Frostburn at DriveThruRPG

[jgbrowning]

1. It's even worse, it doesn't work on a windows ce pda.

Didn't know that one.

2. How do you figure that? You are allowed to register any computer, just register a computer at kinko's, then your fine with printing. Why is this illegal?

I was under the impression that Kinkos or other print shops don't want you to register their computer as yours. It's not your computer. I was also under the impression that this is because a single computer can only be registered to one person.

3. You can only register 6 computers at the same time, you can deregister computers as well (you'll have to call adobe though).

Has anyone successfully deregistered to test it out? When you deregister do you have to do so while that computer is functional? IE. what if computer fall down go boom.....

4. Depends on the publisher, Monte's stuff and Necro's stuff has no copy/paste limitations. It's even possible to limit printing (to not allowing prining). But the same can be done with a 'normal' pdf. pdf =! the ability to print/copy/paste.

Since we're talking about WoTC it's only about Frostburn. Any security measures on a PDF that prevent usability aren't "normal." The default assumption is open and then one thinks "are there any security features." Normal is open: anything but open is not normal.

joe b.

 

[johnsemlak]

2. No legal printing at Kinkos.

I believe thtat's false. IIRC either Adobe or Kinkos provides a downloadable program that converts the DRM file into a print-only version, and you can take that copy the print shop and print away. I've never actually tried this, admittedly.

 

[jgbrowning]

I believe thtat's false. IIRC either Adobe or Kinkos provides a downloadable program that converts the DRM file into a print-only version, and you can take that copy the print shop and print away. I've never actually tried this, admittedly.

How do they know I actually paid for the DRM file to begin with and that I don't have a pirated DRM copy? I was under the impression that breaking any encryption (no matter how paltry and including the above) was illegal.

This is why I though print shops wouldn't do this.

joe b.

 

[Cergorach]

How do they know I actually paid for the DRM file to begin with and that I don't have a pirated DRM copy? I was under the impression that breaking any encryption (no matter how paltry and including the above) was illegal.

This is why I though print shops wouldn't do this.

joe b.

As far as i know they have to prove that you 'pirated' the pdf, not the otherway around. Also, if printing is allowed, it really doesn't matter to what format you print it to (paper or postscript).

 

[Crothian]

Okay, I have tried to print one of these at Kinkos. I say try because since I had to register one of their computers I was not able to get it printed, ie they wouldn't allow me to register one of their computers.

 

[jgbrowning]

As far as i know they have to prove that you 'pirated' the pdf, not the otherway around. Also, if printing is allowed, it really doesn't matter to what format you print it to (paper or postscript).

I think they assume the worse-case (ie. pirated) because that gives them legal protection when dealing with DRMed files. To assume otherwise is to become legally vulnerable.

Okay, I have tried to print one of these at Kinkos. I say try because since I had to register one of their computers I was not able to get it printed, ie they wouldn't allow me to register one of their computers.

This is what I thought they do and what I'd heard from others.

joe b.

 

[Conaill]

Lo and behold, from drivethrurpg's very own FAQ page:

Can I take my eBooks to a print store and get them printed?

Yes, though the process for this may vary from one print shop to the next -- in some cases, you may need to activate your DRM account on the computer in question. One popular print store is Kinko's, and the following is a list of instructions for printing your books there if you are using a PC.

1. Go to http://www.kinkos.com/kfp/kfp_download.php, then download and install the Kinko's file prep tool.
2. Open Adobe Reader, go to eBooks -> My Bookshelf, and open the book that you wish to print.
3. Go to File -> Print...
4. For "Printer Name", select "Kinko's File Prep Tool" from the list.
5. Make sure "Print to file" is NOT selected.
6. In the bottom left, click on the Advanced button (it should be next to the Printing Tips button).
7. Check "Print as image" if it is not selected, and click OK.
8. Click OK to print. This part will take a while. This might be a good time to check your email, crack open a Mountain Dew, or call your mother. (Our tests averaged about 5 seconds per page.)
9. Kinko's File Prep Tool should open automatically and display the output. Click on Save, and save the resulting KDF file to a location of your choice. Note that this output file will be considerably larger than the original PDF.
10. Take the resulting KDF file to Kinko's to be printed.

If you are on a Mac, the process is slightly different, since the File Prep tool is Windows-only. Here is the process Mac users should follow:

1. In Adobe Reader, open the eBook you wish to print.
2. Go to File -> Print...
3. Click on the Advanced button in the lower left, and make sure "Print as image" is selected. Click OK.
4. Select "Print to file"
5. Under Output Options, select "PostScript File" as the output type.
6. Click OK to output to a PostScript file.
7. Copy this file to a CD or other media, and take it to your print shop of choice to be printed.

Note that the instructions for a Mac essentially circumvent the DRM protection altogether! Once you've printed the pdf to postscript, you now have an unprotected file you could share with anyone. (In fact, it's not entirely clear to me that it's even *legal* to follow these instructions under the current draconian US copyright protection laws - even if you're only doing so to print out your own pdf!)

 

[Psion]

2. How do you figure that? You are allowed to register any computer, just register a computer at kinko's, then your fine with printing. Why is this illegal?

And you don't see any problems with that? You had better hope if you want to registers more than one, you use the same computer, Kinkos doesn't clean it or upgrade, and (if you don't want to lose one of your computers or need to move your registration because either one of the above is true) that Adobe is going to put up with (and you don't mind) deregistering a computer everytime you want to go print a new product.

Edit: Apparently, as demonstrated above, registering a computer at kinkos isn't even an option.

Print to file is an option that I am told you can do with some Kinkos print assistance thingy, but I haven't the first clue how to do that and it might be of no use if Kinko's isn't your local printer of choice (I don't even think we have one in county ... it's staples or nuthin').

The printing issue aside, I am not ever sure without doing some research how to get Adobe to recognize my laptop and be happy with it.

Sure, these are things that I can do. But they are additional hoops I have to get through to do something that would be much easier with straight up PDF. DRM impairs functionality in its current form--it's as simple as that.

 

[Staffan]

Note that the instructions for a Mac essentially circumvent the DRM protection altogether! Once you've printed the pdf to postscript, you now have an unprotected file you could share with anyone.

I'm not sure it works the same on a Macintosh, but if you print to a postscript file on a PC the file is still technically protected. If you try to turn it back into a PDF with something like GhostScript, you get an error message saying something along the lines of "Postscript file created from protected PDF, redistilling not permitted."

The protection is extremely weak (basically, a flag that says "don't redistill me"), but it's technically still protected.

 

[Conaill]

I'm not sure it works the same on a Macintosh, but if you print to a postscript file on a PC the file is still technically protected. If you try to turn it back into a PDF with something like GhostScript, you get an error message saying something along the lines of "Postscript file created from protected PDF, redistilling not permitted."

But you could just share the postscript version with anyone else, so it's NOT protected. You just can't turn it back into a pdf, but who cares about that?