[Scribus] pdf problem

PLinnell mrdocs
Tue Jul 12 21:26:12 CEST 2005


On Tuesday 12 July 2005 21:01, wayne wrote:
> I create newspaper ads with scribus and send them in as pdf files.
> Most of the time there is no problem but sometimes the ads don't
> print out correctly. The fonts appear either scattered all over the
> place or parts of the text are missing.
>
> The newspaper company claims that all of their software are up to
> date and it's my fault. One paper suggested that I use postscript
> fonts instead of true type fonts. My ads (the exact same one) print
> properly in most of the company's newspapers but gets screwed up in
> a couple of the papers. My question is how can I be sure that my
> pdfs will print out properly in all of the company's newspapers?

You cannot if the are doing things like trying to import PDF into 
Quark. (Some people work that way...)

If paper A gets the same exact file as paper B and paper B has 
problem, then that needs direct inquiry.

The Type 1 font is better than True Type argument is long over IMO..

Good True Type fonts are perfectly fine if they are embedded or subset 
properly. One of my clients uses a mixture of Type 1, True Type and 
Open Type fonts in PDF without a single error or problem on win32.

That said, I find it in-excusable except for the tinyest organizations 
not to have PDF pre-flight software. Moreover, Acrobat Professional 
6.0+ has its own built in preflight tool for checking for these kinds 
of issues
>
> Should I convert all of my text to outline before exporting to pdf?
> Will this look as good as non-converted text? What resolution
> should I export them as? I currently use 300dpi, Acrobat 4
> compatibility, embed fonts, compress text, automatic.

That could help.  Though your settings are perfectly sensible.
>
> Should I be using pdf/X3? Will that make a difference?

No. And in the most recent docs, I amplified when, as well as, how to 
use PDF/X-3. 
>
> I use Vera fonts and Corel fonts most of the time. My Scribus
> version is 1.2.2. When I look at my pdf ads in Acrobat 7, they look
> fine. Apparently, the newspapers either do not have a way to test
> the pdf files in advance of printing or choose not to. Meanwhile
> I'm paying for these ads and they're being printed without dates,
> and other pertinent information.
>
> Thanks,
> Wayne
> _______________________________________________

This doc explains how to disable local font usage and then check which 
fonts are embedded.
http://docs.scribus.net/index.php?lang=en&page=toolbox1

You are welcome to contact me off-list or on IRC for details on giving 
your file a look over. Sometimes IRC is even better for quick 
feedback. 

I encourage anyone using Scribus to either mail the link or download 
and print the file here:

http://docs.scribus.net/index.php?lang=en&page=prepress

That doc was written *exactly* for people receiving Scribus files in 
pre-press.

While we are not perfect and we have found a couple of corner case 
issues with transparency, Scribus 1.2.2+ has very reliable PDF 
export. Any kind of PDF export issue is given a high priority by us, 
even if to confirm something is not a bug.

Cheers,
Peter





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