WINDOWS: problems exporting PDF's from Quark 6.0

Quark 6.0 is happy to tell you that it is able to export PDF files as one of its features in the newest, greatest release. What it does not tell you is that in order for this feature to work "out of the box" you must have a local postscript printer installed on your system.

Here is a workaround that has been recommended by Quark for the Windows platform that should definitely be in their documentation (Quark Support agrees with me on this, since it would save them a lot of telephone calls).

Idea: you must create a "virtual printer" and that can write PostScript to a file. Quark then picks up this intermediate file and converts it into a PDF during the export process.

To install a virtual printer in Windows XP:

-- go into the Control Panel and select Printers
-- Add a Printer
-- select Local printer attached to this computer
(uncheck the box for Plug and Play if its marked)
-- Use the following port: FILE: (Print to File)
(this is a selection from the drop-down menu)
-- under Install Printer Software, select this printer:
+ Manufacturer == Apple
+ Printer == LaserWriter Personal NT v51.8
-- type in the name you want to see on your printer list
(I just put "Virtual Printer")
-- select as default printer (you can change this back
later after you get everything the way you want it)
-- Do not share this printer.
-- Do not printer a test page.
-- Click Finish and you should see your Virtual Printer.

Now (re)start quark and Export->Layout as PDF should work
regardless of the Page Setup setting (it seems to detect
a PostScript printer of the type above automatically).

NOTE

The files generated by this export utility are huge.
I haven't been able to verify the quality but for a
conservative font palette they seem to be about three
times the size of what you would get from Adobe Distiller.

While waiting for the above workaround I found a driver
from Adobe that works as a PostScript printer that sends
its output to a file that you select in the printing
process. You can then use a service at Adobe that
produces high-quality and dense PDFs from this raw
Postscript. (I don't know if Quark output when treated
this way results in higher quality output than the
Distilled output from InDesign, but it would be a worthy
and useful comparison to make and share the result of.)

The process is explained in detail at the following URL:

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/2f21e.htm

It is similar to setting up the Virtual Printer above,
except that you include a PPD file for Acrobat Distiller.
Once adding this virtual printer, it will be accessible
from *any* application: I think the ability to be able
to write PostScript files from any application from
MS Word to AutoCAD without any third-party conversion
software is a real hoot and generally appealing.

An attractive option when is to go to the Adobe site
(http://createpdf.adobe.com) and create the PDF there.
The resulting files are small and of very good quality
as best as I can judge it. Adobe gives you five file
conversions free, thereafter it is about $10 per month.

I hope this clears up the questions that have emerged
in this thread among Windows users.

Robert