8 replies to this topic

[Hans van der Maarel]

I'm looking for a way to create PDF files of sections of documents from Illustrator. Not the entire document, but just a small portion of it. In the past, I've used the Create Adobe PDF print-driver (*not* the Adobe PDF Writer, which is rather useless for map production as it soesn't do anything bigger than 45 inch), but I can't find that one anywhere online. Other PDF writers that I've found so far either raster everything (which I prefer not to do) or include the entire document and place a mask over it (again, not what I would prefer).

Any suggestions?

[Kartograph]

One way to skin the cat:

command print -> print to ps-file -> place the positioner over your desired area
then you use the acrobat distiller to make a pdf out of your postscript file. Good for making the pre-print coulour seperation etc. Also good for making vector pdfs.
drawback: you need a posscript printer (at least the devicedriver) and acrobat professional.


Greetings,

Andreas

[Hans van der Maarel]

Andreas,

Yeah, I thought about that one too. Actually, I think you don't need a Postscript printer or Distiller... Can't you simply place the ps file in a new Illustrator document and save that as PDF?

Maybe I should just contact Adobe and see if they can help me locate the right driver... Really frustrating, because there's only one that does exactly what I want... I used it to produce maps up to 2.4x2.4 meters with a big TIFF and transparent polygons overlaid, absolutely no problem at all. Well... actually... the printing company couldn't handle a 250 Mb PDF

[mike]

you just want a portion of your image? just crop it in illustrator.... when you save a copy as PDF, it will only save the areas that you cropped.

or maybe i'm not understanding your question correctly....

[Hans van der Maarel]

Well, my previous experiences with cropping a *huge* map in Illustrator were not very positive... Above all, I want to be able to do this quickly.

[Rick Dey]

We frequently need to hack out a portion of a map for use by someone and have found the use of 2 tools to do the job quite effectively.

First marquee select the area you want to keep and hide it. This will end up including lots of stuff that goes beyond the area you want.

Select all (which will be the remaining map) and delete.

On a new layer at the top, create a rectangle for the specific area you need.

Unhide all.

Select the rectangle on the top and go Object>Path>Divide objects below. That will divide all areas. You can then freely delete those areas outside your desired coverage.

You now use the handy "Table Saw Tool" from Rick Johnson's Cutting Tools plug-in
http://rj-graffix.co...ml#cuttingtools
around the edges to cut all those remaining lines to do your final cleanup.

Nicely organized layers with areas, type, and linework on separate layers will help with the process.

One problem with this process is if you have a placed raster image in there. Then you're just SOL.

If you haven't checked out Rick Johnson's Plug-ins, there are some great time savers there, true Illustrator essentials.

[Hans van der Maarel]

Rick,

Thanks, that looks rather interesting. I'll definately check it out.

It seems that the PDF print-driver that I want was published as part of Adobe Pressready, which was discontinued in 2002. I don't suppose somebody here has an old copy lying around?

[Martin Gamache]

Hans,

Can you not generate a vector PDF of the entire document using the regular driver? I´ve never had a page size limitation, I can create custom page sizes and print to them(although I admit that I rarely exceed standard US sheet sizes of 28" x 40", but I´ve definitely created documents larger than 45"). Anywas,to get back to your question I would then crop the resultant PDF in Acrobat Pro using the crop tool in the edit toolbar. Cropping a PDF to a certain size or to isolate certain parts has always worked well for me using this crop tool, and it leaves my original illustrator document intact which is also good.

mg

[Hans van der Maarel]

Martin,

Interesting point. I personally don't have access to Acrobat Pro, but my client, who I'm researching this for, has. I'll pass this on to him, thanks!