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Making PDF files to send to a comercial printer?

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Nohjekim

Technical User
Apr 8, 2001
270
US
Well, I finally found a printer, in my area who will take PDF files.

I was hoping that some one could steer me to a document that discusses the process of setting up the files so that there will not be any problems at their end when they receive them.

If anyone has any suggestions of their own, I would appreciate that as well.

Mike
 
the biggest problem i run into when customers send me files for printing is when they choose obscure fonts for their documents and do not send a copy of the font with the pdf.
if my pc and/or printers don't have the font that is in the document then it gets replaced by adobe. end result is something that is not exactly what they wanted.
knoweldge is power, spread the power
 
Well I only use Adobe brand Type 1 fonts, and always send both printer and screen fonts with the job.

So wish me luck this is the first time I have used PDF files for the final product.

I am however going to send my PageMaker files, fonts, and graphic files, all in .tif format as well. Just in case.

If this works it could make things a lot easier.

I'm always fighting the PC, Mac thing.

I had a printer call me and tell me that the disk I gave them doesn’t have anything on it.
I made a new disk and drove 45 minutes each way to switch with them. Then on the way home I stopped at the studio of a friend of mine. We throw the CD in his Power Mac and everything opens right up and prints to his postscript printer.

And you guessed it when I get home there is a message saying that the second disk is blank too!

When I told him I had opened the disk on a Mac on the way home he says he will call back after checking into it again. Finally he called back and said they had gotten it open but he still made it sound like the whole problem was that I was using a PC.

I told him that if his Mac wouldn’t handle it why he didn’t get a PC to process incoming PC jobs. But I have been getting this stuff for years. I’d buy a Mac but I’m really retired and do mostly menus. I don’t need a second computer. If the job is not for a chain of restaurants it usually gets printed on an inkjet as individual legal sized pages and put into some form of folder. Since the menus are all 4 color printing 100 copies of 6 pages isn’t really economically sound.

But that’s the way I used to do it. I remember menus that cost $30.00 each in the old days when it cost as much to have one image scanned as it does to buy a scanner now.

Right now I have four restaurants set up to print there own menus from PDF files that I supply them. That keeps them coming back for revisions every 6 months or so.

Thanks for the info.

Mike
 
Mike,

I work for a commercial printer if you want I can send you a PDF file of the different settings we use in distiller for creating PDFs where I work. You can set up your distiller preferences at home when you create PDFs to send to your printer. Cntact me if your interested.

PrepressSolution@aol.com
 
Thanks, Bode: that helped a lot, I need all the info I can get.

As someone who works for a printer I'd like to know what percentage of the jobs that come into your shop are in PDF format now.

Thanks again.

Mike
 
Nohjekim,

My shop I would say about 30% of the jobs we get our sent to us in PDF format. That number will rise in the future because more designers are attending our workshops we have for this workflow.

PrepressSolution@aol.com
 
Thanks I'll let you know how I make out on this job.
It should be ready to go to the printer in a week or two.

Mike
 
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