[vsurfer]

Dear Graphics gurus,

I am curious of your opinion on the most cost effective way to convert Quark 4.1 files to PDF? - and your thoughts as to whether it's also the best way?

[MacMerc.com]

For the compatibility and control you get from Adobe Acrobat, I think the price is quite good. If you are only producing PDF's for screen viewing, I'm sure cheaper options, like Print2PDF, would be adequate.

[godzookie2k]

I work at a magazine publisher. We are a pure-pdf kinda joint. How we do it.

Quark---> Print Dialog Box---->Save as File (instead of print)---->save post-script file---->Acrobat Distiller---->PDF.

Works the best out of any way I've used. Distiller has a function which lets it "watch" a folder, so we save our post scripts in that folder and (on batch days) just leave a computer running distiller all day, pumping out pdf's as fast as we can export post script files.

[MikeM32]

godzookie2k, I used to convert from Quark to PDF that way until I found the Quark PDF XTension. It basically does the same/similar thing, but when you use it it goes straight to a PDF file, so there's no manually dragging the Postscript file onto your Distiller window.

For you Quark enthusiasts, I suggest a visit to the Quark user to user forums. There's tons of useful info there and info on XTensions like the one I just mentionned. Great place to ask (so-called) "stupid" questions and so forth. Great place to get info on anything relating to Quark in general from people who have used the application for ages.

As for the most cost effective method, I'm not 100% sure if you can convert to PDF without the full-blown version of Acrobat. There is a print to PDF printer for the chooser, but I'm also uncertain if this doesn't require distiller to function correctly.

If you just can't afford Acrobat (and I don't mean the reader, that's a freebie) then making postscript files and sending them off to someone who does have the full version of Acrobat to convert for you is the only other option I can think of.

Mike