RE: FrameMaker's Future

["Aiken, Jason" <jason.aiken@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Arbortext can create PDF (and I think PostScript, but I'm not 
> 100% sure about that one).

We use Epic Print Composer to produce PostScript all the time. Our strange DTD required some minor munging to get better PDF bookmarks and document info. Our Perl programmer had to do significant custom coding to organize the bookmarks and assign Unicode characters. I'm looking into PDFlib to see if we can get better PDF that way.

> Epic, in fact, now has a built in PDF authoring module
> (Direct PDF or PDF Direct, I forget which) that creates
> PDF files without using Adobe technology avoiding Acrobat
> licensing costs.

For XML applications, Epic 4.4 and later have a much improved direct-to-PDF option. One can choose to use it with Distiller, Adobe Distiller Server, Ghostscript. It allows better bookmark handling and document information. Many Distiller parameters can be configured. I think linearized PDF is unsupported, however.

Since my work responsibilities parted from the Frame community, I've attended a couple Arbortext user conferences. There's often a presentation or two about how someone moved from Frame to Epic. Check out their web site if you're interested in attending; it's a very in-depth and well organized conference.

Regards,
Jason

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-framers@xxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:owner-framers@xxxxxxxxx]On Behalf
> Of Nagai, Paul
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 3:27 PM
> To: framers@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: FrameMaker's Future
> 
> 
> > I can answer that in a way. ArborText does not have any type of
> > automated conversion tool. 
> 
> Arbortext Interchange is an automated conversion tool. That 
> said, you do have to develop a mapper file. This is 
> essentially programming.
> 
> 
> > Another reason was the lack of PS/PDF support. Although AroberText 
> > claims that Epic can be printed to or saved as PDF, the process is 
> > longer and more error-prone than the FrameMaker 7.0 process to do 
> > the same.
> 
> Arbortext can create PDF (and I think PostScript, but I'm not 
> 100% sure about that one). In fact, it is possible to do so 
> using Distiller or Distiller Server. Epic, in fact, now has a 
> built in PDF authoring module (Direct PDF or PDF Direct, I 
> forget which) that creates PDF files without using Adobe 
> technology avoiding Acrobat licensing costs. That said, this 
> does all work differently than it does in FrameMaker and 
> depending on your requirements, there may be limitations you 
> can't live with.
> 
> 
> > Now, this was just over 2 years ago, however, the reps did not say, 
> > even when asked, that there was a straightforward path from 
> > plain Frame to ArborText, nor was one in the works. 
> 
> One could say this is still true ... Interchange (through the 
> mapper file) do require deep customization to be useful.
> 
> 
> ------
> Paul Nagai
> 
> Tsunami relief portal:
> http://www.networkforgood.org/
> 
> 
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