RE: PPDs and PS and PDF ?(was Re: framers digest: February 07, 2004)

[Dov Isaacs <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

At 2/10/2004 09:37 AM, Combs, Richard wrote:
>...
>I'm no expert on pre-press, but theoretically, the device-specific
>PostScript that goes to the Herkules should be created by the print
>vendor from the device-independent PDF that you send them.
>Theoretically... :-) 

No, that is the way IT DOES WORK!

>OTOH, since you're _only_ using this Distiller printer instance to
>produce PDFs for your print vendor, and since they seem to be happy to
>have you create device-dependent PDFs for that purpose, there's probably
>no reason to rock the boat.

Yes there is. Success in creation and use of PDF files in this manner
often lead to problems when such PDF files need to be "repurposed"

>It occurs to me that there's no reason you can't have separate Distiller
>printer instances for each purpose -- a "Distiller - pre-press" printer
>created with the Herkules PPD and a "Distiller - unlimited" printer
>created with the Distiller PPD. Then, you can choose the appropriate one
>depending on the purpose of the PDF you're creating. 

The original and still the goal of PDF is the ability to have content
that can be "viewed, printed, and otherwise rendered everywhere and
anywhere." That goal is totally subverted (and I would say perverted)
by the concept of device-dependent PDF. You are simply looking for
problems -- and you will eventually get them!

>I'm not sure how you'd set this up to work right with "Save As PDF" -- I
>think you'd have to select the appropriate Distiller printer in FM
>beforehand. I still print to a file in a watched folder and fire up
>Distiller manually. :-} 

Doesn't work that way. FrameMaker 7.x ALWAYS uses the "Acrobat Distiller"
(Acrobat 5.x) or "Adobe PDF" (Acrobat 6) PostScript driver instance setup
with the Distiller PPD!

With regards to using a watched folder and manually distilling PostScript
into PDF, to each his own. Some of us have driven over thirty years and
never have or have wanted to use a manual transmission. Others get a real
kick out of changing gears. However, for the record, such manual distillation
does not offer any quality or performance gains over using the automated
approach either via "save as" from FrameMaker or printing to the automated
Distiller PostScript printer driver instance.

>HTH!
>Richard


        - Dov


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