Programs used to layout pdfs

[Eternalknight]

What do the pdf publishers on here use to lay out their pdf files? How do you get the graphics and text onto the pages in a neat format?

 

[lmpjr007]

There are several programs on the market today. You would use Adobe Pagemake, Adobe InDesign or Quark Xpress to do the layout and Adobe Acrobat to convert the page into PDFs.

 

[Scarogoth]

Slight correction...

With Adobe InDesign you don't need the additional Adobe Acrobat. PDF creation is built into the programme proper.

However, if you had the patience, purchasing Adobe Acrobat alone would permit you to create your work within Word or the equivalent, and still output to pdf. Much of these sorts of discussions have gone on elsewhere within this forum in recent weeks, so I commend having a little dig through here.

 

[DPGTony]

So far I've done all our layouts. I used to use AppleWorks and Adobe Acrobat on a Macintosh. Now with OSX I can make PDFs direct from AppleWorks but I still need Acrobat to put in links and bookmarks. All graphics are minimum 300dpi .tiffs and sampled down if it is a PDF that is for electronic distribution.

HTH,

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I have to reccomend InDesign, its both powerful and versatile. And given how much it can do, fairly user friendly.

The Auld Grump

 

[Scarogoth]

Good point

So far I've done all our layouts. I used to use AppleWorks and Adobe Acrobat on a Macintosh. Now with OSX I can make PDFs direct from AppleWorks but I still need Acrobat to put in links and bookmarks. All graphics are minimum 300dpi .tiffs and sampled down if it is a PDF that is for electronic distribution.

HTH,

Good Point, DPGTony. I'd forgotten that OS X has pdf creation built-in at system level -- are these files of a comparable size, in your experience, to files created by Acrobat? Download size is, of course, of crucial importance to the vast majority of potential customers.

 

[DPGTony]

Re: Good point

Good Point, DPGTony. I'd forgotten that OS X has pdf creation built-in at system level -- are these files of a comparable size, in your experience, to files created by Acrobat? Download size is, of course, of crucial importance to the vast majority of potential customers.

The PDF files created by OSX are pretty large, 1200dpi I believe. To fine tune them for web distribution you need to use Acrobat with the web setting, or a compression program like PDFCompress. The 1200dpi files are fine if you're going to print but you have to watch your half tones if you've set them up as 300dpi.