your platform, follow the steps in that section, then continue with the "Viewing the PDF file" section on page 58.

In Windows:

1 Choose File > Print.

2 Follow the instructions for your Windows platform:

• In Windows NT 3.5.1, select Acrobat PDF Writer on DISK from the Specific Printer menu, and click Print.

Note: At the time of publication, PDF Writer was not available for Windows NT 4.0.

• In Windows 95, select Acrobat PDF Writer 3.0 from the Printer name menu, and click OK. 3 Name the PDF document Contract.pdf, save it to the PROJECTS folder, and click OK. The Document Info dialog box appears. Document Info fields are used by search engines to help you categorize documents and provide a descriptive title for search results lists. Searching and search results lists are explained and used in Lesson 11.

4 Enter the following information for Document Info:

• For Title, enter Sales Agency Agreement.
• For Subject, enter Sales.
• For Author, enter Legal department.
• For Keywords, enter sales, payment, agreement.

5 Click OK.

6 Exit your word processor.

On the Macintosh:

1 Hold down the shortcut key (the Control key by default) and choose File > Print. The shortcut allows you to access PDF Writer even if a different item is selected in the Chooser.

See "Using the PDF Writer Shortcut" in the PDF Writer Online Guide for more information.

2 Select All as the page range, deselect View PDF File, and select Prompt for Document Info, then click OK. The Document Info dialog box appears. Document Info fields are used by search engines to help you categorize documents and provide a descriptive title for search results lists. Searching and search results lists are explained and used in Lesson 11.

3 Enter the following information for Document Info:

• For Title, enter Sales Agency Agreement.
• For Subject, enter Sales.
• For Author, enter Legal department.
• For Keywords, enter sales, payment, agreement.

4 Click OK.

5 Name the PDF document Contract.pdf, save it to the PROJECTS folder, and click Save.

6 Quit your word processor.

Viewing the PDF file

1 Start Exchange.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Contract.pdf from the list of files in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

Note: If you need to use the supplied PDF document, locate and open the Supply folder inside the Lesson03 folder, select Contract.pdf from the list of files, and click Open.

Take a moment to look at the document. Notice that PDF Writer has recreated the original document maintaining the format, fonts, and layout.

3 Minimize or hide Exchange.

Creating PDF with Distiller

Acrobat PDF Writer works directly from an application, but Acrobat Distiller requires a PostScript language file to create a PDF file. You can create a PostScript file from almost any application if you have a PostScript printer driver installed on your system. In this section, you will process a PostScript file that we have provided for you with Distiller. Later in this lesson, we provide you with general instructions for creating a PostScript file from any application, and specific instructions to create a PDF file from Adobe PageMaker 6.5.

Converting a PostScript file to PDF

You will convert a PostScript file that was originally created from a PageMaker document. The illustration below shows the original file.

1 Start Distiller. Note: If this is the first time you have launched Distiller since installing Acrobat 3.0, you will be asked to choose between Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat 2.1 compatibility. Choose Acrobat 3.0 compatibility. For details, see the Distiller Online Guide.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Flyer.ps from the list of files in the Lesson03 folder, and click Open.

3 Enter Flyer.pdf as the filename, save it in the PROJECTS folder, and click OK or Save. Distiller converts the file and outputs a PDF file to your PROJECTS folder.

Distiller's default compression and font settings will usually create an acceptably small and efficient PDF file. If you need more control over file size or image quality, you can easily change the default options. See the Distiller Online Guide for information about changing the default settings and general guidelines for creating PDF documents with Distiller from all applications.

4 Exit or quit Distiller.

Viewing and comparing the PDF files

Now take a look at the PDF document created by Distiller.

1 Return to Acrobat Exchange.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Flyer.pdf from the list of files in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

Note: If you need to use the supplied PDF document, locate and open the Supply folder inside the Lesson03 folder, select Flyer.pdf from the list of files, and click Open.

As you can see, Distiller created an exact duplicate of the original file as shown in the illustration on page 59. Take particular notice of the car logo at the top of the page. This was a placed Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) image in the PageMaker document. You will now compare it with the PDF document you created with PDF Writer that contains the same logo.

3 If you closed Contract.pdf earlier, open it again.

4 Choose Window > Tile Vertically to view Flyer.pdf and Contract.pdf side by side.

5 Select the zoom tool (e) and marquee-zoom around the car logo at the top of the page in each document to magnify the view of the logo.

Notice that the PDF file produced by Acrobat Distiller (Flyer.pdf) displays a cleaner logo than the logo displayed in the Acrobat PDF Writer document (Contract.pdf). Because PDF Writer does not understand the PostScript language, it supplies a bitmap image of placed EPS files in the PDF documents it creates. In contrast, Acrobat Distiller maintains the resolution independence of the placed EPS graphic because it understands the PostScript information that describes it and passes that along in the PDF file.

Distiller PDFWriter

6 Now scroll to view the text in each document.

Notice that the text in each document is smooth and easy to read. You can use either Distiller or PDF Writer to get acceptable results from text-based documents.

7 When you have finished viewing the documents, choose Window > Close All to close the documents.

If you are interested in learning how to create a PostScript file from almost any application, and how to create one specifically from PageMaker 6.5, go on to the next section. Otherwise, skip to the "Review" section on page 72 to answer the review questions.

Creating a PostScript file

As mentioned earlier, Acrobat Distiller requires a PostScript language file to create a PDF file. To create a PostScript file, you need a PostScript printer driver.

A PostScript printer driver translates an electronic document into a form that a PostScript device such as a printer or Acrobat Distiller can use to create a printed page or a PDF file.

Use the Adobe PostScript Printer Driver to create PostScript files for converting to PDF with Acrobat Distiller. You can install this driver from the Adobe Acrobat 3.0 CD-ROM. See Getting Started with Adobe Acrobat 3.0 for installation instructions.

After installing the driver, you will want to follow the instructions in this lesson to add the Acrobat Distiller PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file. You only have to add the Acrobat Distiller PPD once.

A PPD tells the printer driver what type of device you are printing to and what are the capabilities of that device. In the case of Distiller, the PPD tells the driver to include information such as color and custom page size. If you create a file with color and a custom page size, but chose a PPD that does not let the driver know about those document properties, Distiller will output a black-and-white,
8 1/2-by-11 inch PDF file. So, it is always best to use the PPD for the device to which you are outputting the document.

After setting up the Acrobat Distiller PPD, you can create a PostScript file for converting to PDF with Acrobat Distiller.

This section of the lesson is separated by platform: Windows 95 and Macintosh.

Adding the Acrobat Distiller PPD with the Adobe driver (Windows 95)

1 Launch the setup utility for Adobe PostScript Printer Driver from the Drivers folder on the Acrobat 3.0 CD-ROM.

2 Follow the instructions on-screen to progress through the introduction, accept the license agreement, and copy the setup program to your local disk.

3 Choose Local Printer as your printer type, and click Next.

4 Locate the acrobat3/distillr/xtras folder, choose Acrobat Distiller from the list of available PPDs, and click Next.

5 Select FILE: from the list of available ports, and click Next.

6 Choose not to install this printer as the default printer or print a test page, and click Next.

7 Click OK to accept the Acrobat Distiller PPD properties.

8 Click Exit to exit the setup utility.

9 Select Settings > Printers from the Start menu, right-click the Acrobat Distiller printer, and select Properties.

10 Click the Fonts tab, then click the Send Fonts As button.

11 Select Outlines from the Send TrueType Fonts As: menu.

12 Enter 1 in the Threshold to switch between downloading bitmap or outline fonts... box, and click OK.

Note: Entering this value ensures that TrueType fonts will not be converted to Type 3 fonts in a PostScript file. Type 3 fonts can be the cause of unnecessarily large, slow
PDF files. 13 Click Apply to apply the changes.

14 Click OK to close the Acrobat Distiller Properties dialog box.

Adding the Acrobat Distiller PPD with the Adobe driver (Macintosh)

1 With PSPrinter 8.3.1 or later already installed, select the Chooser.

2 Click the PSPrinter icon. For Type, select Virtual Printer. 3 Click Setup. Navigate to System Folder: Extensions: Printer Descriptions, if you are not already there. Select Acrobat Distiller (PPD), and click Select. 4 Close the Chooser.

Now that you have set up the Adobe Acrobat Distiller PPD, you are ready to create a PostScript file and convert it to PDF with Acrobat Distiller.

Creating a PostScript file

In this section of the lesson, we suggest you open an existing document in your favorite application and loosely apply the steps that follow to create a PostScript file. Because Print dialog boxes can vary from application to application, it is difficult to provide you with specific instructions for creating a PostScript file from your favorite application. For specific instructions for creating a PostScript file from the application you are using, see the application's user manual.

After creating a PostScript file, follow the instructions for converting the PostScript file to PDF on page 59.

This section of the lesson is separated by platform: Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5.1 and Windows NT 4.0, and Macintosh.

To create a PostScript file (Windows 95):

1 Start your application, and open the document to be printed to a PostScript file.

2 Choose File > Print.

3 Select Acrobat Distiller from the printer list, and click OK.

4 Enter Test.ps as the filename for the PostScript file, save it in the PROJECTS folder, select All Files (*.*) from the Save As Type menu, and click OK.

Note: Some applications insist on using a .prn extension instead of the .ps extension that you designate. If this happens, you should rename the file with a .ps extension to allow Distiller to recognize and process the file.

To create a PostScript file in Windows NT:

You can use the Microsoft driver to create PostScript files in Windows NT 3.5.1 and 4.0. Contact your system administrator for assistance with setting up a PostScript printer driver to print to file. You should set up a PostScript printer with color capabilities such as an imagesetter.

Once you have a PostScript printer driver set up to print to file, choose that printer driver from the standard Print command in any application to create a
PostScript file.

To create a PostScript file (Macintosh):

1 Start your application, and open the document to be printed to a PostScript file.

2 Select the Chooser.

3 Click the PSPrinter icon. Choose the printer you set up with the Acrobat Distiller PPD. Close the Chooser.

4 Return to your application.

5 Choose File > Print.

6 Select File as the destination if it is not already chosen. If the document is a color document or contains grayscale images, select the Color/Grayscale print option. (If you are using PSPrinter, click Options to set the Color/Grayscale Print option.)

7 Click Save or OK; the Save As dialog box appears.

8 Enter Test.ps as the filename, and save it in the PROJECTS folder.

9 Select the Binary and Level 2 Only buttons. Selecting these buttons creates the smallest and most efficient PostScript file.

10 Select All But Standard 13 from the Font Inclusion menu. Any TrueType and PostScript fonts used in the original document are included in the file.

11 Click Save. The PostScript file is created, and you are returned to your application.

Converting to PDF with Distiller

1 Start Acrobat Distiller.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Test.ps from the list of files in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

3 Enter Test.ps as the filename, and save it in the PROJECTS folder. Distiller converts the file and outputs a PDF file to your PROJECTS folder.

4 Click OK.

5 Exit or Quit Distiller.

Take a moment to open the PDF file in Exchange and compare the display of the file to that of the original file. Compare the file size of the original document and the PDF file. You will find that the display of the PDF file closely matches the original, and in most cases, the PDF file size is significantly smaller than the original file size.

Creating a PDF file from Adobe PageMaker with Distiller

We have supplied a file and instructions for creating a PDF file from Adobe PageMaker 6.5 with Distiller. If you do not have PageMaker 6.5, you can still read through the steps to familiarize yourself with the process. For specific instructions about creating PDF files from the applications you use, consult the application's user manual or the Distiller Online Guide.

Creating a PDF file with Distiller from PageMaker is a two-step process that can
be streamlined to one step if you have approximately 24 MB of application RAM available. PageMaker comes with a plug-in, an extra piece of software, that allows PageMaker to communicate directly with Distiller to create a PDF file. You can use Distiller Assistant with other applications to communicate with Distiller directly as well. See the Distiller Online Guide for information about Distiller Assistant.

1 Start Adobe PageMaker.

2 Choose File > Open, then locate and select Flyerpc.p65 (Windows) or Flyermac.p65 (Macintosh) in the Lesson03 folder. If you receive a message indicating that the necessary fonts are not installed, see "Install the Classroom in a Book Fonts" on page 5, and install the fonts from the Classroom in a Book CD-ROM.

3 Choose File > Save As. Enter Flyera.p65 as the filename and save it in your PROJECTS folder.

If you have approximately 24 MB of RAM, then you should complete steps 4-7. If you have less than 24 MB of RAM, skip to the "Creating a PDF file in two steps" section on page 70.

4 Choose File > Export > Adobe PDF.

5 Accept the default settings in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, and click Export.

Windows dialog box Macintosh dialog box For most files, the default compression options create a quality PDF file. For a description of all the options available in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, see the PageMaker User Guide. If you need to change the default options for your own files, follow the instructions in the PageMaker or Distiller guides.

To view an example of the results of choosing the various compression options, see the "Distributing PDF Documents" project on page 267.

6 Enter Flyera.pdf as the filename, save it in the PROJECTS folder, and click Save.

Distiller starts, the file is processed, and is saved as flyera.pdf in the PROJECTS folder.

You can use the one-step method to create PDF files with Distiller from other applications by using Distiller Assistant. See the Distiller Online Guide for information.

7 Exit or quit PageMaker and Distiller.

Viewing the PDF file

1 Start Acrobat Exchange.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select flyera.pdf in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

Take a moment to notice that Distiller has faithfully reproduced the original document in PDF. After viewing the PDF document, you can decide if you want to try the two-step method of creating a PDF document from PageMaker 6.5 in the next section or skip to the "Review" section on page 72.

3 Exit or quit Exchange.

Creating a PDF file in two steps

If you do not have enough RAM to run PageMaker and Distiller simultaneously, you need to create a PostScript file from PageMaker and then convert it to PDF in a separate step with Distiller.

A PostScript file contains a page description of the original file that Distiller uses
to create the PDF file. By using this page description, Distiller produces a PDF file that maintains the original formatting, layout, and fonts used in the PageMaker file, just as a PostScript printer faithfully reproduces an electronic document on a printed page.

Creating a PostScript file

1 With the Flyerpc.p65 (Windows) or Flyermac.p65 (Macintosh) file open in PageMaker, choose File > Print.

2 For PPD, select Acrobat Distiller 2017.801 (Windows) or Acrobat Distiller (PPD) (Macintosh). A. PPD B. Options

3 Click Options.

4 Select Write PostScript to file, and enter Flyerb.pdf as the filename. A. Write PostScript to File B. Browse (Windows), Save As (Macintosh)

5 Click Browse (Windows) or Save As (Macintosh), locate and open the PROJECTS folder, and click Save (Windows) or OK (Macintosh).

6 Click Save in the Print Options dialog box. The PostScript file is saved in the PROJECTS folder.

7 Exit or quit PageMaker. Do not save any changes to the file.

Converting to PDF

1 Start Distiller.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Flyerb.ps from the list of files in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

3 Enter Flyerb.pdf as the filename, save it in the PROJECTS folder, and click OK. Distiller converts the file and outputs a PDF file to your PROJECTS folder.

4 Exit or quit Distiller.

Viewing the PDF file

Now take a look at the PDF document created by Distiller.

1 Start Acrobat Exchange.

2 Choose File > Open. Locate and select Flyerb.pdf from the list of files in the PROJECTS folder, and click Open.

As you can see, Distiller created an exact duplicate of the original file.

3 Exit or quit Exchange.

Review

In this lesson, you learned how to create PDF files from electronic documents with Acrobat Distiller and PDF Writer. In the following lessons, you will learn more about electronic publishing and how to enhance your PDF documents to make them interactive and easier to navigate.

To test your knowledge of the concepts and techniques you learned in this lesson, answer the following questions:

• Why should you use the Acrobat Distiller PPD when creating a PostScript file that will be processed by Acrobat Distiller?
• If your documents contain placed EPS images, which PDF creator should you use to create a PDF file?
• What are the advantages of using Distiller to create PDF files instead of PDF Writer?
• What are the advantages of using PDF Writer to create PDF files instead of Distiller?
• Why is it important to enter information in the Document Info fields?
• How would you create a PostScript file from your favorite application?
• Why are there a one-step method and a two-step method to creating PDF files with Distiller?