Problem Creating Postscript File with FrameMaker 7.2

We're using FM 7.0 and Acrobat and Distiller 5, so I'd be surprised if that mismatch is the problem. But re-installing Distiller 6 is definitely a good idea.

Could also be worth searching your harddrive for PPD files and checking if you have multiple Distiller version PPDs in use. The correct PPD for distiller 5 is ADIST5.PPD but I don't know if later versions kept the same naming convention. If you find extras, I think you can safely delete them and their associated BPD files.

Another question that I'm not sure if you've answered because this thread has got so long I've lost track: When you try to print the book and fail, do you have all the files open before trying?

Cheers, Rebecca

Well, I used FM 7.0 and Distiller 6 for a while on books the same size as the one you describe, but I don't have 7.2.

Did you remove FM 6, install FM 7.2, then install Distiller 6 over the top? It should not be necessary, but it could be that you need to install Distiller (and therefore the Acrobat suite) after FrameMaker. Still, that does not explain the symptoms very well, but it is something else to try: uninstall Acrobat 6 in its entirety and then reinstall it while leaving FM alone.

Also, you don't (somehow) have both Distiller 6 AND Distiller 7 installed, do you?

You only have the Adobe Distiller printer, correct, you do not (somehow) also have the Adobe PDF printer?

Are you using any FrameMaker Plug-ins, such as those that create PostScript code like Page Labeler?

Regards,

Sean

I am not able to install Distiller 7 at this time as the person-in-charged is out on a business trip for 1.5 weeks. Though I have informed him Distiller 7 comes with Frame 7.2, I am sure he will still have to check all the licensing - some co. red-tape (oops) or something like that. Looks like I will have to stick with Distiller 6 for the time being.

I have tried to troubleshoot with some of my colleagues PCs who have Distiller 7 installed. To my horrid, those using Distiller 7, is using FrameMaker 7.0 or 7.1 (I am using 7.2). Anyone knows off hand if there is any charges for upgrading from 7.0 to 7.2. Using earlier version of FrameMaker, I am sure there are other set of issues. I tried once with FrameMaker 7.0 and Distiller 7 and received a different set of errors (from Distiller). Things are getting more and more interesting.

What happens if Distiller 6, and its printer, are removed and Distiller 7 is installed and used?

Regards,

Sean

Bill & Sean- So far 1adobe has never said they installed Distiller 7. Their currenent version was 6.0.0.5

Did uninstalling and reinstalling the Adobe Acrobat 7 components do the trick?

Regards,

Sean

I re-read Dov Isaacs interview dated April 28, 2003, in which at the end of the interview he says" I don't think we have any document that tells people to produce Postscript and then run distiller. but people seem to still be remembering that from Acrobat 1.0, even though we don't sell all that many packages of that version".

Let me quote the FM manual online manual for FrameMaker version 7.2

DISTILLING POSTSCRIPT FILES MANUALLY (WINDOWS, MAC OS and SUN SOlARIS)

If you have Acrobat distilleer installed, you can convert documents to PDF by creating a Postscript ile and then distilling the file yourself. By using Distiller, you can explicity set advanced settings having to do with compression, font embedding an d color conversion. However, saving as PDF is offen faster and more convenient and produces excellent results. In fact, if you can set up Distiller Job options beforehand, they become available in the Setting section of the PDF Setup dialog box in FrameMAker. Aslo, if you're woprking on a platform where Distiller is not available, you can create the PostScript file and then move it to another platform to distil it there...

ACREATING POSTSCRIPT FILES

You can create a description of a document called PostScript file ( also calleda print file). You might use a PostScript file to download the document later to a Postscript printer or send the document to a service prpvider for typesettiong....

SAVING DOCUMENTS AND BOOKS AS ADOBE PDF

You convert a FrameMAker document to Adobe PDF by setting options in the pDF Setup dialog box and then saving the document as PDF. You can also print the document to a Postscript file, and then convert it...

Arnis- The question is what does a PPD. A PPD is defined as Postscript Printer Description. A PPD files are text files that provide a uniform approach to using the device features that contain PostScriptrinterpreters. Such features include different page sizes, different methods of paper handling, memory size, font availability and finishing features such as duplex printing and stapling.,. All printers to not have the same features, and even printers with the same features do not necessarily invoke those features in the same way. PPD files provide applications with the necessary information about a device's features including the features options, the default settings, how other information that might be used for scheduling jobs.
All PS printers have a PPD file associated with it. This PPD files for all printers are accessible to a guiven host computer are stored on the host computer. Applications on the host computer can parse PPD files to discover the list of available features on a printer.
The PPD fil also contains the PostScript language code to invode each feature. When you select afeature from the user inerface, such as manual feed or duplex printing, the code for each selected feature is extracted from the PPD file and included in the appropriate place in the output file before the output file is sent to the printer.
In otherwords, my Tektronis 550 has a PPD that Tektronix wrote or wrote with Adobe to allow it to use those features they offered. In some cases those features appear in when you select Print as a graphical representation of the printer and its trays, feed , etc. Local customuization to a PPD can be added at the user site to accommodate changes to the printer, such as the addition of fonts or memory, or to configure a device a certain way.

In the Adobe PDF printer, Adobe has created and maintains their PPD, but has no actural printer.

Since I'm not having a problem with my PDF or PS file(s), I see no reason to do your simple compare. Hard to grasp a concept that is working.

Your later suggestion to 1adobe to check the Links under Format>Document>Dcocuemnt>PDDF Setup...links tab is good idea, only you didn't re-read 1adobe comments. Using Save as PDF does not work. The only way around the problem has been to break up the document by creating seperate PS files and distilling then and them combinding the PDFs.
I still believe that there is one file in the book that has a problem, since 1adobe can break up the book. Once that file is fixed, then iadoe can either use the Save AS PDF option or generate a PS file and distill.

Sean- Maybe if you had something of value to add to 1adobe_user's problem and stop giving misleading information on PS printers, PPD's and Postscript drivers 1adobe_user may be able solve their problem.

I have had a simular problem with a document that iadobe has, but did not do the work around. Instead I did narrow it down to one chapter in the book, temp. removed the chapter, updated the book and generated a PDF. Since it resulted in a valid PS file and a PDF, I then knew that I had a bad Chapter, and was able to correct the formating problem(s)that was in that file

Arnis, Sherman knows it all and has nothing new to learn. I recommend ignoring the guy because doing otherwise gets in the way of helping the original poster.

Cheers,

Sean

There's a lot of junk in this thread, to be sure.

I'd try the uninstall and reinstallation at this point, too. The document described should be easy to PDF, it's not unusually large or anything.

Cheers,

Sean