How to create a postscript file from Quark 6.1

[jo_jeffery@adobeforums.com]

I'm running OSX 3.2, with Quark 6.1 and Acrobat pro 7 on my G5. I'm having an issue trying to convert my Quark doc into a valid postscript file for distilling in Acrobat for my printers. Their instructions are to select Acrobat distiller from the print dialog box under Setup/ Printer Description. I don't have the option to select Distiller here, only Acrobat pdf. I need the flexibility to control the settings myself in Distiller, not to create a pdf directly from Quark. I have tried to find the printer description for distiller in my Printer preferences, but it's not there. Can you help?

Jo

[haymarket@adobeforums.com]

Hi Jo,

Just to clarify something: "Their instructions are to select Acrobat distiller from the print dialog box under Setup/ Printer Description. I don't have the option to select Distiller here, only Acrobat pdf"

As it says, this is the printer description - it isn't the actual printer. Each printer description determines the features and parameters of that output device; the printer descriptions themselves come from the ppd files available to Quark. The actual choice of printer occurs later, at the bottom of the print dialogue box (it always strikes me this is back-to-front in Quark!)

So, the choice of "Acrobat PDF" in the setup/printer description is correct. However, creating the postscript file in the correct format for distilling involves a little bit more work.

The way we postscript is as follows (you may not have to worry about steps i - iii):
i. find the ppd file for Acrobat Distiller 7 - make a note of the
location;
ii. from the Printer Setup Utility, create/add a new printer with the
following settings:
- IPP
- Printer type: Internet Printing Protocol
- Printer Address: 127.0.0.1
- Queue Name: (call it something relevant - eg Postscript Output)
- Printer Model: Other -> now navigate to the location of the
distiller ppd you found earlier
iii. check the settings (you won't be able to change a lot!)
iv. launch Quark (haven't got the 6.5 update?), open your document
v. Go to Print, and set the printer description to Acrobat PDF,
then set all the remaining parameters you want (page size, crops,
bleed, resolution, etc.)
vi. Now set your page setup (bottom left button of the print dialogue
box. Where it says "format for:" select "Postscript Output on
127.0.0.1" and the appropriate page size, then OK
viii.Now click the printer button, choose the "Postscript Output on
127.0.0.1" printer, then under "Copies & Pages", set the various
parameters (such as layout, resolution), leaving "output"
until last. In this setting, choose to save as file, and
selecting the format as "postcript" not pdf.
ix. When you now click on the "save" button, you should be prompted
for a location and file name for your postscript file.
x. After naming it, and OKaying it, and pressing print in the main
Quark print dialogue box, you should be right to launch Distiller
and proceed as normal.

(sorry if you already know this procedure)

cheers

tony

[jo_jeffery@adobeforums.com]

Ok, I lost you at the 'find the ppd for distiller ' stage, I don't appear to have one anywhere on my Mac. Would it not have installed properly? I only just recently reinstalled Acrobat too. Can I download the ppd from your site?

Jo

[Robert_Jobst@adobeforums.com]

Sorry to hijack your thread, Jo, but I'm very frustrated at the moment and am hoping that Tony might be able to help me with a related issue at the same time he answers your question.
I used to create document PDFs from within my apps, usually Quark. I would choose the Acrobat Distiller PPD as my printer in Page Setup and away I'd go. I was given the option of a number of settings, such as Screen, E-Book, Print, and Press. With the exception of the occasional time when I have to make the big press-optimized file for print, I more often than not make low-rez files for proof purposes. I found that the "e-book" setting worked well for me. But now I can't find any such settings.
The new Adobe PDF ppd doesn't seem to give me any options. I just made a PDF from a 5-page document and it came out at 42 MB!! I need things that I can e-mail to people, not 42 meg monster files!!
I also have no success with creating a .ps file and dragging and dropping onto Distiller. I tried that last night and after "distilling" for a good long while it created absolutely nothing.
Incidentally, I'm running Quark 6.5 and Acrobat 6.0 on OS 10.3.9.

I'd appreciate anything that Tony or anyone else could offer that would help make PDFs from Quark anywhere near as easy as it used to be.

- Rob

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

I'm curious if there's a way to explain this using the option in Quark of "Export Layout to pdf." That seems to be the only way to avoid having to rename the file every time I make a pdf, since I can set the preference to use the Document name when Exporting, but when I try to use the Print dialog it always tries to name it the layout name ... which 9 times out of 10 is wrong.

I normally get correct results, but since upgrading to Acrobat 7 I'm having an issue with colors changing randomly to black (posted in another thread) and I'm wondering if the .ps file I'm creating by the Export command is in some way flawed.

[Jon_Bessant@adobeforums.com]

[url]http://www.certitec.com/quark6woes.htm[/url]

Go for the postscript route - and if you hsve any Distiller issues -
post the log ..

Jon

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

You can set your preference in Quark's "Export as pdf" to create a postscript .ps file instead of a .pdf file, then distill it as usual. Distiller isn't finding problems are failing to process the pdf, it just that frequently the pdfs are wrong, and I can't discover what I'm doing wrong. I assume there's a setting in Distiller I haven't learned of yet.

If it helps with Jo's issue, though, she can try using the Export to pdf command in Quark with the preference set to create a .ps file. That may give her the results she wants.

[Jon_Bessant@adobeforums.com]

Well - maybe because you are concentrating on Quark producing all the
postscript file itself instead of the OS - yes - there is a difference.

If you follow the guide as per previous URL (the postscript option) and
then find issues come back ...

Jon

[jonf@adobeforums.com]

I looked at the link you referred to, and the method it describes is exactly what I was talking about, as far as using the Export Layout as pdf option in Quark, so I'm not sure what difference you're driving at. The only differences I could find in my setup were that I had OPI turned on, and they recommended turning it off ... and they recommended using DeviceN for the color selection. I tried it their way, and it didn't seem to make the slightest difference.

For the record, in my case, I suspect the .ps postscript file is not the problem, since it will distill correctly using some settings but mysteriously processes incorrectly using the almost identical settings, but with downsampling applied to try to get a workable proof file for email.

My workaround until I figure out what's going on is just to make a hi-res pdf, then use Acrobat to create a smaller-file copy from that file. Seems like it shouldn't have to be so hard, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Anyway, that's probably for another thread (if anyone might happen to have useful input on the specific issue I asked about there.) In regards to this subject, the export-layout-as-pdf function seems to be the correct way to accomplish what the poster wanted, if I understand the information on the URL correctly.

[Jon_Bessant@adobeforums.com]

No no ... I was referring to the PRINT TO POSTSCRIPT option from the
link ... a much better way to generate your postscript for later
distilling ....

Please keep things simple here and following the guidelines ..

Jon