Acrobat 6 std: displaying a4 size PS

[Miklos_Somogyi@adobeforums.com]

Does anyone know how to set default size to a4?
Acrobat just cuts-off the top of the page. I've tried a number of setup option combinations
but not luck. The beast even displays 215.9 x 279.4 mm just to show its defiance ...
It is no consolation that Preview cuts-of the top too.

Better still: does anyone know a good direct PS viewer, 'cause sometimes I need
some == or pstack output for debugging.
Neither Preview nor Acrobat seem to oblige, maybe I don't know how to ask them.

Miklos

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

It is nothing to do with Acrobat itself, nor preview; they display the
size ALREADY in the PDF. They don't change it or make it up. (Unless
you are using one of Acrobat's PDF creation tools like import JPEG).

This means the problem has already happened by the time you make the
PDF. How are you making the PDF?

Acrobat and Preview don't read PostScript at all. Not their job. But
Distiller converts PostScript to PDF, and can be used to do simple
stack debugging etc.

Aandi Inston

[Miklos_Somogyi@adobeforums.com]

I haven't much luck, Aandi.

True, Acrobat Reader doesn't take ps files as input but Acrobat and Preview do.
Then they proceed to cut their top.
I've tried to convert ps with Distiller and view the pdf with
Acrobat Reader and Preview. The same cuts.

At least "pstack flush" results show up in Distiller's window.
Thanks for that.

Miklos

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

>True, Acrobat Reader doesn't take ps files as input but Acrobat and Preview do.

I don't know about preview. If Acrobat accepts PS, then it will simply
be passing it to Distiller.

>Then they proceed to cut their top.
>I've tried to convert ps with Distiller and view the pdf with
>Acrobat Reader and Preview. The same cuts.

Then either

(a) the PostScript defines, specifically, a page size of 215.9 x 279.4
mm; or
(b) the PostScript does not define any size at all, and Distiller's
default page size is 215.9 x 279.4 mm.

You can see whether case (b) applies by changing Distiller's default
page size (in the application, not print setup).

Aandi Inston

[Miklos_Somogyi@adobeforums.com]

Aandi,

It's b), my old PS files do not define page size at all. They were ok on my old SGI
system, it knew about a4.
Well, I can use setpagedevice and get what I want. Just if I have to do it multiple
times, then it is more work for me than giving Acrobat users the option to change the default would be for Adobe.
And I am not alone with such problems.

Also, I have a lot-of scanned-in a4 pages in jpg format. Acrobat reads them and cuts their heads off. In this case I don't even know how to fix the problem.

I find it soooo frustrating. Acrobat has been around for a lot of years. It is not even
a cheap package. Yet Adobe programmers saved themselves 10 mins of work
by not giving users the option to set a4 as default, saved themselves another 10 mins by
not giving them the option to have LF as line terminator.
Therefore many-many people are forced many-many times to convert text output from Acrobat or they have to abandon their well-loved editors. NBG.

Miklos

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

I don't quite follow. You seem to be suggesting that there is no way
to change the default, but in my last message I suggested that you
change it - so I think there is a way. In the Distiller application,
where it belongs.


Aandi Inston

[de_Siem@adobeforums.com]

Launch distiller,
go to settings
edit your favourite pdf setting.
under the general tab you can set your page size which will be used when the ps file doesn't specify one.

[Miklos_Somogyi@adobeforums.com]

Aandi, de Siem, you are wonderful creatures. You can emphatise with
a grumpy guy when he is not abs right.
Mea Culpa, Acrobat doesn't know about LF but at least its default size can be set.

First I set Distiller's default size as you suggested, distilled a PS and voila, Acrobat, Reader, Preview did not chop off the heads of distilled pictures.

Then I tried Acrobat with a PS file. Acrobat is not likely to employ
Distiller, 'cause conversion takes a lot longer.
Even if it does, chops indicate that it certaily does not employ Distiller's default setup.

But jeez, after so many misses I found out how to set 21 x 29.7 cm in Acrobat:

Preferences > Convert to PDF > PostScript/Eps > Edit Settings

> Adobe PDF Settings > scroll to quality > Edit > Unnits ...
> Width ... > Height

Quite a mouthful and well hidden but it is there.
Now I have to find out how to make Acrobat's picture quality acceptable.
It is bad, despite high quality setting (no anti-aliasing, etc).Reader's quality is all right.

Then I have to find out what to do with jpg files of scanned a4 pages, which
are still chopped, wherever the problem may lurk.

Thank you both,

Miklos

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

Curious. When I go to PS import settings in Acrobat 6 Professional, it
starts Distiller then runs Distiller's normal job option set up.
Doesn't match what you see at all. I wonder if you have a separate
plug-in installed, or something.

Aandi Inston

[de_Siem@adobeforums.com]

Preferences > Convert to PDF > PostScript/Eps > Edit Settings

> Adobe PDF Settings >

These are the same settings as Distiller.
If you created a custom setting it should be available for selection in this menu.

On OS X openeing a ps file directly in the distiller application is still the quickest method of conversion.

Any automation of this process via the adobe pdf printer or by opening ps files in Acrobat will take longer. Don't know why though.

[Miklos_Somogyi@adobeforums.com]

I did a few experiments, e.g. plotted out "product" from the PS
file, and run Acrobat with the PS file and its PDF by Distiller.

The "product" was Distiller in both cases and I got the same hairy
curves. So the lack of speed and quality are not proof that Acrobat
is doing its own PS processing.

Aandi, you are right, Acrobat runs Distiller if required, and
de Siem, you are right, the Distiller custom settings are available
in Acrobat. The problems are somewhere else.

Currently I have three methods to view PS files:

1) Preview: nicely anti-aliased curves but too small picture and too pale.

2) Using Distiller then Viewer: good size, good quality, each of them fast.

3) Acrobat: slower, too big picture, hairy curves (in spite of smoothing on).

The second option was tempting enough to create a command-line alias for
a la "open -a ... ; open -a ..." and came a surprise: both apps started
executing simultaneously, so I had to put a "sleep 5" between the two.
That lost the speed advantage ...

Well, a certain PM (who once lost his trousers in a Memphis hotel) said:
"Life was not meant to be easy".

Miklos