Save FrameMaker Book as PDF - Files with different page sizes

[Luxxie]

I've created a book with 2 files - the pages in the first file are 8.5 x 11, the pages in the second file are 8.5 x 14.

How can I save the book as a PDF but keep both page sizes? Right now if I change the page size in the PDF settings dialog, it changes all pages.

Thanks.

[Arnis Gubins]

When you create the PDF (assuming SaveAsPDF), select the largest size in the Page Size line of the PDF Setup in FM. Distiller will add a crop for the smaller pages so that they display at the correct page size.

[Luxxie]

Is there anything that can be done if I don't have Distiller?

[Arnis Gubins]

FM comes with a dumbed-down version of Distiller called PDFcreator and is installed by default. You should have an AdobePDF printer instance created and use the SaveAsPDF routee from FM to get the PDF Setup panel that I showed. Which version of FM are you using?

[Luxxie]

FM 11. I do get that panel, but when I change the page size to 8.5 x 14, all pages use that size (no cropping).

[Arnis Gubins]

Something's not right. Try this route then:

1. Use the Print Book option and have the AdobePDF printer instance selected, turn off the the Print to File, enable the "Generate Acrobat Data" option.

2. Click the PDF Setup button to ensure that the Page size is set to the largest (as in the previous message),

3. Then click the Setup... button to configure the printer for the largest size required.

4. Then click the OK button to get back to the Print Book and finally click Print.

5. You should be prompted where to place the file (unless you left the default configuration which may place it on your desktop).

This should have all the pages correctly cropped as in the following sample with Letter, Legal and Tabloid all in one book:

[Luxxie]

Hi,

Update: I now have Adobe Acrobat which I thought would solve the problem, but I'm getting the same result. All pages are coming out the same size (no cropping). I tried the Print Book option but I get an error message and FrameMaker shuts down.

Any other suggestions?

[Arnis Gubins]

Whether you have Acrobat installed or not is not the issue. FM by itself comes with a version of Distiller that will still allow you to create the PDFs.

What exactly was the error that you got when trying to print from the Book. Right now, it appears that this is the only route that will work for you, so it might just be a setting or two that's tripping up FM.

[Luxxie]

Internal Error 11004, 8122692, 8122986, 10866389. FrameMaker has detected a serious problem and must quit.

[Arnis Gubins]

Is the default printer the Adobe PDF printer instance? (I always should for the FM session; you can use the freebie SetPrint utility to ensure that it always is set. See: Sundorne Communications - SetPrint )

Was the error immediate or did it occur at some other stage when printing the book?

Did you try printing to file instead and manually distilling?

When you installed Acrobat, did you already have the default PDF Creator installed with FM? The Acrobat installation would have overwritten parts of this and quite possibly messed things up for the Distiller stage. You needed to uninstall the PDF Creator first.