Adobe 62000112DM User Guide - Page 66

ADOBE ACROBAT 3D VERSION 8 59 User Guide You can also choose a different default Adobe PDF printer setting or create a customized setting. See also "Create PDFs by printing to file" on page 70 Overview of creating PDFs What's the best way to create a PDF? There are many correct answers to this question. You create a PDF by converting other documents and resources to Portable Document Format. Adobe Acrobat is a powerful tool with many uses, but it is not an authoring application-that is, not an application in which you design page layouts, write text, or create and place images on a blank page. Instead, it works in harmony with other applications and built-in operating system features to produce PDFs that you can then use for a variety of purposes. The best method for creating a PDF depends on several things: • What is the source document? You can create PDFs from documents printed on paper, Word documents, InDesign files, images taken by a digital camera, and spreadsheets, to name just a few examples. Different types of sources have different tools available for PDF conversion. • What is already running on your computer? You can save time by using the most readily available Acrobat conversion feature. If the document you want to convert is already open in its authoring application (for example, a spreadsheet that is open in Excel), there are several ways to convert the file to PDF without opening Acrobat. Similarly, if Acrobat is already open, you don't have to open the authoring application to convert a file to PDF. • How will you use the PDF? Every PDF strikes a balance between efficiency (small file size) and quality (such as resolution and color). When that balance is critical to your task, you'll want to use a method that includes access to various conversion options as a part of the process. For example, you can drag and drop files on the Acrobat icon on the desktop to create PDFs, but Acrobat simply applies the most recently used conversion settings without offering you access to those settings. If you want more control over the process, another method might be a better choice. Note: In Acrobat 8, you can also create a new PDF from a blank page. See also "Create a PDF from a blank page" on page 63 PDF creation methods by file type Refer to the following lists to determine the methods available for the different types of files.