PDF Distiller vs. PDFWriter

[Jupiter2]

I have been using adobe for some time and I was just wondering if anyone can tell me what the exact differences between PDFwriter and Distiller are.. and why they are different. I know you should use distiller for more complex docs, so why not just use distiller for everything. I really feel stupid asking this question.

Thanks a lot !!
KEN

 

[tgreer]

Distiller contains a PostScript intepreter. PDFWriter uses the system printer driver.

Distiller also allows you to tune the PDF output through job options.

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

 

[Eggles]

Just get into the habit of always using Distiller to create PDFs - it does a much better job, particularly if there are any graphics in the publication. PDF Writer only seems to work well on pure text (hence the name, huh?)

 

[diogenes10]

Sometimes I want to print a report from my accounting system into a pdf file.
If I use distiller, the file prints and disappears somewhere. If I use pdf writer, it gives me a screen that lets me choose the location of the output.
This seems to make pdf writer a more useful tool, at least for that purpose.
Is there someway to make distiller let you specify an output location too? (Acrobat 4)

 

[horqua]

Dio,
Try: File>Preferences> Ask for PDF File Destination and check the box. If you check the View PDF when using Distiller, Acrobat will automatically open up with the doc following the distill.

Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Seek and ye shall find!

I love Mondays cause they're the Second day of the week!

 

[slralling]

Can either of you guys tell me how I can edit the default path a distiller document saves to. At present we view docs in distiller; when we go to save the doc it wants to save to PDF Output. Is there a way to edit this path?

 

[Eggles]

slralling

>>We view docs in Distiller????<<

No you don't. Distiller is a virtual printer, that 'prints' to a PDF.

What do you think a 'Distiller document' is?

I am totally mystified by your question.

 

[slralling]

Eggles - sorry, I haven't explained myself very well. In the company I work for we create various documents including invoices, using an accounting package. When we are ready to 'print' the document we do so by selecting Distiller from the printers menu. The Acrobat Document is then created and appears on the screen. We need to save these documents to folders on our network.
We hit 'File' then 'Save As'
At this point the default folder to save to comes up as 'PDF Output'.
What I would like to do would be to change this default folder.
I hope you can help
Thanks

 

[Eggles]

I think I understand now. You are trying to change the default folder into which these 'Acrobat documents' - i.e. PDFs - are saved?

I think you have two choices although I am not sure which one mught work for you. Under Start>Settings>Printers, highlight Distiller, and then right click and choose Properties (or go to File>Properties). Under the details tab, there is a box called 'Print to the following port' which I think is the default path for saving PDFs to - but I could be wrong here and perhaps you can't change it. But this may be where you will find the setting ('PDF output') you mentioned.

The other alternative is to explore the Settings menu in Distiller itself. You can add new folders here, but I think it is where Distiller stores postscript files not yet turned into PDFs. It's a way of batch processing lots of postscript to PDF actions.

Other than that, I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[slralling]

Many thanks for your help. Seems to have done the trick. My problem now is to save to a network folder rather than one on my local drive.

 

[Eggles]

So which (if either) of the suggestions worked? The 'Printing to Port' in Distiller's properties or the watched folders in Distiller's settings?

 

[slralling]

Print to Port in Distillers properties.