Save As PDF & Mac & UNIX ...

[Dov Isaacs <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

A further clarification of my Erev Shabbat response with regards
to creation of PDF from FrameMaker via the "save as PDF" feature.

My use of FrameMaker is 95% under Windows'98. Given all the 
references I made in my original email, I assumed that readers
would assume that the advise was targeted for Windows'98 and NT
only.

I did not know from experience exactly how the Mac version does 
the "save as PDF" function although I thought that it likely had
similar problems.

>From some simple experiments that I did this morning (i.e., I hung
up my Mac and required rebooting only three times), it would
appear that "save as PDF" on the Mac attempts to print to file
with the current selected printer (i.e., whatever has been chosen
via the "chooser") and then funnel that PostScript file to the
Distiller. During my test, my "current" chosen printer was a
LaserJet 5M. The intermediate PostScript for PDF created by the
"save as PDF" function generated PostScript for 600dpi (I normally
produce PDF for 1200dpi or 2400dpi), monochrome (that can cause
a few anomalies, n'est pas?), and included commands for duplexing,
RET, and HP proprietary screening (all of which should be ignored
by the Distiller).

Thus, for the Mac, I would also advise there to create PDF via 
printing (NOT the "save as PDF" feature) if you REALLY need to be 
assured as to what you are really "getting" as PDF output.

Craig Ede (<craig.ede@medtronic.com>) asked off list whether this
also applied to UNIX:

	I've been saving as PDF for a while now with no troubles
	under UNIX (Solaris). Are we lucky enough to be immune to
	these problems under UNIX? Or should I be rethinking this? 

	(I use fmbatch from 556 to gen/update the files and print
	to PDF.)

For better or worse, I do not have desktop access to UNIX
systems. I do not have the capability of testing this out.
I can make reasonable guesses, though. My response to him was: 

	UNIX is a totally different beastie. It doesn't have print
	drivers at the operating system level.

	FrameMaker generates all of its own PostScript under UNIX 
	and thus is able to properly generate and route the 
	PostScript to the Distiller without the poor assumptions 
	that were made in the Windows or Mac environments.

Hopefully, all this better "fleshes out" my earlier comments.

	- Dov


At 5/7/99 05:15 PM , Dov Isaacs wrote:
>I will repeat once again for the home audience before ending
>this week ...
>
>The only method of generating PDF from FrameMaker that is reliable
>is via printing. No PDFWriter, No "Save as PDF"!!! Under Windows,
>print to the printer / driver instance associated with the Distiller
>Assistant (Acrobat 3) or the Acrobat Distiller (Acrobat 4) and the
>Distiller PPD. You also need a fairly recent PostScript driver
>such as AdobePS 4.2.4 (Windows'9x) or AdobePS 5.1 (Windows NT4).
>For Windows'9x, grab AdobePS 4.3 as soon as it appears on the Adobe
>Web site. (I will broadcast that news!).
>
>Shabbat shalom!
>
>	- Dov
>
>
>At 5/7/99 12:36 PM , Rick Mierow wrote:
>>I had the same problem, and called Adobe about it. Their answer wasn't very
>>reassuring, but you've stumbled on the only workaround for this version of
>>Frame/Acrobat that I know of, and that Adobe suggested as well.
>>
>>They told me that saving as PDF through PDFWriter was the quick and dirty
>>(my interpretation) way to get relatively simple black and white docs into
>>PDF from Frame. They said that if there were any color in the doc, to go
>>through the Postscript/Distiller route via the Distiller Asst. printer driver.
>>
>>Heeding their advice, I have had no problems with color dropping out in the
>>PDF. Perhaps the new release of Acrobat includes a fix for this.
>>
>>(Dov, I'm sure you can elaborate on this one. At least I hope so...)
>>
>>
>>Good Luck,
>>
>>Rick Mierow
>>Technical Writer, CCI/Triad
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From:	Carla Martinek [SMTP:copper6500@zdnetmail.com]
>>> Sent:	Friday, May 07, 1999 11:07 AM
>>> To:	Framers@FrameUsers.com
>>> Subject:	Frame/PDF color problem
>>> 
>>> Situation:
>>> 
>>> Creating x-refs in Frame 5.5.6 on WinNT.  X-ref format includes color to
>>> show that this is a clickable x-ref.
>>> 
>>> Problem:
>>> 
>>> When generating PDF, the following problems occur:
>>> 
>>> 1) Using PDF Writer, the color is maintained, but the text is NOT a link
>>> 
>>> 2) Using "Save As PDF" option, the link is maintained, but the color is
>>> gone.
>>> 
>>> The only option that seems to work is going the old-fashioned route of
>>> printing a postscript file using the Distiller print driver and then
>>> distilling the file.
>>> 
>>> I was wondering if others had run into the same problem with the "quicker"
>>> methods of generating Frame/PDF files.
>>> 
>>> Carla Martinek
>>
>>
>>
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