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Subject:Seeking Help With Adobe Acrobat/PDF Issue From:Steven Oppenheimer <Steven -at- OppenheimerCommunications -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 12 May 2005 22:09:23 -0400
I have some very elaborate MS Word documents I've created for a client --
fancy formatting, nice headings, tables, illustrations, etc., etc. I am
running into some challenges in turning them into .pdfs.
First, I am following what I think is that standard procedure: I print the
documents to a file, using a PostScript printer driver. Then I use Acrobat
Distiller to turn the postscript files into .pdfs. I am using the latest
versions of MS Word, Distiller, Windows XP (but also had these problems
under Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Word) and the print
drivers. Essentially, the problem is that no matter which printer driver I
use, I get some kind of eccentricity in the results.
-- With the standard, default PostScript Printer driver that you can
download from the Adobe site, everything comes out fine -- except, the
headings in the document, which are in color (a very nice shade of blue),
come out in gray. All the other colors (page borders, illustrations,
etc.), come out fine.
-- Using an HP Color Printer PostScript printer driver, the colors are all
fine. However, certain symbols, such as em dashes, get translated to weird
characters in the .pdf file.
-- Other PostScript printer drivers, for other printers, cause other
problems, such as messing up graphics, or translating still other symbols
(such as TM, (C), etc.) to weird symbols.
I'm assuming (hoping!) there must be one of two solutions:
1. There must be some PostScript printer driver out there that resolves
these problems. I've tried the drivers for various printers (you can go to
the Web sites for various printer manufacturers, and download the drivers),
and every one yields some kind of eccentricity. But I'm hoping someone can
point me to the "perfect" printer.
2. There are some kind of settings in Word, or Windows, or for the printer
driver, or even Acrobat Distiller, which will resolve these problems.
Any hints/tips/leads would be much appreciated!
Steve O.
Steven Oppenheimer, M.A.
Oppenheimer Communications
Technical and Business Writing: From Complexity To Clarity (TM)
Steven -at- OpComm -dot- com http://www.OpComm.com (301) 468-9233
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