Creating PDFs

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

The portable document format (PDF) has made distributing and sharing information fast and easy. With just the click of a button, just about any document can be transformed into a PDF and easily shared with coworkers and clients across both the Mac® and PC formats. Although most people are aware of the PDF format and know how to open and read them, not many know how to create their very own.

The first step to creating your own PDFs is to purchase Adobe® Acrobat® in its latest version (currently, 7.0). Depending on your needs, you have the choice to purchase the standard edition or the professional which will run you anywhere from $300 to $400. There are subtle differences between the two versions that you can compare to see which would be the better choice for your operation.

Once the program is installed, you will find that Acrobat has installed hot buttons in the toolbars of most of your Microsoft® applications such as Word, Excel® , Publisher, and PowerPoint® . This hot button makes it even easier to create a PDF as you simply have to click on it to quickly begin the process. Should you choose not to use the hot button simply go to your “File” menu and choose “Print.” In the dialog box, you will see a pull-down menu that lists your available printers. “Adobe PDFWriter” will now be among the printers listed. Simply choose this option and Acrobat will begin creating your PDF. It will ask you where you want to save the PDF as the computer is not going to literally print your document, but create a PDF using the Acrobat print driver to print electronically. Be patient. Larger files with lots of intricate parts may take some time to process. Acrobat is set to open your PDF once it is created in Acrobat so that you can view it and make sure that everything went according to plan.

Occasionally, when a PDF is created, you may find some of your text jumbled or crushed together. This is a result of the print driver not recognizing a font that you used in your original document. You may have to go into Acrobat and look under the “Options” menu for creating PDFs. You will see tabs that allow you to control the resolution of graphics in your PDF as well as a fonts section. There are boxes that can be checked or unchecked that direct Acrobat to embed fonts and subsets of fonts. If you experience any font difficulties, make sure that these boxes are checked and then try to create the PDF again.

Adobe has really streamlined this process. Previously, users had to create a PS, or postscript, file which would then be inserted into a program called Acrobat Distiller which would then create a PDF. The process often scared away novice users and required a comfortable amount of user knowledge to carry out.

Acrobat also contains numerous features and options that you can apply to your document. One very useful feature is creating PDFs from multiple files. Simply make all of the files PDFs and store them in a folder. Open the file you would like to use as page one of your PDF and choose “Document” from the menus above, “Page,” and “Insert.” A dialog box will appear and allow you to browse for the folder in which you have saved all of your newly-made PDFs. Simply choose the document you want next and Acrobat will prompt you to decide if you want the page inserted before or after the current page. And should you make an error, you can also delete pages from your PDF as well.

One of the most important aspects of Acrobat is to remember that once a document is a PDF, it may be difficult to make changes to it. For example, if you make the PDF and suddenly find a blatant error in the second paragraph of page three, it’s best to correct the error in the native program and resave it as a PDF. The general idea of a PDF is to simply share information, not present it for others to edit at will. As a result, PDFs are designed to disallow readers from making changes to the document. Users are, however, allowed to highlight areas of the document and make comments on the PDF which they can then send on to another user or back to you for comment. Again, these features are only available in the full version of Acrobat and not in the reader. Should you have any questions or problems with Acrobat, search the help option or feel free to call their support numbers. Adobe offers excellent free computer software help over the phone and even offers an e-mail version if you don’t have the time to spend on the phone.

Also, depending on the version you buy, there are all sorts of plug-ins which help automate time-consuming manipulations to your document. One of the most powerful plug-ins used by a lot of commercial printing companies is “Quite Imposing” which allows you to make signatures for books and multiple up pages of the same document. This tool is invaluable in the workflow of print shops and publishing houses.

The full version of Acrobat also contains countless options for print production, editing, and document security that we would never have the space to cover here. But what we have covered is how fast and easy it is to create your own PDFs once you have the proper software. If you’re not ready to invest in the full version of Acrobat, there is a hot button feature in the free Acrobat reader download that allows you to go online and create PDFs through Adobe using their upload feature. There are also outfits on the Internet that will create PDFs for a small fee and their turn around time is usually pretty quick. But with the ease of operation featured in the Acrobat product, there’s no reason why you can’t start creating professional documents in your own office whenever you please.

Mac is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft, Excel and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English writing and communication.

This article is intended for general informational purposes and does not provide legal or other professional advice. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Please read our disclaimer for additional terms and conditions governing access to and use of this article.