graphics

[Rob Domaschuk]

> I *always* do the screenshot in *exactly* the same size that the image
> will appear on a *printed* page. That is, if my screenshot is going into
> a 4" x 4" square in FrameMaker, then I take the shot as 4" x 4". That is
> the *only* way to get text strings in the shot itself to display
> legibly.


Actually, it's not the *only* way, albeit it IS an excellent way.

I keep my monitor set to a resolution of 1600×1200 and I have no intention of changing it just to take screen shots. Besides, sometimes I need to make some shots larger than they are and, in some cases, reduce them. I've been getting crystal clear, resized screen shots in my PDF files for several years doing this.

Here's how I do it, regardless of the monitor's resolution):

Part 1 (required for every image):
1. Start PhotoShop
2. Either open an existing screen shot or take a new screen shot and paste it into PhotoShop
3. Go to Image > Image Size...
4. Ensure that Resample Image: is UNCHECKED
5. Change the Document Size. You only need to change one dimension (height or width) The other dimension will automatically adjust.
6. Click OK
7. Save the image as an .EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file


Part 2 (Only required once):
1. In a text editor, open C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat [version]\Distillr\Data\Prologue.ps
2. Immediately below the line % Insert your custom PostScript here... add the following
	% Redefine image operator to set Interpolate to true unconditionally.
	/image {
	dup type /dicttype eq {
	dup /Interpolate true put
	} if
	//image
	} bind def
3. Save the file and close it.

Part 3a (When composing via FrameMaker):
1. Build and compile the "book" as usual.
2. Do not save the book as PDF. Instead...
3. Print the book, using a PostScript Printer, and select Print Only to File
4. In the Print Only to File text box, type C:\Temp\ bookname.ps
5. Click Print


Part 4 (Only required once):
1. Open Adobe Distiller
2. Go to Settings > Job Settings...
3. Under the:
	General tab - select Optimize PDF and Compatibility Acrobat 3.0
	Compression tab - Ensure that all instances of Resampling are UNCHECKED and Compression is 8-bit ZIP
	Advanced tab - Select Use Prologue.ps and Epilogue.ps
4. Click Save As... and save the file with any name you want.
5. In the Distiller main window, select the file you just saved in the Job Options drop-down box.


Part 5 (To create the PDF):
1. In Distiller, go to File > Open and open the PostScript file you created in FrameMaker (Part 3a above)
2. Provide a name for the final PDF file.