You will start by converting an Adobe PostScript file to PDF using Acrobat Distiller 7.0.

Acrobat Distiller converts PostScript files and EPS files to PDF. The quality and size of the PDF file are determined by the settings that you specify.

1. Choose Advanced > Acrobat Distiller. Acrobat Distiller starts, and a window opens.

2. From the Default Settings drop-down, choose Press Quality. This establishes the kind of PDF file that will be created.

3. Download the zip file for this lesson, and unzip the three files inside. In the Acrobat Distiller window, choose File > Open. Navigate to the file newsletter.ps.

4. Click Open. The PostScript file is processed by Acrobat Distiller and is converted into an Adobe PDF file.

Acrobat Distiller creates a new file called newsletter.pdf. You will use this file you have created in the next exercise.

5. From the Acrobat Distiller window, choose File > Exit.

Preflighting

Preflighting a document checks the file's content against a set of standards to determine whether the file is suitable for print publishing. Preflighting does not correct documents, but it does alert you to concerns such as fonts that are not embedded in a PDF document, colors that may not print correctly, or other objects that may not print as intended.

1. Open Adobe Acrobat Professional.

2. Choose File > Open and navigate to the Lesson15 folder. Choose newsletter.pdf and click Open.

Note: A completed file newletter_end.pdf has been provided for you to use if you did not have access to Acrobat Distiller to complete the previous exercise. If necessary, use this file instead. Be certain to use either newsletter.pdf or newsletter_end.pdf for this exercise.

3. Choose Advanced > Preflight. The Preflight: Profiles window opens. Preflight analyzes the contents of a PDF and compares the results against a set of values that are defined within a profile. Acrobat reports any items within the document that are examined as a part of the profile.

4. Select the PostScript 3 support required profile and then click Execute.

5. In the Preflight window, review the information presented. Acrobat confirms that this file should print successfully on a PostScript® 3™ output device—the most current version of PostScript used by a variety of printers and plotters.

6. Select the Profiles tab of the Preflight window. Select the List all images profile and then click Execute.

Examining the quality of the images used in a PDF file helps identify possible quality concerns before the file is printed. Acrobat's Preflight capability can also be used to examine the resolution of graphics used in a PDF. In the Preflight window, a list of all images in the file can be displayed.

7. If necessary, click the plus sign (+) (Windows) or the triangle (Mac OS) immediately to the left of the info icon to expand the page contents. This displays a list of all graphics found in the PDF file and the resolution of each image.

The first image found on page one is approximately 200 pixels per inch (ppi). This resolution is appropriate for printing to a laser printer, high-speed copier and many newspapers. But this does not contain enough information for most high-quality commercial printing methods.

Note: If your print service provider has suggested that you provide images of a certain resolution, use the Preflight option to confirm the resolution of graphics that are used within a PDF.

8. Select the graphic indicated on Page 1, then choose the Show selected page element in Snap view checkbox in the bottom left of Preflight window. This opens the Preflight: Snap View window. The item selected in the Preflight window is displayed in the Preflight: Snap View window.

9. Click the Close button of the Preflight: Snap View window to close it. Keep the Preflight window open.

In our next article, we'll show you how to develop a custom preflighting profile.

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