PDF Printing & Workflow

This practical guide helps you learn how to use Adobe's portable document format (PDF) to create cross-platform files for easy transmitting, viewing, and printing. PDF files retain all of your formatting, even your fonts and graphics, and can be shared electronically in any number of ways--via disk, intranets, e-mail, CD-ROM, and the Web.

Unfortunately, the book has a few typos; the chapter on "Adobe Capture," for example, is called "Adobe Culture." But there's useful information nonetheless, including details on creating and fine-tuning PDF files. You learn about Adobe Acrobat, the software for converting files to PDF format and for publishing the completed files, and you explore the uses of Acrobat's companion tools: Adobe Capture, Distiller, Exchange, Catalogue, PDF Writer, and Reader. More technical chapters cover printing issues, such as trapping and OPI (Open Prepress Interface); digital workflow issues, such as networks, printers, and workflow systems; and PostScript, the page-description language. There's also a lot of technical information on the PDF format itself. Other topics include the Acrobat SDK, plug-ins for extending Acrobat's functionality, and the uses for PDF files in publishing and other fields. --Kathleen Caster