If you work with text or graphics then Distiller should be your best friend.

A decent graphic designer does more than make things look cool in photoshop. If anything, that clique is exceptionally outdated. A decent graphic designer working with a file for printed output should test their file for font errors, separation errors and make it easy for whomever is handling their file next to obtain the result they are looking for.

Acrobat Distiller does more than make PDF - it operates as a virtual colour printer operating at 1200dpi. Distiller is also handy printing files that don't like being sent to the printer, for archiving jobs that wont be changed and for making sure your file wont be altered when it's opened by a user that is not sitting in front of your machine.

I use Distiller exclusively on PC systems but the majority of techniques can be used on Mac systems as well. I've also found that for best results, a number of setting need to be changed in the printer properties: (Start-Settings-Printers) which I explain in the setting up distiller section.

The following pages may be of help when setting up distiller in your workflow.

Installing distiller on Windows2000/XP Machine - march 2002

PDF - Setting up your distiller - march 2002

PDF - Making a word file a PDF - painlessly - march 2002

Forthcoming articles:

PDF - Using watched folders

PDF - Distiller as proofing printer

PDF - The tools and the process

PDF - Essential software

PDF - The traps

PDF - The reward

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