Ambit Press - Knowledge Base

How to create PDF files from:

Microsoft Office and Microsoft Publisher

QuarkXpress

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe PageMaker 7

Macintosh OS 9 and Adobe PageMaker 7

Setting up Mac Distiller

Submit a PDF | Submit non-PDF file | PrintTHAT! reference

Knowledge Base

Creating PDF files from Microsoft Office and Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Office products such as Word, PowerPoint and Publisher have unique ways of handling graphics and fonts that are very different from traditional page layout programs like Quark and InDesign. Ambit Press uses PrintThat! Technology to covert your Microsoft files into PDF files and submit them to Ambit Press right from your desktop.

Microsoft PowerPoint's transparency feature used to alter colors, images and graphics causes our PDF builder and RIP difficulty. This is an industry known problem and development is under way to resolve the issue.

We suggest avoiding the transparency feature whenever possible and that you select a different color from the color palette as opposed to using the transparency feature to adjust colors.

If you have used the transparency feature, please submit the native PowerPoint file through our FTP file upload page.

To download and install PrintTHAT! on your computer, please click on the link below:
PrintTHAT! reference

Please follow the instructions below to create a print ready PDF from your application. If you have any questions, please contact your system administrator or Ambit Press.

To download or view a PDF Pal visual guide from this program, click here.

Creating PDF files from QuarkXpress
Please follow the instructions below to create a print ready PDF from your application. If you have any questions, please contact your system administrator or Ambit Press.

Exporting as PDF from QuarkXpress 6:

Select File / Export and choose Layout as PDF…
Select Options tab
Select the Job Options tab
Select Embed All Fonts
Select Subset Fonts Below and set the percentage to 100%
Set all the Compression settings to: None
Set all Resolution to: Keep resolution
Uncheck Compress Text and Line Art
Next, select the Output tab
Under Color Output Type, select Composite
Under Color Output Print Colors, select DeviceN
Select Registration to: Centered and Offset to 6pt
Set Bleed to Symmetric and amount to .5"
Select the OPI tab and deselect all check boxes
Select OK and then name and save your PDF file
Open your PDF and PROOF IT before sending it to Ambit Press.
Submit your file

Select File / PDF Export Preset and choose Define...
Enter Ambit Press in the Name field
Uncheck any boxes that may be checked
Set Compatibility to: Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)
Set Standard to: None
Next, click on the compression tab
Set all Downsampling to: Do Not Downsample and Compression to: None
Be sure that the Compress Text and Line Art is unchecked
Next, select the Marks and Bleeds tab
Select Crop Marks and Page Information
Set weight to .125pt
Set offset to .125 in.
the bleeds to be .5 in. on all four sides
Next, select the Advanced tab
Select Leave Unchanged under Color
Set the Subset fonts to 100%
To finish select OK.
Select High Resolution under Transparency Flattener
Now select File / Export and save your file as a PDF
Open your PDF and PROOF IT before sending it to Ambit Press.
Submit your file

Select File / Save As…
In the Save As window under Format, choose PDF
In the PDF Options window, select ZIP
Select Okay
Open your PDF and PROOF IT before sending it to Ambit Press.
Submit your file

Select File / Save As…
In the Save As window under Format, choose PDF
Under Compression choose Do Not Downsample and None for all image compression options
Under Marks & Bleeds select Trim Marks and choose .5 for bleed if your file has bleeds
Open your PDF and PROOF IT before sending it to Ambit Press.
Submit your file

Please follow the instructions below to create a print ready PDF from your application. If you have any questions, please contact your system administrator or Ambit Press.

To download or view a PDF Pal visual guide from this program, click here.

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Creating PDF files from Macintosh OS 9 and Adobe PageMaker 7
The best way to create PDF files from Mac OS 9 is by using Adobe Acrobat Distiller. Adobe Acrobat Distiller is a companion program to Adobe Acrobat. It coverts PS (Postscript) files into Acrobat PDF files. This reduces the file size and allows onscreen viewing of the PDF files.

If you have a full version of Acrobat and would like to download Ambit Press's distiller settings:
   Click here for PC version
   Click here for Mac version

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Setting up Mac Distiller

Open Acrobat Distiller.
Click the Settings Menu.
In the drop-down menu, click
Edit Adobe PDF Settings.
Select the General tab: Select Acrobat 5.0 (PDF 1.4) in the Compatibility drop-down menu.
Object-Level Compression and Auto-Rotate Pages should be set to OFF.
Choose Left in the Binding Menu
Choose 2400dpi for the Resolution
Deselect all other Check-boxes.
Enter your page size (Your settings should look similar to the example on the right.)
Select the images tab:
Color images and Grayscale images should be set to: Bicubic Downsampling to: 300 pixels per inch and enter 450 in the for images above box.
Monochrome images should be set to: Bicubic Downsampling to: 1200 pixels per inch and enter 1800 in the for images above box.
Monochrome images should be set to: Bicu
You are now ready to create your .ps (Postscript) file.

The first step in creating a PDF is choosing Adobe PS as your printer.
Select Chooser from the Apple menu.
Select Adobe PS as your printer in the upper left menu.
Close out of Chooser.
Next, Open your PageMaker document.
Click the File menu and select Print.
Create Adobe PDF should be displayed for the Printer
Select Acrobat Distiller in the PPD menu.
Check only the Print blank pages checkbox.
Next, click the Paper tab at the right.
Select Custom for Paper Size.
ADD ONE INCH TO THE WIDTH AND HEIGHT OF YOUR DOCUMENT and enter that total in for the width and height. (For example, if your document is 8.5" X 11", you would enter in 9.5" X 12") Next, click the OK button.
You should have returned to the Paper Tab.
Check the boxes next to Printer's marks, Page information, and Center page in print area.
Set the Tiling to None.
Leave the Scale at 100%.
Next, click the Options tab.
Change the Send image data to Normal.
Leave Data encoding to Send binary image data.
Choose PostScript and TrueType in the Download fonts menu.
Check the box next to Use symbol font for special characters.
Check the box next to Write PostScript to file and give your .ps file a name.
Next, click the Color tab.
In the upper-left corner, choose Color if your job is to be printed in color, or Print colors in black if your job is in only black.
Leave all checkboxes unchecked.
Click the CMS Setup button. Be sure Color
Management is set at Off. Click ok to return to the color tab.
Set the Frequency to 60.0 and the Angle to 45.0.
Next, click the Features tab.
Be sure the Resolution is set at Printer's default.
Next, click the Save button to save your PostScript (.ps) file. (You are saving a PostScript file, not a PDF. You will run the .ps (postscript) file through Distiller to create the PDF file.
You should now have a PostScript file saved in the location you selected in step 3
Open Acrobat Distiller. Select the Action Job
Options in the Job Options drop-down box. (You MUST use our job options to create a high-resolution PDF. To get our job options, visit our jobs section.
Drag your PostScript file into Acrobat Distiller.
Distiller will then create your PDF.
Open your PDF and PROOF IT before sending it to Ambit Press.
Submit your file


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