PDF Nightmare Solved (?)

[Tom Herme <hermet -at- DNINEVADA -dot- COM>]

I wanted to follow up on my PDF nightmare post from earlier this week.
The most fundamental problem is the Acrobat Reader version used. I
confirmed what some of you told me. Reader version 3.01 is buggy. Reader
version 3.0 reads fine. I tested  PDF files created using both the PDF
Writer and Distiller on user PCs here loaded with Reader version 3.0,
and discovered that viewing and printing results in acceptable bitmapped
graphics. Reader version 3.01 does not, and it is the version I have
installed on my machine.

Other issues have to do with print output of fonts. On a HP LaserJet 5Si
printer, printing from Reader version 3.0, using the HP 5Si MX PS
(postscript) driver resulted in nearly flawless printing of all fonts.
That was not the case with non-Postscript drivers where there were a
variety of issues.

Adobe's website did not mention this Reader 3.01 problem.

Even though I'm far from finished trying to understand all of these
issues, including whether I want to sent our Docu-Tech print vendor
Distiller-generated PDF versus PRN files, I am inclined to tell our
customers to use Reader 3.0 or forget about the PDF file versions of the
manual that will accompany our software on a CD. I really wish that
Adobe would be more forthright in fessing up to this Reader problem, as
I wasted many hours in attempting to finesse the production process with
Distiller while all the time the major problem was a buggy Reader.

Thanks very much to all of you who replied to my "Nightmare" posting. I
learned much that remains useful to me.

--
====================
Tom Herme
Senior Technical Writer

DNI Nevada Incorporated
2000 Arrowhead Drive
Carson City, NV 89706-0403

Tel: 702.883.3400, Ext 231
Fax: 702.883.9541

mailto://hermet -at- DNINevada -dot- com
====================