Virtual PostScript Printer on macOS

[Mike Witherell]

How do you install a virtual PostScript printer driver on current macOS?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Can't InDesign's built in Device Independent PostScript driver work?

[Peter Spier]

Why do you need a virtual Postscript printer?

[Mike Witherell]

I'm in research mode. I'm preparing a learning module all about prepress things. Color Separations, screen frequencies, trapping, and the like. I want a learner to follow along, so I want to simulate something the prepress folks would see. Therefore, I think I need a generic PostScript printer driver to do a series of show and tell moments. I need to show these things for both Windows and macOS. Windows doesn't mind if I install a printer driver even though I don't really have the physical printer hooked up to the computer. But macOS will not allow me to install a PostScript printer driver unless I really have the physical device connected to the computer.

[Peter Spier]

Would the Acrobat distiller driver do it?

[Mike Witherell]

Would that give me a printer driver interface where I could show and tell sheet size and all the rest of the many details in a print dialog box? It seems possibly not.

[Peter Spier]

I'm not sure what you'd see on Mac. Probably need the ADPDF9.ppd file as well which you should be able to download from https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/add-acrobat-ppd.html

With that installed you should be able to choose AdobePDF as the printer and everything should be there.

Not sure that's really going to help your demo, though.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Just select the device independent PostScript driver. Then drop the PS file on Distiller. Not as easy as the Adobe PDF Print driver in Windows.

You won't get an Adobe print driver option in InDesign. Try the Print to PDF - Print app in the App Store. It works with InDesign.

[Mike Witherell]

Thanks Peter,

I had tried that. The page still exists but the download does not.

download from https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/add-acrobat-ppd.html

I also tried googling another source for that file, but couldn't locate anything.

[Peter Spier]

you can download it from me at https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/yzPMgVsXKD

Let me know if that doesn't work either...

[Mike Witherell]

Ah, so it does still exist! To your knowledge, does it still install in macOS Sequoia 15.3?

[Peter Spier]

No Idea.

Last time I did anything at all with a Mac was at least ten years ago, and it's been more than twenty since I used one for work.

[Erica Endicott]

Thanks, Peter, this is exactly what I needed too. I was trying to find a way to create a PDF of thumbnails from an InDesign document and I needed a way to have printing options enabled. 

[rob day]

Hi Mike, Try this Drop box link:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/fhnvventjc7vxpzzmft5f/AKwgMb_SlYYf5JUfSfpr2nk?rlkey=e7ruj0dh52vvwku98...

[Mike Witherell]

Thanks, Dave,

I am going to run with this macOS "Print to PDF" virtual printer app and see how far I can take it in the context of having a generic PostScript printer on a current macOS for a self-paced study guide that is talking about prepress practices. Thanks for the assist!