Conversion EPS to PDF with Acrobat Distiller?

[Peter Frank]

Hi,

I produced an EPS graphic (a bar chart graphic) and tried to convert
this EPS file into PDF format using Acrobat Distiller (Professional
Version 6.0.1). The Acrobat Distiller accepts the EPS file without any
error messages and appears to perform some conversion process.
However, the resulting PDF file contains nothing, that is what I get
is just a blank page.

What could this be due to?

Peter

[Peter Frank]

I wrote:

Two more things:
a) The Acrobat Distiller on my computer does work in general, and PS
files for example are converted correctly.
b) The same EPS source file could be converted flawlessly to a PDF
file on a friend's computer running Acrobat Distiller Version 5.0.

Peter

[[jongware]]

"Peter Frank" <peter_...@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:4a9i42pakqh5uvl6m...@4ax.com...

Have you tried tinkering with the advanced settings? There are some to solve
'arcane' problems such as beginpage/endpage. Since they are rarely needed
Adobe might have changed the defaults from one version to another.

[jongware]

[Peter Frank]

"[jongware]" wrote:

Yes, I have, but nothing helped so far. I always get a PDF file with
nothing but a blank page. However, the size of this blank PDF file
still changes with the settings.

Peter

[George N. White III]

For the record, how did you generate the EPS file? Some applications
produce so-called EPS files that are not correct PS. Do you have
parentheses in the annotations (PostScript uses parentheses to delimit
strings; some apps don't deal with this when writing strings to (E)PS)?

Not all EPS files have a "showpage". Try "placing" the EPS in a 1-page
document and "printing" to a PS file.

Can you view the EPS file in gsview/ghostscript (and what does convert to
PDF in gsview do)? What does "epstool --test-eps" report?

--
George N. White III <aa...@chebucto.ns.ca>

[Peter Frank]

George N. White III wrote:

>On Fri, 21 Apr 2006, Peter Frank wrote:
>
>> I produced an EPS graphic (a bar chart graphic) and tried to convert
>> this EPS file into PDF format using Acrobat Distiller (Professional
>> Version 6.0.1). The Acrobat Distiller accepts the EPS file without any
>> error messages and appears to perform some conversion process.
>> However, the resulting PDF file contains nothing, that is what I get
>> is just a blank page.
>>
>> What could this be due to?
>
>For the record, how did you generate the EPS file?

I used SnagIt 7, sort of a file conversion tool.

>Some applications
>produce so-called EPS files that are not correct PS. Do you have
>parentheses in the annotations (PostScript uses parentheses to delimit
>strings; some apps don't deal with this when writing strings to (E)PS)?

How do I check this?

>Not all EPS files have a "showpage". Try "placing" the EPS in a 1-page
>document and "printing" to a PS file.

Ok, will try that. The EPS file is just one page, too. What is a
"showpage"?

>Can you view the EPS file in gsview/ghostscript (and what does convert to
>PDF in gsview do)? What does "epstool --test-eps" report?

I know gsview/ghostscript and used them before, but I don't have it
installed on this computer here. So, I will first have to install
these tools before I can check this.

So far, I used Adobe Illustrator to view my EPS files, and this EPS
file can be viewed in Adobe Illustrator. It looks normal except for
the fact that it is huge both in display (a lot bigger than the
standard page format) and file size (over 50 MB). Is that normal?

Peter

[Peter Frank]

>On Fri, 21 Apr 2006, Peter Frank wrote:
>
>> I produced an EPS graphic (a bar chart graphic) and tried to convert
>> this EPS file into PDF format using Acrobat Distiller (Professional
>> Version 6.0.1). The Acrobat Distiller accepts the EPS file without any
>> error messages and appears to perform some conversion process.
>> However, the resulting PDF file contains nothing, that is what I get
>> is just a blank page.
>>
>> What could this be due to?

I also asked this question in a Web forum where files can be uploaded
together with a message. In case this might help find the problem, you
can download the EPS file and the resulting (blank) PDF file from
there:

http://forum.planetpdf.com/wb/default.asp?action=9&read=54473&fid=52

Peter

[::Your Name Here::]

An EPS doesn't have a page size, so it takes the page size from your
Distiller options.
The default page size in my Distiller options is A4, and it is PDF'ing
the bottom left corner, A4 sized, which contains nothing of the image.
Therefore I get a blank A4 page.

Change your default page size in Distiller JobOptions to something large
enough to encompass the entire image (I used 5.08m x 5.08m just to see
what it is and where on the page it will be).

[Peter Frank]

I changed the default page size in Distiller's job options to the
exact dot dimensions of the EPS file and now I also get the entire
image in the resulting PDF.
Thanks for the tip!

However, I would prefer to get a PDF file with normal page dimensions
(for example, A4 here in Europe) and the PDF file I get has huge page
dimensions.

How can I do that? Can I make the image in the EPS file smaller even
though an EPS does not have a page size?

Peter

[Peter Frank]

Peter Frank <peter_...@yahoo.de> wrote:

>>Change your default page size in Distiller JobOptions to something large
>>enough to encompass the entire image (I used 5.08m x 5.08m just to see
>>what it is and where on the page it will be).
>
>I changed the default page size in Distiller's job options to the
>exact dot dimensions of the EPS file and now I also get the entire
>image in the resulting PDF.
>Thanks for the tip!
>
>However, I would prefer to get a PDF file with normal page dimensions
>(for example, A4 here in Europe) and the PDF file I get has huge page
>dimensions.
>
>How can I do that? Can I make the image in the EPS file smaller even
>though an EPS does not have a page size?

I now used Adobe Illustrator's scaling function to reduce the EPS
image size and then converted the EPS to PDF.

On the screen, I couldn't see a difference in quality - but would that
scale-down in AI have a negative effect on quality for professional
printing of the PDF?

Some professional printing services say they require high-resolution
PDFs of x dpi or higher. Can you tell me where in Adobe Acrobat I can
look up what resolution a PDF file has (in dpi)?

Peter

[::Your Name Here::]

A PDF doesn't have a resolution in the way that a TIFF file, for
example, has resolution.
The images contained within a PDF do have a resolution though.

When you scale an image in Illustrator, keep in mind the resolution of
the printing device.
On a laser that prints at 600dpi, an eps that is 1200dpi will print 2
inches wide unless it is placed in a page layout program and scaled. The
page layout program gives the eps the image boundaries.
If the laser prints at 300dpi, you'll get a 4 inch image.

When you create the PDF, keep text as fonts, and make sure your images
are x dpi after scaling or resixing.
(My opinion of course)

Now, with your PDF that is not A4, give it to the printing service and
tell them to reduce it to A4 using Acrobat's print dialogue window,
where they select A4, and scale to fit, and the preview will show how it
will fit onto the A4 sheet.

There are plugins you can get for Acrobat (like Enfocus PitStop) that
can rescale the page to A4.

[George N. White III]

On Sat, 22 Apr 2006, Peter Frank wrote:

> George N. White III wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 21 Apr 2006, Peter Frank wrote:
>>
>>> I produced an EPS graphic (a bar chart graphic) and tried to convert
>>> this EPS file into PDF format using Acrobat Distiller (Professional
>>> Version 6.0.1). The Acrobat Distiller accepts the EPS file without any
>>> error messages and appears to perform some conversion process.
>>> However, the resulting PDF file contains nothing, that is what I get
>>> is just a blank page.
>>>
>>> What could this be due to?
>>
>> For the record, how did you generate the EPS file?
>
> I used SnagIt 7, sort of a file conversion tool.

I'm not familiar with SnagIt.

>> Some applications
>> produce so-called EPS files that are not correct PS. Do you have
>> parentheses in the annotations (PostScript uses parentheses to delimit
>> strings; some apps don't deal with this when writing strings to (E)PS)?
>
> How do I check this?

Were the parentheses in the original chart? It probably doesn't matter,
as the file appears to be in raster form.

>> Not all EPS files have a "showpage". Try "placing" the EPS in a 1-page
>> document and "printing" to a PS file.
>
> Ok, will try that. The EPS file is just one page, too. What is a
> "showpage"?

The showpage operator tells postscript to render the page. It is the
exception to the rule that EPS files can't have side effects, and must be
redefined when "placing" EPS in a PS document. There may be a setting
in Distiller to add a showpage to individual EPS files.

>> Can you view the EPS file in gsview/ghostscript (and what does convert to
>> PDF in gsview do)? What does "epstool --test-eps" report?
>
> I know gsview/ghostscript and used them before, but I don't have it
> installed on this computer here. So, I will first have to install
> these tools before I can check this.
>
> So far, I used Adobe Illustrator to view my EPS files, and this EPS
> file can be viewed in Adobe Illustrator. It looks normal except for
> the fact that it is huge both in display (a lot bigger than the
> standard page format) and file size (over 50 MB). Is that normal?

If the original artwork was in an image format, you may have an EPS
image. Many EPS files are vector graphics, which can be vary compact
in straightforward cases. 50MB is not unusual for EPS images.

Some versions of Illustrator (e.g. SGI Irix with Display Postscript) could
"import" vector EPS files and save them as Illustrator files. I'm not
familiar with the current versions. Can you edit the file when it is
loaded in Illustrator? Have you tried saving to PDF directly from
Illustrator?

[Peter Frank]

George N. White III wrote:

Thank you for all your answers. The problem is solved now. The EPS
file was very large in terms of page dimensions, and with the standard
page settings, Acrobat Distiller only converted a blank marginal area
of it. That was why I got a blank PDF.

Yes, I can edit the file in Illustrator. I also saved the EPS file
directly from Illustrator to PDF but the output quality was miserable.

Peter

[Peter Frank]

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 23:13:52 +1000, ::Your Name Here:: <"::Your Name
Here::"@dotcomdotaudotcom> wrote:

>A PDF doesn't have a resolution in the way that a TIFF file, for
>example, has resolution.
>The images contained within a PDF do have a resolution though.

PDF pages appear to have a page size though that is displayed at the
bottom of the Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader window.
Normally, I have page sizes between 20 and 30 cm in width and height,
but this EPS gives me PDFs with page sizes of over 1 meter.

>When you create the PDF, keep text as fonts, and make sure your images
>are x dpi after scaling or resixing.
>(My opinion of course)

OK.

>Now, with your PDF that is not A4, give it to the printing service and
>tell them to reduce it to A4 using Acrobat's print dialogue window,
>where they select A4, and scale to fit, and the preview will show how it
>will fit onto the A4 sheet.
>
>There are plugins you can get for Acrobat (like Enfocus PitStop) that
>can rescale the page to A4.

I'll have a look at that.

Peter

[::Your Name Here::]

Peter Frank wrote:
[SNIP]

> PDF pages appear to have a page size though that is displayed at the
> bottom of the Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader window.
> Normally, I have page sizes between 20 and 30 cm in width and height,
> but this EPS gives me PDFs with page sizes of over 1 meter.
>
>

> Peter

A PDF does have a page size, but not resolution. You can't say you have
a 600dpi PDF the way you can say you've got a 600dpi TIFF.

You CAN say the images WITHIN the PDF are 600dpi, though.
The images could contain text, vector pictures (like graphs),
photographs, etc, but it doesn't necessarily follow that text and graphs
are images.

HTH