outputting to PDF in A4 (in the US)

[dano]

From one of my colleagues (see quoted below). I don't know the answer to
this (don't have AcroPro8). Can any of the MVPs address this question?

TIA.

=begin quote=
I am running Mac Word (i.e., directly under OSX, not under Windows) and
using full Acrobat 8 Pro to "print" a Word file into PDF. The Word
file in question is formatted for A4 (European) paper. After adjusting
margins a bit, I have finally managed to get the page numbers to show
up at the bottom of each page in Word, but when I turn the file into
PDF, the page numbers get clipped so that only their topmost pixels
appear in the PDF file. Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?
=end quote=

 

[Elliott Roper]

From one of my colleagues (see quoted below). I don't know the answer to
this (don't have AcroPro8). Can any of the MVPs address this question?

TIA.

=begin quote=
I am running Mac Word (i.e., directly under OSX, not under Windows) and
using full Acrobat 8 Pro to "print" a Word file into PDF. The Word
file in question is formatted for A4 (European) paper. After adjusting
margins a bit, I have finally managed to get the page numbers to show
up at the bottom of each page in Word, but when I turn the file into
PDF, the page numbers get clipped so that only their topmost pixels
appear in the PDF file. Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?
=end quote=

My first, and most heartfelt honest reply is "Don't use Acrobat".
Simply use the print to PDF in the print dialog, eschewing everything
that mentions Acrobat.

If you use the system's print to PDF, it will set the printable area
from the physical printer selected in page setup as over-ridden in the
print dialog. If you can see it on that physical printer, it will
appear on the PDF

If you use Acrobat, it will want to use its own pretend printer, which
has to be set up to print at least out to the margins Word was
expecting. You end up umpiring a fight between two mis-designed
software trainwrecks. (Word and Acrobat for the avoidance of doubt.)

Adobe makes some very nice bits of software (and got some more when
they bought Macromedia[1]). However, Acrobat is not one of them.

If you must use Acrobat, then chop the problem in half, by using the OS
X print dialog's PDF first. Then set up the Acrobat printer with the
same margins and print area as your real one.

Come back with OSX version (the print dialogues keep changing with the
OS X spots and stripes). Better yet, wait till Adobe finally makes
Acrobat compatible with Leopard in the new year. That way I will be
able to test my advice before emitting it, since all my Macs are
running the spotty one already.

1. Why they binned Freehand instead of Illy I'll never know.

 

[Clive Huggan]

I'm probably just thick so early on a Saturday morning before I make my
first cup of tea, but: why adjust the margins in Word -- why not just select
"US Letter" in the Print dialogue?

Not that I would want to diminish m'learned colleagues Elliott's perfectly
objective analysis of Acrobat... ;-)

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from North America and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
====================================================

From one of my colleagues (see quoted below). I don't know the answer to
this (don't have AcroPro8). Can any of the MVPs address this question?

TIA.

=begin quote=
I am running Mac Word (i.e., directly under OSX, not under Windows) and
using full Acrobat 8 Pro to "print" a Word file into PDF. The Word
file in question is formatted for A4 (European) paper. After adjusting
margins a bit, I have finally managed to get the page numbers to show
up at the bottom of each page in Word, but when I turn the file into
PDF, the page numbers get clipped so that only their topmost pixels
appear in the PDF file. Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong?
=end quote=

My first, and most heartfelt honest reply is "Don't use Acrobat".
Simply use the print to PDF in the print dialog, eschewing everything
that mentions Acrobat.

If you use the system's print to PDF, it will set the printable area
from the physical printer selected in page setup as over-ridden in the
print dialog. If you can see it on that physical printer, it will
appear on the PDF

If you use Acrobat, it will want to use its own pretend printer, which
has to be set up to print at least out to the margins Word was
expecting. You end up umpiring a fight between two mis-designed
software trainwrecks. (Word and Acrobat for the avoidance of doubt.)

Adobe makes some very nice bits of software (and got some more when
they bought Macromedia[1]). However, Acrobat is not one of them.

If you must use Acrobat, then chop the problem in half, by using the OS
X print dialog's PDF first. Then set up the Acrobat printer with the
same margins and print area as your real one.

Come back with OSX version (the print dialogues keep changing with the
OS X spots and stripes). Better yet, wait till Adobe finally makes
Acrobat compatible with Leopard in the new year. That way I will be
able to test my advice before emitting it, since all my Macs are
running the spotty one already.

1. Why they binned Freehand instead of Illy I'll never know.

 

[dano]

I'm probably just thick so early on a Saturday morning before I make my
first cup of tea, but: why adjust the margins in Word -- why not just select
"US Letter" in the Print dialogue?

Not that I would want to diminish m'learned colleagues Elliott's perfectly
objective analysis of Acrobat... ;-)

Thanks guys, I'll pass on these advisories.