[Marook]

Hi All.

So, I'm one of those that don't have a hardware-printer, but would like to make 'prints' as PDFs in OS X.

Is it possible to make a 'bogus' printer setup in OS X (like installing Print2PDF in OS 9)???

[JHromadka]

I don't have a printer installed either. Just select Print Preview and it will bring up the Preview App where you can save as PDF.

[asagoo]

If you also want to print to PostScript files, open MacHelp and put the following in the search field:
virtual + postscript + printer
This will give you a detailed description of how to add a virtual printer.

Amar

[udecker]

Originally posted by JHromadka:
<STRONG>I don't have a printer installed either. Just select Print Preview and it will bring up the Preview App where you can save as PDF.</STRONG>

Problem here is in Office v.X apps. Of all the programs I need PDF's from, Word is the most important. However, print preview in Word brings up MS's own preview pane, which is not a PDF, unlike the rest of the OS.

[edit: found the workaround]
To get around this, instead of selecting "print preview" from the File menu, go to "Print" from the file menu, and then click the preview button in that panel ... it spawns Preview correctly, in PDF format. ;-)

-uD

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: udecker ]

[jwblase]

Or: You could hit "Print" from the file menu, and when the print dialog comes up, choose output options: Save as PDF. It will print the document directly to a PDF document wherever you told it to.

JB

[Simon Mundy]

OR...

Instead of selecting 'PDF' from the output options menu, select postscript!

Then you can distill it properly and get a much smaller file. I can't believe how huge that Quartz makes PDFs compared to Acrobat.

[Brass]

Originally posted by JHromadka:
<STRONG>I don't have a printer installed either. Just select Print Preview and it will bring up the Preview App where you can save as PDF.</STRONG>

I get really sick of saying this, but I will persist...

As a few others have also said, the above suggestion is good and works, but there is a quicker and better way to save files as PDF's. You can do it directly from the Print dialogue box, without having to use the "Preview" function and "Preview" application at all.

In the Print dialogue, simply choose "Output Options" from the pop-up menu, then select to save as a PDF (or as PostScript if you like). Then click Save, and you're done.

Still I agree that the virtual printer option would be nice. Actually, what would be better still would be to have the "Save As..." dialog box include a PDF option. Although the Printing analogy is reasonable, it really is not actually printing and logically would work more intuitively as a "Save As..." option.

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: Brass ]

[Marook]

Originally posted by asagoo:
<STRONG>If you also want to print to PostScript files, open MacHelp and put the following in the search field:
virtual + postscript + printer
This will give you a detailed description of how to add a virtual printer.

Amar</STRONG>

Well, this was what I was looking for. Thanks!

[jarinteractive]

Why is the PostScript option grayed out on my computer?

-JARinteractve

[Oink]

Virtual printer is the best solution.

I have about 6 virtual printers set up in OS9, in order to create printer/imagesetter specific pdfs (via distiller) I send to service bureau. I didn't know it was possible in OS X, thanks for the pointer.

BTW, PDFs created by preview method(s) are apparently bigger than those created by distiller, another reason to go virtual printer/distiller route

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: Oink ]