Excel spreadsheet and PM 6.5

[Guest_imported]

I insert a excel spread sheet in PM 6.5 and rotate it.

If I print the document to a pdf file, the rotated excell spreadsheet do not print.

What am I doing wrond?

Peter

 

[viol8ion]

Do not copy/paste or use Insert Object to bring tables or spreadsheets from other applications into PageMaker. This is the cause of your problems with your tables.

Here is probablythe best way to get a spreadsheet into PM

Print a .PRN file of the table from Excel.

Use Distiller to distill the .PRN to PDF.

Place the PDF in your PageMaker document.
The table essentially becomes a graphic; if you make changes to the table, you will need to create a new .prn then redistill to PDF and replace in PM. This works great for single color documents and outputs perfectly to high-end postscript devices.
When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Eggles]

viol8ion - I rececntly added a Word table to a PM document using the Edit>Insert Object function, and it seemed to work just fine - both onscreen and printed to a non-PS printer. Why would you recommend not using that function?

 

[viol8ion]

Eggles,

I would recommend against that workflow as a practise because of years of experience in PM and assisting many others that have had problems doing it. Quite often I hear about people that did it successfully for job after job, and then they lose a document and cannot get it to work for no apparent reason. And you will almost never be able to create a successful PDF usinf place>object, or cut and paste.

PM does 'support' OLE, but not gracefully and not very well. That said, since you are printing to a non-ps printer, and the method has worked well for you in the past, and if you are confident that anything you lose will be easily repaired or redone, then I would by no means argue with success. Just be aware that this method is risky. One change on your system can break all of the links and mess up your day right before a deadline.

There are actually 3 or 4 different methods to bring in Word tables or Excel tables, and they work in varying degrees. If you are not creating PDFs as your end product, just printing, then you will probably be fine with your method. Try creating a PDF withone of your files, however, and you will see what I am talking about. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Eggles]

So, other than the method you described above (Word->print to file->PDF via Distiller) is there any other 'safe' way of bringing a Word table into Pagemaker?

I just don't find doing tables very easy in PM and prefer to do them in Word. However, since you have said.... "There are actually 3 or 4 different methods to bring in Word tables or Excel tables, and they work in varying degrees"... what would you recommend as your second choice? Although the current publication I am doing (and using the Edit->insert object method) will initially be printed in-house on a PS laser, there is the possibility it will go to an outside printer. And I want to avoid any potential traps.

 

[viol8ion]

Eggles,

Rather than me trying to translate other people's methods, here is a good FAQ on the various methods:

http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@127.2nqTaf0bN5f^1@.ef8504d

All of them have limitations and are less than perfect. InDesign is better suited if you are going to be doing a lot of tables. Framemaker also does a better job of handling tables, some users have told me. I don't have experience on FM, tho, so don't quote me on it.

Adobe Table really excels at being a sucky product, so don't even bother using it unless it is a last resort. If you must use Table, make sure you download 3.04 from Adobe downloads section:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=34&platform=Windows

Hope this helps. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[horqua]

Peter,
Here's how I was taught to insert an Excel SS into a PM65 doc. I copy and paste as many as ten charts from Excel files into PM docs.
In Excel, highlight the chart or object to be pasted. Leave a small amount of space surrounding the object for cropping. Ctrl+C Alt+tab to PM

In PM, Edit>Paste Special>Paste Link> clk Radio button and select MS Excel Worksheet Position and size the object and de-select.

Before you print the doc:
in PM
File>Document Setup>Compose to Printer: select Acrobat Distiller
File>Links Manager> Update links to charts
File>Print>Printer (choose your PostScript printer)
PPD: the correct one for your printer
Collate and Reverse as needed
Options> Optimized Subsampling
Send ASCII Image Data
Include PostScript Error Handler
Write PostScript to file: (your file location)
Features> (We Duplex so I select Top-Top)
Print (This creates a *.ps file)

Launch Acrobat Distiller and drag the *.ps file on to the distiller using explorer drag and drop. This creates the PDF file. Open PDF in Acrobat. (At this point in my office everything's where it's supposed to be and looks the was it's supposed to look). There are settings in Distiller that I'm assuming you have already preset to your output needs. Let me know if this works for you. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Seek and ye shall find!

 

[Eggles]

viol8ion - thanks for the link. I have printed the three recommended methods and will try each one and let you know which I find works best for me.

 

[viol8ion]

Horqua's method looks like it may work.. may be the same as one of the method's described in the link I gave you... I rarely use tables because I despise Adobe Table, don't have Excel at work, and if I have a lot of tables I need to do in a doc I would just use InDesign.

Horqua's method for making PDF's is also the safest, most foolproof method. I always try to steer people away from using File>Export>PDF, especially if you have OLE objects linked...

As a last ditch effort...

http://www.pdf995.com

has a neat utility that seems to work well with OLE objects. It is free and effective. Caveat: I have experienced font substitution withit. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Eggles]

Mmmm... looks like we are up to method 4. Horqua's method has some similarities to the other three described on the Adobe User Forums, but is different again. Basically the 3 Adobe methods are:

1. Select and copy the table from Word/Excel and paste into Illustrator. Save as a CMYK EPS. PLace the EPS in PM. A variation on this is to print to file (becomes a .PRN), change extension to .PS, open in Illustrator and save as an EPS. Can be used if colour seps are needed.

2. Print Word/Excel table to file (.PRN), use Distiller to convert to PDF**, PLace the PDF in PM. (** I assume you still have to manually convert the .PRN to .PS in Windows Explorer first?) The method may not work if you need to do separations.

3. Select and copy Word/Excel table. In PM, use Paste Special, selecting the Metafile option. The table must be free of all styles except Normal, and once inserted in PM, the white space above and below table can be reduced by changing the defualt value of the autoleading from 120% to 100% (not sure if I follow this last bit - will have to try it).

I wonder why the table function in PM is so bad, as it obviously is a function a lot of people must have needed to have dreamed up this many work-arounds for.

 

[viol8ion]

Horqua,

Are you using a Mac? If so, then that method may not work for PC.

Only way to know if it will owrk on PC is to experiment a little... but make some back up copies of your files before you do. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[horqua]

Viol8ion,
My office runs on PC's running Win2k OS. PM7 resides on my desktop machine along with Excel, Acrobat, etc. All files are stored on network servers and moved back and forth. Nothing is stored locally.

My office runs a custom made macro for Excel we call "Squid". It allows us to take data from multiple sources and collate it into the charts and spreadsheets we use to create the reports we produce. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Seek and ye shall find!