RE: Newsletters

by "Kali Woodbridge" <kaliajer(at)mail.com>

Date:	Wed, 28 Jun 2000 23:10:40 -0400
To:	"'Freda Lockert'" <freda(at)rlockert.easynet.co.uk>, <shelleyw(at)home.com>
Cc:	<hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
In-Reply-To:
	todo: View Thread, Original

Adding my nickel to the debate on PDF...

<snip>
Acrobat will convert any document to a PDF file, preserving the
appearance of the original. That's it's job, it was designed to
provide a means of making documents accessible across all platforms
regardless of the application they were created in.
</snip>

I have used it extensively for the past 3 years for CD catalogs, image
file libraries, documentation, and training manuals. Compared to the
source files, they are almost always smaller. However, as Freda points
out, "small" file sizes for print are a whole different ballpark from
"small" for the web. You can tweak Acrobat to compress your files,
embed only subsets of fonts, and optimize your graphics up to a point.

<snip>
I can't speak for Word's way of creating PDF files, after 6 years
working with Mickey$oft products the thought of Word gives me a rash.
</snip>

My biggest complaint is that using the generic PDFWriter utility in
WORD (instead of the Distiller utility in Acrobat) automatically
overrides your fonts and replaces them with the local standard system
fonts... dingbats in particular suffer big time I learned to my
sorrow.

The online freebie offer does a decent job. It uses the correct font,
lets you know if there is an offending error, and often how to correct
it. The biggest issue is forgetting to upload all the source /related
files used in the job.

Docutech printing technology uses PDF files reliably. It is possible
to pull together a 104-page+ catalog from various PDF sources and ftp
it to the printer the same day. I did it. Although I wouldn't consider
it for glossy color work, I have read some companies do.

Good luck.
kali

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