Creating pdf files

[SezMe]

I am the editor of a newsletter that I create in WordPerfect (Version 11) and then "publish to pdf." This functionality is not working too well and I am looking for alternatives and would appreciate any comments you might have.

The first alternative that I tried was Adobe's own on-line conversion tool. I tried one issue of my newsletter with it and it worked fine and created a small file. By small, I mean about 20(!) times smaller than the one WordPerfect created. Of course, one problem with this site is that it costs $$$$.

I next looked at several pdf conversion tools, and didn't find any particular problems but the file sizes were only about half the size of the WordPerfect-generated files. Since the newsletter is posted on-line, file size is an important consideration.

So I finally looked at PageMaker itself. It is quite expensive (US$500) and is reputed to have a very steep learning curve. Do you have any experience with PageMaker? Is it hard to learn?

Are there alternatives to PageMaker? If so, what are the advantages and disadvantages.

Do you have experience with any conversion tools that create small pdf files?

...and any other comments are welcome.... thanks.

 

[Leif Roar]

Do you have experience with any conversion tools that create small pdf files?

You might try OpenOffice, an open-source office suite that handles exporting to PDF. There's also Scribus, an open-source DTP program wich can export to PDF.

 

[SezMe]

Re: Re: Creating pdf files

You might try OpenOffice, an open-source office suite that handles exporting to PDF. There's also Scribus, an open-source DTP program wich can export to PDF.

Thanks, Leif, but I am dubious about using any "export" tool. I suspect these tools are just printer drivers supplied by Adobe and can be incorporated into any word processor. If this is true, there is no advantage to the programs you cite. I would have to learn them but then would be subject to the same export limitations. Unless you know that these word processors have some inherent advantage over WordPerfect or any other such tool in regard to the "export to pdf" capability.

 

[Donks]

I'm not sure if you have tried this (from your printer driver comment I gues you might have), but here goes anyway. You could do a print to file with a postscript printer (you don't need to have the printer, just the drivers) then convert the ps to pdf using any free online conversion tool (such as this one ), or download Ghostscrpt or somesuch.

 

[Zep]

I use Ghostscript with GSview as the front end. Works very well, but with a few limitations, the most obvious of which are the lack of HTTP links (they just get shown as links, no more), and no real ability to create bookmarks or similar. It is also a multi-step process to create PDF's. It's a very basic tool, but is small, efficient, and works neatly, but best of all it's FREE.

PM me if you want details.

 

[Leif Roar]

Re: Re: Re: Creating pdf files

Thanks, Leif, but I am dubious about using any "export" tool. I suspect these tools are just printer drivers supplied by Adobe and can be incorporated into any word processor.

I believe the PDF functionality in OpenOffice is native to the application, but I could be wrong. Anyway, OpenOffice can import WordPerfect files, so it would be easy to check if it answers your needs.

 

[Zep]

SezMe, the Ghostscript tool as recommended by Donks and myself will actually convert any Windows printed output, not just WP stuff. You can use your favourite WP package or indeed any wizzo app you like, and still have the printed output converted to PDF. I have converted Powerpoints, spreadsheets, Visio pages, Photoshop images, etc, etc, not just WP (in my case, Word).

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

If you have access to an Apple computer, any OSX application can export directly to pdf via the Print menu.

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

SezMe said:
I am the editor of a newsletter that I create in WordPerfect (Version 11) and then "publish to pdf." This functionality is not working too well and I am looking for alternatives and would appreciate any comments you might have.

What do you mean by "not working too well"? Is it just that the PDF files are large, or are there other problems?

Apropos to what Donks said, have you tried generating PostScript and then directly distilling it with Acrobat Distiller?

You might look into Framemaker. I wouldn't use Word or WordPerfect to produce anything larger than a letter.

~~ Paul

 

[Beanbag]

I use a free utility called CutePDF to generate PDF files. It installs as a windows printer and print to it using the print function from whatever application you're running. So far, it's worked for every Windows application I've tried.

The good news is that it's free, and it doesn't add any watermarks or advertisements to your PDF file.

You can find it here: http://www.cutepdf.com/products/CutePDF/writer.asp

You have to install a copy of Ghostscript to make it work, but you get it with the download.

Beanbag

 

[SezMe]

What do you mean by "not working too well"? Is it just that the PDF files are large, or are there other problems?

Apropos to what Donks said, have you tried generating PostScript and then directly distilling it with Acrobat Distiller?

You might look into Framemaker. I wouldn't use Word or WordPerfect to produce anything larger than a letter.

~~ Paul

Yeah, that was a big vague ... on purpose. I cannot define a specific problem. Usually it is that pagination in the source document and the converted pdf is different.

But not always. The problem last month that finally convinced me to look for alternatives was totally different than others I've had. The newsletter is 8 pages, the bottom half of the last page being the place where the address label goes. After the newsletter is finished, I run it through a mail merge and end up with file containing ~150 copies of the newsletter. I then converted this to pdf. The result: every other copy had a blank page 7!!

No I have not tried the PostScript approach. Why do you think that might produce a better result? And why Framemaker instead of Pagemaker?

Thanks for the ideas, Paul.

 

[SezMe]

If you have access to an Apple computer, any OSX application can export directly to pdf via the Print menu.

I do have access to an Apple through a friend and, in fact, tried that route over the weekend. I sent her a 2 page press release in Word format which she converted to pdf. It reverses the pages, putting page 2 first!! Ugh. I'm not inclined to pursue this avenue any further.

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

SezMe said:
Yeah, that was a big vague ... on purpose. I cannot define a specific problem. Usually it is that pagination in the source document and the converted pdf is different.

Ah, well that's because What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) is a lie.

Anyhoo, if you print the document and it looks right, then you should be able to print it to a PostScript printer in "print to file" mode to capture the PostScript. I would think that converting the PostScript to a PDF (with any tool you like) would give you the correct results.

Framemaker seems to be pretty good. You could also try Quark or InDesign. I don't use any of these products myself, so I have no strong recommendation.

~~ Paul

 

[epepke]

I do have access to an Apple through a friend and, in fact, tried that route over the weekend. I sent her a 2 page press release in Word format which she converted to pdf. It reverses the pages, putting page 2 first!! Ugh. I'm not inclined to pursue this avenue any further.

This is almost certainly due to a setting to print the pages in reverse order, which most people do with physical printers, because they like to pick up a stack of pages that come out of the printer face-up.

But I guess clicking a single check box is just too hard, if it's on a Mac. Icky icky poo, icky poo poo icky.

 

[SezMe]

A quickie update.

Apparently the idea of printing to a PostScript printer works ... depending on how you define "works." (No, I do not work for Clinton).

It did handle the "missing Page 7" problem I mentioned earlier but OH, MY GAWD, the file size would choke a hippo! Since, as I mentioned, this newsletter is posted online for download, file size is relevant so I don't think that PostScript printing is going to be a good solution.

I am now looking at two alternatives. First, Zep is going to send me his proposed solution - thanks, Zep - and I will give it a try.

Second, I am going to give NitroPDF a look-see. Maybe it is a poor-man's Pagemaker/Framemaker. It has a 30-day free trial.

For this month (which I am working on right now when I am not diddling my time away here) I will probably try CutePDf.

Thanks a lot for the help so far.

 

[Donks]

It did handle the "missing Page 7" problem I mentioned earlier but OH, MY GAWD, the file size would choke a hippo! Since, as I mentioned, this newsletter is posted online for download, file size is relevant so I don't think that PostScript printing is going to be a good solution.

I'm unsure if you then converted the ps file to pdf, because that will reduce the filesize.

 

[SezMe]

I'm unsure if you then converted the ps file to pdf, because that will reduce the filesize.

It did, but not below the original source file size. And certainly not below the file size generated by my (however flawed) "publish to pdf" file size.

IOW (at this stage) "publishing to pdf" from WordPerfect creates large files that have flaws. OTOH, printing to ps then converting to pdf creates (apparently) correct files that are so large as to be useless.

Sigh.

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

SezMe, stop making us pull out your teeth.

How large are the raw images in the document?

How large is the resulting PDF file?


~~ Paul

 

[SezMe]

In a typical newsletter there are probably 5-6 images. Most are around 400K, a few might be up to a Meg.

The whole newsletter ranges in size from ~1.5 Megs to over 12 Megs. After I run the mail merge, the file is over 500 Megs.

I didn't keep all the test files, but here (from memory) are the results of playing around with one issue which was almost exactly 2 Megs.

Convert using Adobe's online tool: 440K
Using WordPerfect's export: ~ 3 Megs
Print to ps then convert: ~4 Megs
Using CutPDF and other such freeware: ~1 Meg to over ~5 Megs

Best I can do for right now - I gotta go take care of a toothache.

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Mail merge? You mean you're replicating the newsletter for each recipient? Why?

How large is the PostScript file that you export from WordPerfect?

With a reasonable distiller program you should be able to control the level of compression that is applied to the images.

I just distilled a 136-meg PostScript file with Acrobat Distiller and the result is 36 megs. That is with no lossy compression at all.

~~ Paul