Open Office pdf question

[Meow Mix]

I use and adore OOo, but I find that the export to pdf function is not
terribly inspiring, mainly because it often produces enormous files. I
usually get better results by printing to a postscript file and then using
ghostscript (which allows me to control compression) to create a pdf file.
(I am running OOo under Win98SE and using the freely-available Acrobat
Distiller ps printer driver.)

I'd like to save steps, so my question is: is there a way to get OOo to
produce better-compressed pdfs?

--Mike

 

[JanC]

I use and adore OOo, but I find that the export to pdf function is not
terribly inspiring, mainly because it often produces enormous files.

Is this a document with large images or lots of fonts or something like
that?

I usually get better results by printing to a postscript file and then
using ghostscript (which allows me to control compression) to create a
pdf file. (I am running OOo under Win98SE and using the
freely-available Acrobat Distiller ps printer driver.)

Acrobat Distiller isn't free AFAIK...

 

[Meow Mix]

Is this a document with large images or lots of fonts or something like
that?

Not particularly. I am just comparing the size of files produced by OOo and
GS in general.

Acrobat Distiller isn't free AFAIK...

The Adobe PS Acrobat Distiller printer driver, which prints a document to a
PS file, is free. Acrobat Distiller, the program that produces pdf files is
not free.

It confused me, too.

--Mike

 

[JanC]

Not particularly. I am just comparing the size of files produced by
OOo and GS in general.

Mayby the PostScript printer driver or GS convert image resolution to meet
the "printer DPI".

The Adobe PS Acrobat Distiller printer driver, which prints a document
to a PS file, is free. Acrobat Distiller, the program that produces
pdf files is not free.

AFAIK the "Adobe generic PostScript printer driver" is free; Acrobat
Distiller is a printer driver that creates PDF files.

 

[Meow Mix]

Mayby the PostScript printer driver or GS convert image resolution to
meet the "printer DPI".




AFAIK the "Adobe generic PostScript printer driver" is free; Acrobat
Distiller is a printer driver that creates PDF files.

Let's be clear: the "Adobe PS Acrobat Distiller" printer driver is a PS
driver that produces PS files optimized for converstion to PDF.

Adobe's basic printer driver is a generic PS driver suitable for any
printer. Settings for specific printers are installed with PostScript
Printer Descriptions (PPD files). If you install any of the PPDs contained
in adobe.zip (available at
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=204) -- all of
which are named according to the pattern ADIST5*.PPD) -- you will end up
with a printer having the name "Acrobat Distiller." NB-this is not the
Acrobat Distiller package. It is the printer driver _for_ the Acrobat
Distiller package. The driver itself produces PS files, not PDF files.

--Mike

 

[digitalMOSQUITO]

I use and adore OOo, but I find that the export to pdf function is not
terribly inspiring, mainly because it often produces enormous files. I
usually get better results by printing to a postscript file and then using
ghostscript (which allows me to control compression) to create a pdf file.
(I am running OOo under Win98SE and using the freely-available Acrobat
Distiller ps printer driver.)

I'd like to save steps, so my question is: is there a way to get OOo to
produce better-compressed pdfs?

--Mike

http://www.jdisoftware.co.uk/pages/epdf-home.php
extendedPDF: get more from OpenOffice.org and PDF

dM

 

[Meow Mix]

http://www.jdisoftware.co.uk/pages/epdf-home.php
extendedPDF: get more from OpenOffice.org and PDF

dM

extendedPDF is a very nice thing, and it gives some degree of control over
file size (via pdf options, --screen, --pre-press, etc.), but this often
makes only a marginal difference in file size.

What I'd like to see is something that gives control over the various kinds
of compression available in Adobe Acrobat (eg, JPEG vs. LZW compression of
images, downsampling, limits on font embedding...)

--Mike

 

[JanC]

Adobe's basic printer driver is a generic PS driver suitable for any
printer. Settings for specific printers are installed with PostScript
Printer Descriptions (PPD files). If you install any of the PPDs
contained in adobe.zip (available at
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=204) -- all of
which are named according to the pattern ADIST5*.PPD) -- you will end
up with a printer having the name "Acrobat Distiller." NB-this is not
the Acrobat Distiller package. It is the printer driver _for_ the
Acrobat Distiller package. The driver itself produces PS files, not
PDF files.

PPD files are configuration data files, not really "drivers". From what I
can see it's a bunch of settings for the Adobe generic PS printer driver
that is optimised for subsequent PDF generation by Distiller from the
output.
(Okay, this might be an unimportant technical difference for you ;-)

 

[JanC]

[...]
What I'd like to see is something that gives control over the various
kinds of compression available in Adobe Acrobat (eg, JPEG vs. LZW
compression of images, downsampling, limits on font embedding...)

You can post an RFE in the OOo issue tracker for including similar
optimisations (first search if such an RFE doesn't exist yet).

 

[Meow Mix]

PPD files are configuration data files, not really "drivers". From
what I can see it's a bunch of settings for the Adobe generic PS
printer driver that is optimised for subsequent PDF generation by
Distiller from the output.
(Okay, this might be an unimportant technical difference for you ;-)

Jan--

This is exactly what I have been trying to tell you.

--Mike

 

[Meow Mix]

I use and adore OOo, but I find that the export to pdf function is
not terribly inspiring, mainly because it often produces enormous
files. I usually get better results by printing to a postscript file
and then using ghostscript (which allows me to control compression)
to create a pdf file. (I am running OOo under Win98SE and using the
freely-available Acrobat Distiller ps printer driver.)

I'd like to save steps, so my question is: is there a way to get OOo
to produce better-compressed pdfs?

[...]
What I'd like to see is something that gives control over the various
kinds of compression available in Adobe Acrobat (eg, JPEG vs. LZW
compression of images, downsampling, limits on font embedding...)

You can post an RFE in the OOo issue tracker for including similar
optimisations (first search if such an RFE doesn't exist yet).

A very good idea. I will do that. Thanks for the suggestion.

--Mike