Expert: LizaL - 1/2/2007

Question
My husband created an 8 page document in Photoshop on Gardening Plans which we want to turn into a pdf and sell downloads on eBay.  He created each page as a separate document which I can save as an individual pdf, but I cannot figure out how to combine them in order to make them one pdf file.  Thank you for your help and also if you have any advice on what we want to do with the final product mechanically.

Answer
Hi Christine,

I don't think your answer lies in Photoshop. There are restrictions for creating PDFs in Photoshop; for instance, a Photoshop PDF can contain only one image -- and this will translate to only one page.

The other limitation is that Photoshop isn't a page layout software, and this is what you need for a document of the type that you describe. The typical workflow is to edit your images in a program like Photoshop, then export them for use in a page layout program such as InDesign or Quark. In your page layout program you can arrange the images on the pages, and add your type there, too.

That said, I'm not sure what you mean when you say you've created an 8-page document in Photoshop, because Photoshop isn't a multipage document application. In other words, you can't have more than one page in Photoshop. True, you can have several images that you designate to look and function as pages, but you can't create a true, multipage document in Photoshop.

Photoshop is also a bitmap program and not designed for creating and editing type that will be used as the body copy for a document like the one you're planning. Photoshop is fine for creating headlines, in some cases, but by and large it's not a good idea to use Photoshop for type creation.

The only option I can think for you to use as your document stands right now is Adobe Acrobat -- not the free reader, but the actual program. This might let you assemble your Photoshop document into separate pages, and save them as a PDF.

Sorry if this ruins your plans, but if you're planning to create, market and sell your product, you'll need to have the right tools! Take a look at the Adobe and Quark sites to see and possibly download trial versions of InDesign or Quark. To do what you want to do, you really need page layout software.

http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/

http://www.quark.com/products/xpress/

Hope this helps, and feel free to post back for more information or advice. I worked in magazine design and production for a lot of years, and maybe I can help you figure out a plan for your document.

Lisa