Lively discussions on the graphic arts and publishing — in print or on the web

Adrian · 01-10-2008, 03:58 AM

Hi,

We're "versioning" an InDesign project which has been set up for a US page size of 8" x 10". Ideally, we want to leave the page size as is in InDesign, but when we produce the PDFX files for print, reduce it by 3--4 percent. I can't see an obvious way to do this in InDesign or Acrobat. Am I missing something, or is this not possible?

Best wishes, Adrian

Mike · 01-10-2008, 06:12 AM

In the past I've done this my making a pdf then printing that Acrobat file to another pdf specifying a reduction in the Acrobat print dialogue box.

Dunno if that still works in more recent versions of Acrobat.

Adrian · 01-10-2008, 06:25 AM

Mike,

That does sound plausible, but in Acrobat 7.0 Professional I can't find a custom scale option in the print dialogue box.

Best wishes, Adrian

Mike · 01-10-2008, 12:06 PM

Since it's in the print dialog box it might be a function of the print driver. I'm using a postscript printer on a Mac.

Mike · 01-10-2008, 12:09 PM

Slight correction. The scaling factor is in the page setup dialog box on the Mac - not the pint dialog box.

Adrian · 01-10-2008, 02:40 PM

It is! Thanks, Mike. That should do the trick.

Best wishes, Adrian

Benwiggy · 11-23-2009, 06:19 AM

On the Mac, you can't Save As PDF in the print menu of Acrobat. The function is disabled. You can Save As PDF from the File menu, but obviously, you don't get the print dialog controls that include page reduction.
It's because "Save As PDF" in the print menu uses Apple's routines for making PDF from the Quartz screen data, so it would come unstuck trying to make a PDF of PDF.

Can I ask why you want to reduce the size of your PDF/X files? Ideally, you should make the InDesign document the size you're going to print to.
The easiest way is to Print to PostScript in InDesign, and specify the page reduction in the dialog. Then Distill with PDF/X settings.

It does seem curious that there are not many tools for rescaling a PDF.

Adrian · 11-23-2009, 06:32 AM

Ideally, you're right! In this case, we were "versioning" an existing title for a different market, with relatively minor text revisions, and didn't want to alter the existing layout too much (for financial reasons, naturally). In the end the printer did the re-scaling from our PDFX files.

Best wishes, Adrian

01-10-2008, 03:58 AM	#1
Adrian Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 183	PDF percentage reduction Hi, We're "versioning" an InDesign project which has been set up for a US page size of 8" x 10". Ideally, we want to leave the page size as is in InDesign, but when we produce the PDFX files for print, reduce it by 3--4 percent. I can't see an obvious way to do this in InDesign or Acrobat. Am I missing something, or is this not possible? Best wishes, Adrian

01-10-2008, 06:12 AM	#2
Mike Staff Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Llanwrtyd Wells Posts: 1,450	In the past I've done this my making a pdf then printing that Acrobat file to another pdf specifying a reduction in the Acrobat print dialogue box. Dunno if that still works in more recent versions of Acrobat. __________________ Mike www.welshframing.com

01-10-2008, 12:06 PM	#4
Mike Staff Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Llanwrtyd Wells Posts: 1,450	Since it's in the print dialog box it might be a function of the print driver. I'm using a postscript printer on a Mac. __________________ Mike www.welshframing.com

01-10-2008, 12:09 PM	#5
Mike Staff Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Llanwrtyd Wells Posts: 1,450	Slight correction. The scaling factor is in the page setup dialog box on the Mac - not the pint dialog box. __________________ Mike www.welshframing.com

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-10-2008, 06:25 AM	#3
Adrian Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 183	Mike, That does sound plausible, but in Acrobat 7.0 Professional I can't find a custom scale option in the print dialogue box. Best wishes, Adrian

01-10-2008, 02:40 PM	#6
Adrian Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 183	It is! Thanks, Mike. That should do the trick. Best wishes, Adrian

11-23-2009, 06:19 AM	#7
Benwiggy Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: London Posts: 451	On the Mac, you can't Save As PDF in the print menu of Acrobat. The function is disabled. You can Save As PDF from the File menu, but obviously, you don't get the print dialog controls that include page reduction. It's because "Save As PDF" in the print menu uses Apple's routines for making PDF from the Quartz screen data, so it would come unstuck trying to make a PDF of PDF. Can I ask why you want to reduce the size of your PDF/X files? Ideally, you should make the InDesign document the size you're going to print to. The easiest way is to Print to PostScript in InDesign, and specify the page reduction in the dialog. Then Distill with PDF/X settings. It does seem curious that there are not many tools for rescaling a PDF.

11-23-2009, 06:32 AM	#8
Adrian Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 183	Ideally, you're right! In this case, we were "versioning" an existing title for a different market, with relatively minor text revisions, and didn't want to alter the existing layout too much (for financial reasons, naturally). In the end the printer did the re-scaling from our PDFX files. Best wishes, Adrian

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
What percentage of your visitors are robots?	annc	Business Matters	13	07-23-2007 04:19 AM