When
we were printing hardcopy documents, I worked with a printer who sent me their
job options file so I could distill PDFs that would work in the pre-press
environment. You can do the same as noted below. Unfortunately, unless you're
really hardnosed about it (but nicely hardnosed), you may not get the
cooperation you want unless the people you're dealing with are really concerned
about the quality of the PDFs or the resulting printed or PDFed
document.
Here's
one option:
1.
Make a job options file with the Distiller settings the way you want them and
name it distinctively so they can find it easily in the list of available job
options.
2. Send it to them and ask them to install on
every computer where someone will be making PDFs to send to
you.
3. Tell them that you will only accept PDFs made with that set of
job options.
4. If you get poor PDFs from them, check to be sure they used the
correct job options and, if not, make them re-PDF the file using your job
options and send it to you.
Here's
another if you really want to control the setting and get the proper
output:
1.
Have them send you the source files.
2. PDF
them yourself.
With
the first option, you still have to depend on them to use the proper job options
and, depending on who you're dealing with, this may be the first time they've
ever heard of such a thing. Most people at my company who make PDFs probably
don't know a thing about job options until I start messing with them to fix a
problem they're having. Be sure you document both the job options you require,
how to get the file into the proper place in Distiller (think multiple platforms
and multiple OSes - and I mean Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP unless you
absolutely 100% know what they are using), and how to select the option in
Distiller before processing the PDF.
With
the second option, you have to keep copies of all the flavors of applications
they're using to create the source files.
As
Justin DeAre noted, the first option to send them a job options file will kind
of work, but again, you're depending on them to use them. But it gets you
closer.
Mike Hiatt
Manager, Tech Pubs
VocalData, Inc.
Dallas,
TX (yep, that one)
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.vocaldata.com
-----Original Message-----I put together a magazine where I receive about 100 ads every other month. I want to give my advertisers something, that I control the settings on, to make “correct” PDFs of their ads before they send them to me.
From: Kenton Smith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2003 8:44 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [PDF] How do I get people to send me good PDF files?
--
Kenton Smith
Production Director/Designer
Scrapbook Retailer Magazine
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
