Taking the Pain Out of Creating PDF Files
For those who have not created a PDF before from their electronic file the process can be a daunting task. At Printing Services we want to make the process as pain-free as possible. That is why the following step-by-step directions have been compiled to help you create PDF files.
Creating PDF Files (42Kb)
For Mac OSX Users:
1. Choose File > Print.
2. In the page setup dialog box, choose document size and click on Options.
3. In the resulting dialog box, drop down the settings list and select Custom Print Size.
4. Click on New and name your new custom size. Enter 0 for all printer margins. For paper size, always enter the long dimension of your poster as the horizontal dimension and the shorter dimension of your poster as the width.
5. Choose Save and select Page Attributes from the settings drop down menu.
6. Set the Paper Size to the custom page size you just saved and set the orientation to portrait. Click OK twice.
7. Now choose File > Print. Click on Save to PDF.
8. Name and save the PDF file to the desired location (i.e. Desktop). OS X automatically embeds all fonts and graphics at their highest quality. Be sure to open and check your PDF once it’s made. Instructions for this follow.
For Windows Users:
1. Go to the Page Setup option found under the File menu. Note the width and height of your file.
2. Choose File > Print.
3. Set the printer to “Adobe PDF” and click on Properties.
4. Under the layout tab, choose Portrait orientation and then choose Properties.
5. Choose PostScript Custom Page Size and set the dimensions you noted in step one and click OK.
6. Under the Advanced Options, set the following values:
a. Print Quality = 600 dpi
b. True Type Font = Download as Softfont
c. True Type Font Download Option = Automatic
and Click OK
7. In the Adobe PDF settings tab, uncheck the do not send fonts to “Adobe PDF” box. Under Adobe PDF Conversions Settings, select “Press Quality” in the default settings then click on Edit.
8. In the Images tab set both Downsample and Compression to “OFF” for all versions of images. Click on “Save As” to name and save these settings for future use. Select OK three times.
9. Assign a file name, choose a location and click Save to create your PDF file. Be sure to check your results using the instructions below.
Checking PDF Files
1. Open your PDF file in Acrobat Reader.
2. Choose Document Properties from the File menu.
3. Choose “Fonts” from the document properties window. This will show a list of all fonts used in your PDF. Make sure each font name is followed by (Embedded Subset). Make sure you do not have the option for using local fonts on. Select OK once you are done with this window.
4. Scroll through your PDF to visually inspect that the file looks just like it should when printed.
5. Print a copy of your PDF project to confirm that it is performing and printing correctly.
