The following Step by Step instructions are for producing Press ready PDF files.

• Your system must be configured with the appropriate version of the Adobe Postscript Printer Driver (Adobe PS) and the Acrobat Distiller Postscript Printer Description (PPD).
  
• Page layout programs such as QuarkXpress™ that can create Postscript files (.ps) or Encapsulated Postscript files (.eps).
  
• Adobe Acrobat 4.05 or Acrobat 5.0

Step 1 — Download the 3DAPv2.joboptions file which contains all the parameters you need to produce high quality PDF files in Acrobat Distiller.

Download Macintosh or Windows and uncompress using WinZIP or Stuffit Expander.

• (3DAPv2: ZIP: Windows)
• (3DAPv2: Stuffit SIT: MacOS).

Step 2 — Install the [3DAPv2.joboptions] file into the directory named settings inside the Distiller directory of the Acrobat application. Once installed restart Acrobat Distiller.

Step 3 — Prepare your system and create your document following the recommended guidelines in the System Set-up and Document Set-up pages on this site.

Step 4a — To Distill the PDF file Manually
Save a composite Postscript file (.ps) or Encapsulated Postscript file (.eps).

Start Acrobat distiller. Select the 3DAP job options by clicking Settings > Job Options > 3DAPv2 job options.

Open (.ps) or (.eps) file.

Select file name to be saved as and location.

File will be distilled and converted into a PDF. (The PDF file will have the .pdf extension).

Step 4b — To Distill the PDF file Automatically
Save the composite Postscript file (.ps) or Encapsulated Postscript file (.eps) into a distiller "Watched Folder" where the assigned 'joboptions' setting is the 3DAP options.

Step 5 — The newly created PDF file can then be viewed in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.

Step 6 — You can now print the PDF file directly from Acrobat to any print device or for more accurate colour reproduction there is a 3DAP proofing profile available for various approved Proofing Devices. For more detailed information go to the Digital Proofing section on this site.

Note: Some applications such as Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia Freehand allow you to create PDF files from directly within the program, but due to the extremely complex nature of image/plate setters and greater control with pre-flighting, it is recommended that a postscript file is first created and that file then distilled with Acrobat Distiller.