Using the Adobe PDF printer Part 1

Using the Adobe PDF printer Part 1

Create PDFs by printing to file

In many authoring applications, you can use the Print command with the Adobe PDF printer to convert your file to PDF. Your source document is converted to PostScript and fed directly to Distiller for conversion to PDF, without manually starting Distiller. The current Distiller preference settings and Adobe PDF settings are used to convert the file. If you’re working with nonstandard page sizes, create a custom page size.

Note

(Windows) For Microsoft Office documents, the Adobe PDF printer does not include some of the features that are available from PDFMaker. For example, you cannot create bookmarks and hyperlinks using the Adobe PDF printer. If you’re creating a PDF from a Microsoft Office document and you want to use these features, use PDFMaker.

The Adobe PDF printer creates untagged PDFs. A tagged structure is required for reflowing content to a handheld device and is preferable for producing reliable results with a screen reader.

Create a PDF using the Print command (Windows)

  1. 1. Open the file in its authoring application, and choose File > Print.
  2. 2. Choose Adobe PDF from the printers menu.
  3. 3. Click the Properties (or Preferences) button to customize the Adobe PDF printer setting. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to open the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences.)
  4. 4. In the Print dialog box, click OK.
    Note

    Your PDF is saved in the folder specified by the setting of the Adobe PDF Output Folder in the Preferences dialog box; the default location is My Documents. If you specify Prompt For Adobe PDF Filename, then a Save As dialog opens when you print.

Create a PDF using the Print command (Mac OS X)

The method for creating PDFs using the Print command changed in Mac OS v10.6 Snow Leopard with Acrobat 9.1 and later. The following procedure describes the method in both Snow Leopard and earlier versions of Mac OS X.

  1. 1. Open the file in its authoring application, and choose File > Print.

  2. 2. Choose Save As Adobe PDF from the PDF menu at the bottom of the dialog box.

  3. 3. For Adobe PDF Settings, choose one of the default settings, or customize the settings using Distiller. Any custom settings that you have defined are listed.

    For most users, the default Adobe PDF conversion settings are adequate.

  4. 4. For After PDF Creation, specify whether to open the PDF.
  5. 5. Click Continue.
  6. 6. Select a name and location for your PDF, and click Save.
    Note

    By default, your PDF is saved with the same filename and a .pdf extension.

Adobe PDF printing preferences (Windows)

Printing preferences apply to all applications that use the Adobe PDF printer, unless you change the settings in an authoring application by using the Page Setup, Document Setup, or Print menu.

Note

The dialog box for setting printing preferences is named Adobe PDFPrinting Preferences, Adobe PDF Printing Defaults, or Adobe PDFDocument Properties, depending on how you access it.

To access printing preferences:

  • Open the Printers window from the Start menu. Right-click the Adobe PDF printer, and choose Printing Preferences.

  • In an authoring application such as Adobe InDesign, choose File > Print. Select Adobe PDF as the printer, and click the Properties (or Preferences) button. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to access the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences to customize the Adobe PDF settings.)

PDF-specific options appear on the Adobe PDF Settings tab. The Paper Quality tab and Layout tab contain other familiar options for the paper source, printer ink, page orientation, and number of pages per sheet.

Note

Printing Preferences are different from printer Properties. The Preferences include Adobe PDF-specific options for the conversion process; the Properties dialog box contains tabs of options that are available for any type of printer.

Adobe PDF printer printing preferences

Adobe PDFConversion Settings

Select a predefined set of options from the Default Settings menu or click Edit to view or change the settings in the Adobe PDF Settings dialog box.

Adobe PDF Security

To add security to the PDF, choose one of the following options, or click Edit to view or change the security settings:

  • Reconfirm Security For Each Job: Opens the Adobe PDF Security dialog box each time you create a PDF using the Adobe PDF printer. Specify the desired settings in the dialog box.
  • Use The Last Known Security Settings: Uses the same security settings that were used the last time a PDF was created using the Adobe PDF printer on your computer.

Adobe PDF Output Folder

Choose an output folder for the converted PDF, or click Browse to add or change the output folder. Choose Prompt For Adobe PDF Filename to specify a location and filename at the time of conversion.

Adobe PDF Page Size menu

Select a custom page size that you have defined.

Replace Existing PDF

Choose if you want to replace the existing PDF Always, Ask Everytime, or Never replace.

View Adobe PDF Results

Automatically starts Acrobat and displays the converted document immediately.

Add Document Information

Includes information such as the filename and date and time of creation.

Rely On System Fonts Only; Do Not Use Document Fonts

Deselect this option to download fonts when creating the PDF. All your fonts will be available in the PDF, but it will take longer to create it. Leave this option selected if you are working with Asian-language documents.

Delete Log Files For Successful Jobs

Automatically deletes the log files unless the job fails.


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