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Participant
August 12, 2026
Question

Can I create a correctly sized PostScript file without installing the Adobe PDF PPD?

  • August 12, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 36 views

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to create a booklet from InDesign using the following workflow:

InDesign, Print Booklet, PostScript file, Adobe Acrobat Distiller, PDF

The problem is that when I select PostScript File as the printer, the PPD is set to Device Independent. Because of this, the paper size and orientation options are grayed out, so I can't specify the correct size for my imposed booklet.

As a result, when I distill the PostScript file, the resulting PDF doesn't have the correct page size.

I understand that using ADPDF9.PPD would solve this issue,

However, I would like to know if there is any way to create a correctly sized PostScript file and then distill it to PDF without installing a PPD, printer driver, or any other additional software.

Is there a way to specify the correct page size while using the device independent PPD, or is installing ADPDF9.PPD required for this workflow?

Thanks!

    4 replies

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 12, 2026

    There are also a number of scripts, free and paid, for InDesign that do impositions of varying complexities if Acrobat’s booklet printing doesn’t meet your needs, and because they impose the InDesign file you can export to PDF, preserving things like transparency that are not supported in postscript workflows and you get a much better product.

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 12, 2026

    I’ll point out what I do for everyone who asks this. Export a proper PDF and use Acrobat’s booklet printing facility. If this is being done because the printer has requested it, find another printer; imposition is their job.

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 12, 2026

    In Acrobat Distiller, you can define the Default Page Size for any PS file that doesn’t have it defined. 

    I use Flyingbee Print to PDF driver, but I have the Pro version. Note: In InDesign, I have to define the page size in the print screen for it to include all the crop/bleed marks, but not a big deal. 

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    Randy Hagan
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 12, 2026

    How does the InDesign document page size correspond to the sheet size of your output device(s)?

    Is this a matter of bleeds/crops of the page size exceeding the dimensions of the sheet size? Or is the InDesign document size itself larger than the sheet size?

    Answers to these questions will really help us assist you get past your page sizing issues.

     

    Randy