PDF Output from Elixir with Full Fidelity!! |
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| by: Barry Alt First of all - what is PDF?? PDF is Adobe’s Portable Document Format which is an operating system independent file format that allows you to distribute and view documents with the Adobe Acrobat Viewer! PDF has also become a DeFacto Internet standard that makes the distribution of electronic documents much easier. Why is this such a big deal and why should you care?? Well, let’s talk about this for a moment, then we will look at Elixir’s solution for generating PDF documents. How would like to take all of those Xerox .FRM files, AFP Overlays or .ELX forms and make them available on the Internet, or what about the ability to “proof” forms on P/Cs, MACs or UNIX Workstations without ever having to print a hardcopy? Or my favorite - the ability to distribute production printer forms to remote offices in PDF format where they can be used with “forms fill” products or printed on demand. So - how does Elixir support the PDF format? Let’s take a look Resource Issues Beginning with version 3.11d of the Desktop and Converters, you now have the ability to convert .ELX forms to PDF format. The PDF option is available when you drag and drop an Elixir Form on the Converter Icon. By selecting the PDF option, the Elixir Converters will automatically generate a PDF form/document. Of special note here is that Elixir DOES NOT create a full page raster of your form. Full page rasters are very large and they eliminate your ability to search the PDF files. Elixir has implemented a superb conversion process that maintains fidelity, searchability and compatibility with production printer resources! For this conversion to work properly, you need to have the following resources on your P/C:
So the first thing you need to do is copy all your resources to your Elixir Workstation and generate Elixir versions of them. Remember - always convert fonts and images BEFORE you convert the forms!! Output Options to Control Fidelity If It’s Gotta Look Close - But Not Perfect. . . If fidelity isn’t a key factor for your documents, you can use the “Substitute All Fonts (MM Fonts)” option when converting out to PDF. This option is best when used with documents that consist mostly of alpha-numeric information using common typefaces. Selecting this option will give you documents that maintain character width and line ending accuracy, however absolute character shapes (fidelity) are not maintained. Any logo fonts, special symbol fonts, signature fonts, etc. will display as regular alpha-numeric characters in a serif or sans-serif typeface. To create a PDF version of your form, follow these simple steps:
Note: By selecting this option the Converter will create Multiple Master versions of all the fonts in your job. The Converter then scans each of the Elixir fonts used in the document and embeds hints for generating Adobe Multiple Master instances into the .PDF file. Since these are vector fonts, the size of the .PDF file is kept to a minimum.
If It’s Gotta Look Exactly Like the Original. . . If fidelity IS a key factor for your documents, you will want to use the “Rasterize All Fonts (Type3 Fonts)” option when converting out to PDF. Select this option to embed all of the fonts used in the document into the .PDF file as Adobe Type 3 raster fonts. This will ensure that your document can be viewed with full fidelity when the file is distributed. The main issue to this method is that the PDF files are fairly large. This is due to the Type3 fonts being embedded in the PDF file. You can ZIP the PDF files to help reduce their size and speedup downloading. To create a PDF version of your form with full fidelity:
Note: By selecting this option the Converter will create - on the fly - Type3 versions of all the fonts in your job. Because of this on the fly conversion, it may take a few more seconds to convert!
If You Need to Control Your Output on a Font By Font Basis . . If you’re a “control freak”, you will want to use the “Use Font Mapping” option when converting out to PDF. Select this option to use a mapping table to control - on a font-by-font basis - the font format used in the .PDF file. When you use this method, you can have the Converter use a combination of Multiple Master, Adobe Type3 raster and Adobe Type1(PostScript) name mappings for the fonts used in your document. Your first step would be to write down the font names used in your .ELX form and then select the corresponding Font Type and Font Name that you want the font mapped to. Once you have this info, you can continue with the following:
[PrinDriver Technology] [Viewer_Filemap]
Note: When the “Use Font Mapping” option is selected, the Converter scans the specified .ELX file and compares the Elixir font names used in the form with the names found in the PSFONT.MAP file. If a match for a particular font is not found, a Multiple Master instance is generated. If a match is found, the Converter looks at the right half of the entry to determine whether to rasterize as a Type 3 font or to call the font out by a Type1 name. Notice, in the example below, that the mapping file is an editable text file with a simple equivalence table. The syntax for the entries is: font name= [RASTERIZE] [TYPE1fontname-weight point-size] For example: TR11NP=Times-Roman 11
Original Elixir Form
PDF Form converted with Substitute All Fonts (MM Fonts) option and viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
PDF Form converted with Rasterize All Fonts (Type3 Fonts) option and viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
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