Quark Forums

Hi - Hmmmm more bugs. I think my hair is going grey since having to use OSX 10.5.8, Quark 8 and SF2. Specs first - Quark 8.12, Suitcase Fusion 13.2.1, Acrobat Distiller 9.1.0, Mac OSX 10.5.8. When we create pdfs from Quark - we print them through the print dialogue box (using the acrobat PPD) - save them - and it prints like if it were going to a printer (output device) but creates a pdf. This is the way we have always done it and the way we want to continue to do it. What we are experiencing in Quark 8 is that even though we have specified create "Low Resolution" or "Standard Resolution" pdfs it outputs/saves them as "High Resolution" Pdfs. The other day it was the opposite we specified "High" and it save a "Low Resolution" pdf. I have tried deleting settings, creating new documents and pasting the information in, pdfing on other computers all with the same results. Yes, some of these documents were originally created in Quark 7.1 but it is not happening to all Quark 7.1 documents. Some output from Quark 8 they way they should. What am I missing here? (Sorry about the big block of text but the Quark forum and or Safari deletes all my paragraph spacing for some reason??!!)

Also should I be printing in Quark 8 using ASCII or Binary. Before I always printed in Binary. Quark 8's default seems to be ASCII.

OK I seem to have worked out the problem. Well sort of. I don't know if it is a Quark 8 problem, an Apple problem or an Acrobat Distiller Problem. It appears that if I just use the default acrobat settings - standard, small, high quality etc. the files pdf fine and have expected file sizes etc. But if I want to use a custom setting or a 3rd party acrobat setting that's when the problem/s occur - large file sizes, rotated pages etc. What is weird if I turn "auto rotate pages" to "off" in acrobat distiller it will rotate the pages (landscape in quark but distills it to portrait) but if I choose one of the other settings like "individually" it pdfs OK in the right orientation. Anybody have any ideas of why Distiller (or whatever) freaks out when I change the settings?? (As I need to change the settings to meet different printers needs). Thanks

Anyone?? I still haven't solved this issue and it's driving me crazy. Default Acrobat Distiller settings work - custom or 3rd party Acrobat Distiller setting don't!!

 Rather than Print, what happens if you turn on Create postscript for later Distilling within the Export PDF settings, then use Export to PDF.

 I'd set Quark PDF options to Do Not Downsample images and let Distiller handle it, beware confusing Low Quality with Low Compression.

I'm not saying this will solve anything, its just whether anything changes. I'm afraid you are a few versions ahead on OS than I'm used to. from your description it sounds like something is playing up with Distiller, have you tried creating NEW Settings files with Distiller 9 rather than importing or using one from earlier version or one amended by InDesign or Illustrator. (Robert Zacherl always said to create new with new Distillers rather than try and import, they are simple text files but although CS4 shares them each app has a few unique options). I've taken to locking my Distiller Settings files with the Finder so that I don't accidentally amend them with InDesign.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately it is not a compression issue. The custom made settings are new settings not imported ones. When I select these custom made settings which should create a high resolution pdf leaving the images as CMYK - it automatically creates a low resolution pdf and changes all the images to RGB!! I can see this when I "Preflight" the document. If I had a copy of a previous acrobat (7 or 8) that would run on an intel mac I would use that but unfortunately I don't.

It sounds like Distiller is selecting a different Settings file than the one you are selecting. Have you tried the Adobe forums? You may be looking at trashing Prefs and repairing the installation.

After much stuffing about I think I have found the problem - well I hope so!! The updates for Acrobat 9 ie 9.1 and 9.2 are what are causing the problem. When I did another fresh install and tested the problem Distiller and Custom setting worked fine, when I updated to 9.1 and 9.2 that's when things went.......... So basically don't update Acrobat Distiller 9 - leave it as is. Acrobat 9 still creates larger files than I would like but at least it is not converting my images from CMYK to RGB or rotating pages etc.