Things I don’t understand about pdf’s

[Phill Fenton]

If I’m sending a pdf from corel I find I have to re-size the design to fit within an A4 page in order for the customer to be able to view it.

As far as importing pdfs – I find my version of corel often fails to open some pdfs, I open up in signlab 7.1 instead – so I guess the answer is your gonna have to upgrade to a newer version

[Hugh Potter]

quote Phill:

If I’m sending a pdf from corel I find I have to re-size the design to fit within an A4 page in order for the customer to be able to view it.

As far as importing pdfs – I find my version of corel often fails to open some pdfs, I open up in signlab 7.1 instead – so I guess the answer is your gonna have to upgrade to a newer version

exactly what Phill says! though i often change the page size to a3 landscape before publishing to pdf. just wish there was an easy way to lock all the info on there, more and more i find myself simply sending it as a vector to bitmap to pdf file so i know files can’t simply be dragged off, and my © bit can’t be simply brushed out as it’s now part of the design.

maybe i’m just paranoid!

Hugh

[Warren Beard]

remember if you send PDF’s to customers they can send these files to other sign companies who can import them and use your vectored files, I always rasterise file first then save as PDF.

You can make the PDF any size you want as they customer can zoom out to see the full image.

You can also password protect PDF files so can only be printed at low resolution.

cheers

Warren

[Hugh Potter]

quote Warren Beard:

remember if you send PDF’s to customers they can send these files to other sign companies who can import them and use your vectored files, I always rasterise file first then save as PDF.

You can make the PDF any size you want as they customer can zoom out to see the full image.

You can also password protect PDF files so can only be printed at low resolution.

cheers

Warren

that’s what i was trying to say – in my usual round-about way! i don’t think it can be pass protected with corel12, maybe only with illustrator?, which i think i’ll buy after having a brief play on a trial download.

[Tim Painter]

You can get around the security with pro acrobat if you know how.

[Warren Beard]

quote Tim Painter:

You can get around the security with pro acrobat if you know how.

I’ve heard that it’s possible (makes it a bit pointless doesn’t it 😕 )

That’s why I always always rasterize image before PDF’ing

cheers

Warren

[John Childs]

quote Ian Muir:

Secondly an increasing number of customers are sending info as pdf’s created originally in illustrator/photoshop cs2, 3, and 4. We only have illustrator/photoshop cs(1) and cannot break open the file in this or corel 12. Do we have to buy cs4 in order to simply open the info for vectorising, printing, working on etc.?

Are you using Mac or PC Ian?

On Macs it sometimes works to open the file in Preview, than save straight down again as pdf. Then Illustrator can usually open it.

[Graeme Harrold]

quote Tim Painter:

You can get around the security with pro acrobat if you know how.

You can also crack the password with numerous password breakers readily available on the net!!!

I do as Warren to a certain degree. In Corel I convert to bitmap and print using Cute PDF…….works for me. :lol1:

[Alan Drury]

In Corel publish to pdf will require resizing – but you can download the free Cute PDF, this will put another print driver in your list and you can print to that, under the layout tab will be fit to page which will shrink everything down to the printer page size. Using the print method you can use all of the features that print preview has in Draw. Also because pdf is effectively a postscript thing the postscript tab is now live, by deselecting download Type 1 fonts and convert True Type to Type 1 text will be automatically converted to curves.
Importing pdf into Draw is effective in X3 and X4 although there can be some font issues, getting your customer to convert to curves their end will do away with that. I have had some success by opening pdf in Acrobat, saving as eps and importing that into Draw or if no full Acrobat open pdf in Acrobat Reader, print to Cute – import that pdf.
If you going a round robin route to getting it into Draw not colour model as that can swap.
Security in X3 and X4 is available for allow print/allow edit and password and in Cute although this can be bypassed.
Hope this helps.
Alan D

[Simon Strom]

I use the print to .ps (postscript) and then use Acrobat Distiller most of the time. Does the free Acrobat viewer not work on pdf’s created with Illustrator CS3/4? I’ve never paid attention to that.

I agree that it is possible for others to grab your vector art if you leave it in a file. Also just a note for Mac users, you open the ColorSync application that’s in the Utilities folder and then open a password protected pdf. You can then re-save it out as an unprotected pdf. I’ve only had 1 file ever that this wouldn’t work for.

I’m not condoning stealing other peoples art. Usually I have to do this for actual customers that don’t know what vector art is and keep sending either bitmap images or bitmap images embedded in a graphics app format (.fh11. ai. .cdr etc.) so I can a lot of times find good logo line art in pdf files they’ve posted online (brochures, manuals etc). It’s just less hassle and time than having to go round and round with people to get get line art sometimes.

[Ian Muir]

Thank you all for your replies, will take on board (Alans as well when I can understand it :lol1: I am creature of small brain but I know for long time that Alan especially knows his Corel stuff).

Nearly happened again tonight after I started this thread, customer sent me logo, swore it was EPS, easy I thought… 😕

Tried to import into Corel 12 as EPS , grey box came with ‘LOGO Adobe illustrator 11’ written in it. Tried to import as ai, nothing doing.

Went into illustrator cs, opened fine as EPS so saved as ai. file

Tried againto import as ai. into Corel 12, told me since it was created later than illy 9 then I need to import as pdf…. luckily this worked but what a round about way of getting there…..

Do you reckon I should upgrade my corel 12 to x4 or upgrade my cs to cs4 to get over this regular conflict between the two, don’t want to particularly spend an extra few hundred pounds on upgrading both just to get at an import filter.

Logic say to me, since I work in Corel I should upgrade that but then I suspect it won’t import cs4 maybe not even cs3 created stuff.

Or maybe you guys know another way…

Thanks again

Ian :lol1:

[Ian Muir]

Oh, sorry

Iuse pc John, not mac

Ian :lol1:

[Simon Strom]

I can occasionally rename the append on the end and trick the file to opening in another application. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. For instance renaming Illy CS4 file with a .ps on the end and then re-opening in an earlier version of Illustrator or even FreeHand sometimes. Usually they’re logos that I can compare to the line art to make sure nothing got distorted or deleted from the "hack". You might try that and see if it works for you before spending $ that you might not have to.

[Graeme Harrold]

quote Ian Muir:

Thank you all for your replies, will take on board (Alans as well when I can understand it :lol1: I am creature of small brain but I know for long time that Alan especially knows his Corel stuff).

Nearly happened again tonight after I started this thread, customer sent me logo, swore it was EPS, easy I thought… 😕

Tried to import into Corel 12 as EPS , grey box came with ‘LOGO Adobe illustrator 11’ written in it. Tried to import as ai, nothing doing.

Went into illustrator cs, opened fine as EPS so saved as ai. file

Tried againto import as ai. into Corel 12, told me since it was created later than illy 9 then I need to import as pdf…. luckily this worked but what a round about way of getting there…..

Do you reckon I should upgrade my corel 12 to x4 or upgrade my cs to cs4 to get over this regular conflict between the two, don’t want to particularly spend an extra few hundred pounds on upgrading both just to get at an import filter.

Logic say to me, since I work in Corel I should upgrade that but then I suspect it won’t import cs4 maybe not even cs3 created stuff.

Or maybe you guys know another way…

Thanks again

Ian :lol1:

–

It probably is an eps…..did you try the second eps filter "PS, PRN, EPS PostSctipt Interpreted" if not give it a go, its 2 lines below EPS

[Ian Muir]

Actually Graeme Simon got me thinking when he mentioned the ‘ps’, I thought at first he’d missed the ‘e’ off the beginning, was going to look into that……

Now thanks to you I don’t have to, imported as you say like a dream in ps filter…. thanks people.

I’m going to seriously have to get up to speed on this aspect of signwork instead of bumbling along half knowing what I’m doing in this area.. :lol1:

Ian :lol1:

[Graeme Harrold]

quote Ian Muir:

Actually Graeme Simon got me thinking when he mentioned the ‘ps’, I thought at first he’d missed the ‘e’ off the beginning, was going to look into that……

Now thanks to you I don’t have to, imported as you say like a dream in ps filter…. thanks people.

I’m going to seriously have to get up to speed on this aspect of signwork instead of bumbling along half knowing what I’m doing in this area.. :lol1:

Ian :lol1:

Doesn’t matter what level you are at..we are ALL LEARNING :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

[James Martin]

alot of time pdf files from illustrator are to large to send by email.

I have to just turn then to jpegs, but good point about artwork theft.

[Hugh Potter]

quote Graeme Harrold:

quote Ian Muir:

Nearly happened again tonight after I started this thread, customer sent me logo, swore it was EPS, easy I thought… 😕

Tried to import into Corel 12 as EPS , grey box came with ‘LOGO Adobe illustrator 11’ written in it. Tried to import as ai, nothing doing.

–

It probably is an eps…..did you try the second eps filter “PS, PRN, EPS PostSctipt Interpreted” if not give it a go, its 2 lines below EPS

that’s exactly what i was about to say!! i raarely ever use the first eps import filter now, the ps, prn, eps one does it near everytime!

[John Childs]

quote Simon Strom:

I use the print to .ps (postscript) and then use Acrobat Distiller most of the time. Does the free Acrobat viewer not work on pdf’s created with Illustrator CS3/4? I’ve never paid attention to that.

Yes, using the "save as pdf" option, Illustrator generated pdfs open fine in the free Acrobat viewer, on both Macs and PCs. That’s how I normally send out artwork to customers.

quote Simon Strom:

Also just a note for Mac users, you open the ColorSync application that’s in the Utilities folder and then open a password protected pdf. You can then re-save it out as an unprotected pdf. I’ve only had 1 file ever that this wouldn’t work for.

Brilliant tip. Many thanks.

[Alan Drury]

Just a little bit about the eps filters in Corel.
Import as interpreted/editable requires Corel to interpret the file ie put together the shapes etc. this generally works very well but may have issues with embedded fonts.
The placed option or eps filter in older versions will only display a low resolution header or grey box if no thumbnail/header is there, its used for sizing and positioning. Corel doesn’t touch the code as such, it will output correctly though to a postscript device ie printer or RIP.
If you receive an eps which does not import correctly try importing as placed, print to Acrobat or CutPDF or similar and then try importing the resultant pdf.
Alan D

[Gareth Hankinson]

Just want to thank you all for the advice on the PDF’s this is something that has been bothering me for years, doing designs, sending them to customers only for them to send them to other sign companies to pinch my designs…. NOW i can finally pretty much stop it happening (well making them redrwa it) by rasterizing my work before saving as PDF’s, fair enough the artwork loses its quality a little but it certainly helps.

Although i must admit when i get pdf’s off customers wanting designs or logos reproduced its great that they haven’t been blocked so i can just pull them into Illustrator or Corel :O)

Thanks again, love finding out new things.

Gareth