About Carol Ott Expertise I can answer any questions that pertain to Acrobat 3.01, 4.0, and most questions pertaining to 5.0. I use PDF extensively, and was already selected as a "Ask the Expert" expert under my previous e-mail address, csott@earthlink.net.
Experience I have used Adobe Acrobat since version 2, and would consider myself to be an advanced user.
Question I've prepared an Illustrator file (Illustrator 8, Windows) that contains a filled black box. When I print to my laser printer from Illustrator, the black box prints wonderfully. The edges of the box are sharp, the fill is solid black. White text that runs across the black box is also sharp.
However, when I create a PDF from the same Illustrator file and then print the PDF, the black box has fuzzy edges. White text that runs across the black box is not sharp at all. A peek through a loupe reveals a dot screen on the black box!
How did this screen get there and how do I remove it? In vain I've created PDFs many different ways: using Illustrator's "Save As" command; printing to Distiller (Version 5.0); printing to file using various PostScript printers. I've tried different resolutions, believe me. I feel like I've changed every setting a hundred times!
I've tried printing the PDFs from Acrobat 6 and Acrobat 5. Same result, every time.
I'm obviously doing something wrong. Please tell me what!
Thanks!
Answer Hi there --
Assuming you're using Distiller to create your PDF, play with the compression settings in the JOB OPTIONS menu. For some reason, my Distiller reverts to the "e-Book" settings...which obviously wouldn't work well for print. You can also create your own custom settings and Distiller will save them -- this is a really handy option if you're a print designer.
