Color Document to Grayscale PDF

[richaarrd@adobeforums.com]

OK, here’s my puzzle...

I am re-doing and new version of a document using InDesign that I previously did in PageMaker... which I want to deliver to the printer as a grayscale PDF.

It includes a wmf vector graphic that is in color.

In the past, I printed it using the generic postscript printer to a ps file with the “output” set to “grayscale” and then distilled it with Acrobat Distiller. Results were excellent.

I can’t figure out how to do the same thing using the “export to PDF” engine (which I love) that is built into InDesign. That is, wind up with a grayscale PDF derived from a document that has a color graphic.

Is there a way to do this?

For now, I am reverting to printing the ID file to a ps and distilling it, as I did before. I do not own software that can do a decent job of converting the wmf to a grayscale bitmap.

[Robert_Levine@adobeforums.com]

WMFs are a disaster waiting to happen in a postscript workflow. Why
Adobe added that capability to ID is beyond me. They weren't doing
anyone any favors.

If you have Illustrator or CorelDraw, you can import it into one of
those and create an EPS file that will be far more reliable.

As for creating grayscale PDFs, here's a good tuturial:

[url]http://www.nickhodge.com/mne.php?mcid=715[/url]

Bob

[Richard Schafer]

I appreciate and more or less understand your response... but what I
am trying to understand is the use of the InDesign CS pdf export
system... so, for the moment, suppose I only have black text and a
colored tif graphic in a document and wish to create a monochrome pdf.

I can print to a ps file and set the output to grayscale... then
distill to pdf.

If I use the pdf export function, I don't see how to specify grayscale
output. Is there a way to use pdf export to attain a monochrome pdf?

(BTW, thanx for the link to the tutorial... I am just an amateur just
trying to learn.)

Richard


===============On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 05:40:29 -0800,
[email]Robert_Levine@adobeforums.com[/email] wrote:==========

>WMFs are a disaster waiting to happen in a postscript workflow. Why
>Adobe added that capability to ID is beyond me. They weren't doing
>anyone any favors.
>
>If you have Illustrator or CorelDraw, you can import it into one of
>those and create an EPS file that will be far more reliable.
>
>As for creating grayscale PDFs, here's a good tuturial:
>
>[url]http://www.nickhodge.com/mne.php?mcid=715[/url]
>
>Bob

[richaarrd@adobeforums.com]

I appreciate and more or less understand your response... but what I
am trying to understand is the use of the InDesign CS pdf export
system... so, for the moment, suppose I only have black text and a
colored tif graphic in a document and wish to create a monochrome pdf.

I can print to a ps file and set the output to grayscale... then
distill to pdf.

If I use the pdf export function, I don't see how to specify grayscale
output. Is there a way to use pdf export to attain a monochrome pdf?

(BTW, thanx for the link to the tutorial... I am just an amateur just
trying to learn.)

Richard

[Robert_Levine@adobeforums.com]

No.

Bob

[Sandee_Cohen@adobeforums.com]

Richaard,

I have the same workflow and I have to use the Adobe PDF printer which goes through Distiller.

InDesign's Export as PDF doesn't do greyscale (dammit).

[Skyline@adobeforums.com]

If you have the Acrobat plug-in "Quite A Box of Tricks" you can open the color PDF in Acrobat 6 Pro, and use the plug-in to convert it to a grayscale PDF.

Also works to convert a PDF with RGB elements to CMYK, tho I'd prefer to convert images in Photoshop before placing in ID except when there is no other choice.