Creating Layered PDF from FM

[MyQuestions123-V8WflB]

Hi All,

Having a bit of an issue; I've embedded a layered PDF file (created with Distiller 8.2.3 PDF Version 1.6) in Frame v8p277 and everything appears fine. However, when I print the book to a new PDF the layered components are flattened in the output document.I used the default Press Quality (PDF version 1.6) settings to produce the new PDF, but I'm unsure where my problem may lie FM? or Distiller? I've tried to distill the ps file using both Distiller 6 and 7 and it yielded the same results. I hoping for some guidance in the following areas:

Q1: Does Framemaker support layered PDF files?

Q2: Can it produce a layered PDF? Version?

Q3: Are there particular Distiller settings that I need to apply?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

ATS

[AxialInfo]

The only way I know to handle layers in PDF produced by FrameMaker is through the TimeSavers utility "Presentation Assistant".  Unfortunately the information presented online about layers doesn't make it clear whether the layers in imported PDFs can be preserved, but Shlomo Perets from Microtype would be able to answer quite quickly; with luck he might cruise by this forum and see your question.

In the meantime here are some links to Presentation Assistant:

http://www.microtype.com/showcasePresentAsst.html#start

http://www.microtype.com/showcase/PresentAsst/LayerMarkerExamples.pdf

[MyQuestions123-V8WflB]

Thanks for the info Sheila, I'll start looking into the Timesavers stuff.

From other stuff that I've read on the web, it appears that it may be due to the use of postscript as the intermediate medium but I'm not 100% certain.

Thanks again!

ATS

[Arnis Gubins · Accepted solution]

When FM imports a PDF, FM treats it as a graphic and converts it internally to an EPS format. In this process, all layers (& transparency) get flattened.

You can produce layered PDFs from FM using third-party tools from Microtype. You could also try using pdfmark commands for optional content groups (the internal for the layer feature) embedded in postscript text frames, but this is extremely complex.