How to Create PDF Files
There are two ways to create an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file on a PC. One is to use the Adobe PDF printer driver, the other is to use Acrobat Distiller. Using the printer driver is easier but is not necessarily supported by all campus computers. Also, See the tips below on creating a good PDF file.
Using the printer driver
This example uses MS Word but applies to most applications.
Go to File -> Print.
In the print dialog, select "Adobe PDF" as
the name of the printer, then press OK. In the resulting "Save PDF File As" dialog, select the
location and file name of the PDF file, then click Save and you are done.
Adobe Acrobat Distiller
Distiller can only create PDF files from PostScript format files so you
must first create a PostScript file. See the tips below on creating a
good PDF file. You can save files as PostScript in some applications,
but it recommend to create the PostScript file using 'print to file'.
It's critical that all pages of the final PDF document are 8.5x11 inches
- if not it will be very difficult to print the documents correctly. Using
'print to file' ensures that the document can be printed correctly.
Creating PostScript files
(this example uses MS Word but it applies to most applications)
1. Print the document to a file
Select "Print" from the File menu. Check the box "Print to File". Click "OK". Select the directory to print the file to (e.g., C:\Usertemp).
Name the document, replace the "*" with a name for the document, e.g. "myfile.prn". Click "Ok".
2. Change the file name extension from ".prn" to ".ps"
Open "My Computer\Local Disk(c:)\Usertemp" and select the file. Select "Rename" from the File menu. Change the file extention from .prn to .ps,
e.g., myfile.ps
3. Open the file with Distiller
(once you have a PostScript file)
Distiller is very simple, you open a PostScript file and then save it
as a pdf file.
From the Start Menu, launch "Adobe / Acrobat Distiller 4.0". Go to "File > Open" and choose the PostScript file you want to convert, e.g., "myfile.ps" and hit "Open".
A "Specify PDF File name" dialog box will open. Name your file and hit "
Save". Distiller will create the PDF file and if successful, it will open the new
file in Acrobat Reader.
Troubleshooting (once you have a PostScript file)
If Distiller doesn't work correctly and you have access to a UNIX machine,
you can display the postscript file with the command "gv file.ps" in order
to compare it to the original document.
PDF Creation tips
- Fonts
If you're intending to have the document published by a printer you should
restrict the fonts you use in text, equations, and figures to the Type
1 fonts Times, Symbol, and Zapf Dingbats only.
- Graphics
Use Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) for your graphics. Most of the problems
we have encountered in processing documents like this have been associated
with graphics. Illustration programs such as Aldus Freehand® and Adobe
Illustrator® produce graphics in EPS format. We suggest using these
and other data-plotting and graphics applications that produce EPS files
and incorporating the EPS files into your word processor document.
- Scanning
The best way to create figures for inclusion in your document is to use
a drawing program, enlarge or reduce it to final size, save the file as
EPS, and include it in your text file. If you must scan figures, observe
the following guidelines.
Scanning at a higher resolution will give small advantage to your document--in
fact, it will make your final PostScript file larger and create difficulties
in processing. Therefore:
Scan line art figures at 300 dpi resolution and photos and grayscale images
at 150 dpi resolution.
Note that a 6 x 6 in image scanned at 300 dpi becomes a 600 dpi image
when reduced to 3 x 3 in. For this reason, it is important that any changes
in the size of the image are made at the time of scanning: Zoom the image
to the desired final size before scanning at the correct dpi.
Scan graphics as line art (300 dpi) if at all possible. Only use grayscale
or color scanning (150 dpi) if there is no other way to get a clear graphic.
Images with dark backgrounds, such as oscilloscope photographs, produce
overly large files. Most scanner programs can invert the image as a negative,
which will give you a more readable image and a much smaller file.
- Photographs
Under the present constraints, it is difficult to display photographs
at their best. Details are lost, file sizes are large, and drawing the
image on the screen is very slow. If a photograph must be used, the best
options are to scan it as a grayscale image, or use a compressed JPEG
image such as can be produced by Adobe Photoshop.
Adobe Acrobat allows for the modification of existing pdf documents
by adding notes and other comments. Click
here for more information.
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