CONTENTS
========
1. KEEP A WATCH ON NESTED PDF FILES
2. NEW VERSION OF JPEG FORMAT
3. NEW FROM MULTI-AD CREATOR
4. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
5. UTILITIES/UPDATES
6. HINTS
7. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
8. LAST WORD
1. KEEP A WATCH ON NESTED PDF FILES
===================================
Some good advice from Olav Kvern of Adobe in a recent posting to the
Blueworld InDesign mailing list
<http://www.listsearch.com/indesigntalk.lasso?manage>: Remember how
you shouldn't "nest" an EPS inside an EPS inside
an EPS, because you'll run into PostScript limitcheck errors? The same is
true for PDF--only more so--I've found that you exceed the PostScript
language implementation limit of 15 save levels (see page 739 of the
PostScript Language Reference Manual, 3rd Edition) *very* quickly when using
nested PDF. It only takes about 4 "generations" of PDF encapsulation
before you hit it.
In other words, PDF export from InDesign does not "flatten" the PDF save
level, as creating a file by running it through the Distiller will. If
you're at risk of exceeding the implementation limits on a page, export
the p
age as a prepress file, then create a PDF using the Distiller--this will
flatten the page contents back to a single save level (or thereabouts). If
you have already exceeded the implementation limit, the Distiller, like
any other PostScript RIP, will generate an error.
In short: placing PDF good, nesting PDFs bad.
2. NEW VERSION OF JPEG FORMAT
=============================
Yet another file format: JPEG 2000. The new format will use the extensions
.JP2 and .JPX
Imagine saving an image in Photoshop and then being able to use it for the
Web, for that print catalog you've been working on, and even for download
to your PDA, all without having to alter or optimize it past that initia
l save. This is the promise of JPEG 2000. On CreativePro's website,
contributing editor Anita Dennis forecasts:
"Since JPEG's genesis more than 10 years ago as a means of allowing
photojournalists to transmit images from the field -- its acronym stands
for Joint Photographic Experts Group -- there have been numerous
improvements in
terms of compression algorithms and CPU speed that allow the format to be
improved. JPEG 2000, based on what's called wavelet transform, not only
results in truer decompressed images but also offers several new
benefits.
Most notably, JPEG 2000 images let designers and publishers determine the
bit depth and resolution of the final decompressed image, making it a much
more dynamic and flexible format."
3. NEW FROM MULTI-AD CREATOR
============================
Several new items are in the wings from Multi-Ad Creator, including an
internet version that is claimed to let anyone create print ready artwork
or ads using a web browser.
The new version of Multi-Ad Creator, now known just as "Creator6
Publishing Software" should ship in June for Mac OS9, OSX, Windows 98, NT,
2000.
For those who haven't come across it before, Creator is a standard means
of producing display ads and is used by many classified ad typesetting
departments including many of those who produce Yellow Pages directories
around the world.
New features include extra drawing tools and the ability to save in native
PDF format. Files are also completely cross platform compatible.
A Creator6 Preview Version is available for download.
Creator Server: This is said to allow anyone to create print ready artwork
using a web browser. A simple multiple choice process concludes with
Creator Server building the artwork in native PDF, EPS or an open format
that
can be edited in Creator, QuarkXpress or InDesign.
The program is said to be "ideal for common format ads like real-estate,
car ads, employment etc. Companies like Lexus and Toyota USA use it to let
their dealers build customised and personalised promotional artwork
across the internet. Runs on any Mac OS X server, or Windows NT, 2000 or Unixserver.
The third new item is AdBuilder.com, a subscription based creative
resource for those in advertising sales or production. It includes
thousands of dummy ads for industry categories such as car, food, health,
community, sport and many others. These ads can be edited in Creator, Quark or
InDesign. They are described as "a wonderful way to generate ad ideas to
close prospects" and the package includes more than 3,000,000 art pieces
designed
for ad production, plus a range of editorial sections to help with ad
sales such as editorial articles on technology which might be used to
leverage computer or IT ads.
We have suggested in the past that Creator was well worth a look by
publications carrying a lot of small space display ads, and it seemed to
have the market tied up in this field for publications which used
QuarkXPress fo
r their other page production work. Then with a newer version Multi-Ad
seemed to be going after the general page layout software market. That
extension in program capabilities has continued but they are definitely
back in
the area where they have long done a job better than anything else.
We've only had the quickest of looks at Creator6, but it certainly seems
well worth a further look. The download is a little over 20MB on either
platform.
For North and South America check <http://www.multi-ad.com>
For Australasia & Pacific check <http://www.triotech.com.au>
However, it is far easier to find things on the Australian site, though
even there were some mixed up pages (we clicked for info on Creator and
got info on AdBuilder. We hope those things have been fixed by now.
4. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
========================
Jochen Seiter wrote from Karlsruhe, Germany: "I'm looking for a tool that
is able to convert a whole directory with PageMaker files into PDF files.
I always use the PDF writer to convert files because printing with
Acroba
t Distiller or using the export->PDF functions produces very strange
results. Can you give me a hint (no luck on PDFzone and PlanetPDF)?"
We replied: I don't think I've come across anything which will do what you
want but our Format subscribers may know better. It could be done via a
PageMaker script, but the PDF export filter defaults have to be set
manual
ly first by opening and setting it before running a script. However you
could script the process of printing a directory of files to postscript
and putting them in an Acrobat "watched folder" for Acrobat to create the
PDFs.
-----
Dawn Gibson wrote: "Thanks for the info about trashing ALDM temp files.
This info isn't posted on Adobe's website. I've already wasted a day and a
half because of this problem. If you hadn't posted the solution....I
don't
know when I would have gotten the problem fixed. Thanks again."
-----
Peggy Coquet wrote: "I've read -- and found -- several references to a
script of yours that allows one to designate a PM filename for a frame, so
that the file is read into the frame. Does such a creature exist?"
Peggy had bought our Newspaper Production using PageMaker 6.5, so this
script was available from the book web site using the password in the
book. However, it gives us an excuse to mention the PageMaker scripts that
do co
me with that book. There are a few of the simple ones included in the free
PDF sampler from the Worsley Press website, and there is also a PDF there
which shows examples of how PageMaker can be used to automate page production (the PDF is free, the scripts come free to those who buy the book --
sorry, we can't give everything away, but these scripts are the basis for
anyone to create the kind of projects which have sold for many thousands
of dollars.
-----
Rex Evans wrote from New Zealand: "I have a problem with script 11.13 on
page 249 of Hans Hansen's PageMaker scripting book. I get the message
"Memory Overflow Script not completed". It obviously is not a memory
problem
with my computer as I have plenty of spare memory. But I dont know what
it is. Can you help?"
We replied: This is usually a problem not with computer memory but with
the amount of information that some of the 'Get' commands bring back to
the script engine. Among solutions can be to work on a copy of the file
with
just a few pages or if this is not a satisfactory way round, to rework the
script to work on each page separately.
5. UTILITIES/UPDATES
====================
The PC version of Canvas is now available for download from
<http://www.acdamerica.com/>. We've been reading some enthusiastic comments
recently from users about the program's ability to handle raster and
vector graphics editing and page layout for print, web and presentation work in the one
package and within the one page view, though this has come with warnings
that present users of other page layout programs will find the layout side
takes a bit of time to get used to. The new Mac version should be available
shortly.
New features include: vector and raster sequence recording, full scripting
support, manual and automatic web image slicing, and direct Flash (SWF)
format export.
The new scripting engine lets users take control of Canvas using Visual
Basic, VBScript, Java Script and other Windows Automation compliant
systems. A script can use Canvas 8 to automate anything from downloading
files fr
om the Internet to preparing tens of thousands of files for use in print
or on the Web - all without human intervention.
The new sequence recorder/player lets even novice users automate complex actions.
-----
TSM Passport 3 is a bilingual Japanese/English dictionary utility which
works with Nisus Writer in conjunction with Apple Computer's Japanese
Language Kit bundled with Mac OS 9.0/9.1 to allow two-way translation from
Japa
nese to English or English to Japanese.
You can download a demo or purchase TSM Passport for US$39.95 from
<http://www.nisus.com/>, 1.3MB (Mac only).
Basically, it works like this: While typing in Japanese using Kotoeri,
enter a Japanese or English word, press a command key combination and
instantly access a 100,000 word Japanese-English/English-Japanese
dictionary.
------
There's a Multi-Page plugin for Illustrator from Hot Door software at
<http://www.hotdoor.com>. US$49. We haven't tried it yet so would welcome
any comments. The 361KB demo is unlimited in time but limited to two-page
fil
es.
6. HINTS
========
When you are working on more than one computer, such as between office and
home, you may like to consider carrying a copy of the several preference
files for your page layout program -- including user dictionaries -- to
e
nsure that what you see in each place is the same. Other files to
consider, are hyphenation exceptions files in QXP, as well as custom
frames and tool prefs, even fonts folders.
We have suggested before that a master copy of user hyphenation
dictionaries should be copied to individual workstations from a central
location regularly. To maintain consistency throughout an office, there
should also be consideration of whether the same should apply to preference files. If
someone needs to have their own preferences, then that person should be
responsible to replacing with the master file if they change from one
computer to another.
-----
You get a file in Illustrator format and the white bits on a background
don't come out when you proof it. What's up? It could be the new feature
in Illustrator which allows white to be set to overprint. When you know it
i
s there, it is easy to switch it off, but, unlike FreeHand which shows a
little "O" inside overprinting objects, there's nothing on screen to show
you that white is in overprint mode, unless you think to go to the
overpri
nt preview.
Because InDesign accepts graphics in Illustrator format, the same problem
could carry over to that program. Just another little thing to watch
for.
-----
If you have a say in how Word is used for files which will end up in a
page layout program, you may want to turn off a couple of the automatic
features which cause trouble when files are placed in programs such as
PageMaker.
For example, you may want to turn off the auto-indent feature which is in
Tools > Options > Edit > Tabs and Backspace set left indent. If you turn
this off, pressing tab gives you a tab instead of an indent.
The auto-style feature, which should also be turned off to avoid importing
lots of extra styles into PM, is under Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoFormat as
you type > Define styles based on your formatting. While it can be very
useful to create styles in Word which will carry through to your layout
program, you will save much potential misery over corrupted files if you
plan ahead and create styles firstly within your layout program and then
add styles of the same name (though not necessarily identical
specifications) within Word.
-----
In PageMaker you can get a list of all the shortcuts from
Help>Shortcuts... In QuarkXPress, click on Help, then Help Topics, then on
the Find tab and type the word "shortcut". You will see two topics in the
field at the b
ottom, the second of which is Keyboard Shortcuts (Complete List).
7. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
=========================
Jeanne Hubbard of Eugene Print has written a guide to submitting files for
print. She adds: "We call it a P.R.E.F. Guide... Print Ready Electronic
Files. It is basically a beginner's guide, and thanks to Jeanne there's
a
copy available on our website at
<http://www.worsleypress.com/download/prefguide.pdf> or at:
<http://www.eugeneprint.com/_pages/_downloads/DL_prefguide.html>
-----
User of Applescript on Macs are finding a few problems in the transition
from OS 9 to OS X. It works both ways, some things can be done in X which
can't be done in previous versions. There's a very useful report on the
ne
w AppleScript 1.6 in Mac OS X on Bill Cheeseman's AppleScript Sourcebook
<http://www.applescriptsourcebook.com/applescript/applescript160.html>
with links to available handlers for some of the problems.
-----
There are useful online FAQs for Word at <http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/>.
Other useful items concerning Word are to be found in the Microsoft Word
FAQ by Charles Kenyon at
<http://www13.addr.com/~kenyonck/word/WordFAQ.doc> which takes a while to download being a lengthy doc file.
8. LAST WORD
============
A reliable source (the Australian Newspaper History Group) informs us that
Saint Maximilian Kolbe has been proposed as a patron saint of "social
communications" -- in other words, newspapers, TV etc. St Maximilian, a
Fran
ciscan priest and newspaper editor, founded and edited two successful
periodicals in his native Poland and another successful monthly magazine
in Japan.
-----
And finally a short plug for ourselves. We are currently offering an A$5
discount to Format subscribers on two of our books: "How to Start and
Produce a Magazine or Newsletter" (A$35) and "Newspaper Production using
PageMaker 6.5" (A$55). Details of both are on our website,
<http://www.worsleypress.com>, and you can
link to our secure order form.
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.
====================