Why doesn't Adobe Acrobat 5.0.5 produce correct PDF files?

[Gerry Roston]

My design team recently created a 200+ page manual using MS Word. The document is constructed as a master document with 13 included documents. Several of these included documents have links to image and/or Visio files. When sent to a laser printer, the document prints perfectly. Adobe Acrobat, however, is an entirely different story:

When sent to the Distiller virtual printer, the entire document was properly converted, however, about half of the Visio diagrams were rendered incorrectly and were unreadable.

When sent to the PDFwriter virtual printer, the entire document was converted, however, there was a print error. Again, many of the included images were rendered improperly.

When the 'Convert to PDF' button in word was used, CPU utilization was nailed at 100% for one half hour, memory usage increased to in excess of 110 MB, the document was repaginated at least 100 times, and the process never completed.

I did review the "suggestions" on the Adobe technical support web site. Following these suggestions had no affect on the above reported experience. Not also:
- Setting Distiller as the default printer is a foolish suggestion. The default printer is the one most commonly used. Further, this should have no affect on the output.
- Under the section 'Recommendations when Using PDFMaker", Adobe suggests: "If PDFMaker takes an unusually long time to process a document, you may want to simplify the document ..." This is the absolute stupidest thing I have ever heard - change my work because their tool is incapable of doing what it should.

One of the design team members downloaded a trial copy of Jaws PDFCreator. This program sells for 79 dollars (as compared to $249 for Adobe Acrobat). And you know what - it produced a perfect PDF file the first time, no questions asked (although it was a little slower than Distiller).

Adobe will hopefully be out of business soon. Their inability to produce functional software (FrameMaker and Acrobat) are reason enough to stay away from these jokers. Now, my only question is this - can I get my money back?

[Claudio González]

Ask Adobe.

[Guy Smiley]

And quit moaning and groaning.

--Mike Nitabach

[William A. Davis]

The issue you are talking about and is consistent with the suggestion of Adobe is a WORD problem, not an ADOBE problem. In fact most word-processors do the same thing. Whenever you change the printer in WORD, it will reflow the layout to best fit the printer. The issue of VISIO seems to also be a MS issue as I have generally seen it as a problem where other graphics do not have a problem. One option on VISIO is to be sure the graphic is embedded (not linked) and/or be sure that VISIO is installed on the machine you are using.

If you have found a cheaper alternative that you prefer, then have at it. Also, when you use the Acrobat icon (PDFMaker), WORD is going through the macro to add all sorts of links and such to the PS file before it is distilled, the main reason for taking so much time. In terms of the use of VISIO, you might find the answer in other topics of the forum. This issue has been addressed several time in the past, but I am not sure there was a final resolution.

[sinotran]

Gerry Roston,

I'm no expert with adobe, but I am wondering if your problem is linked to the one I had.

I was also very close to returning the entire product. I will look at the jaws program you mentioned, and decide.

Have a search in the forum using my login name, sinotran, and you can read my posts and answers. Maybe it will solve your problem too.

As you will see, I consider "it's an MSWord problem" the weakest of answers. A program proposing to integrate with the most common of word processing applications should do just that... Integrate.

We can all rant on about the shortfalls of Micro$oft products add-infinitum.

The comment "quit moaning" just beggars belief. This is a support forum. Can the particular witty and erudite author suggest how you adress a problem without moaning. Yes, people get annoyed, that's what people do when they spend money and the product fails to deliver. It's also what drived improvement and a competetive free market. Yes, lets all stop moaning and have no competition and "get what you are given" products. I don't think so.

Anyway, have a look at the posts and see if it helps. Good luck.

[sinotran]

I've decided I don't like having to change my document to A5. It is inconvienient.

I have found a small (1032KB) FREEWARE program called:

WordToPDF (find it on ZDNet)

You also need Ghostscript (Link in the excellent help docs for WordToPDF, but I suggest the default filepath).

Also you need a postscript printer driver.
They reccommend Canon CLBP 460PS (available from any Canon site).

All this FREE and it works very well and is easy to setup. AND it works fine with B5 paper settings. For that matter, loads of paper sizes and an easy to use (that works!) custom settings.

Thank you Gerry, it was your comment that there are cheaper alternatives that prompted my search.

Free is just perfect for my pocket :o)

[Steve Rindsberg]

> As you will see, I consider "it's an MSWord problem" the weakest of
answers. A program proposing to integrate with the most common of word
processing applications should do just that... Integrate.

In a perfect world, yes. Acrobat's not perfect, the world's not perfect,
Word's not perfect.
Sometimes their flaws cancel one another out.
Then you wake up and realize that today will be like the rest. ;-)

Acrobat Distiller is, in effect, a printer. It reproduces what Word sends
it in PDF format instead of on paper.
Sometimes Word sends out silly PostScript. Sometimes Word reformats the
document to the printer.
It'd do the same to any printer.

Can you print the problem files that include Visio to a standard PS printer?
If they work correctly there, then quite possibly it's a Distiller or
PDFmaker bug. Try printing to Distiller directly rather than using the
PDFMaker icons ... does that help?