Re: Automator-users Digest, Vol 40, Issue 5
Re: Automator-users Digest, Vol 40, Issue 5
- Subject: Re: Automator-users Digest, Vol 40, Issue 5
- From: Peter Breis <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 23 May 2009 08:19:11 +1000
This is not very useful as all OSX applications can "Print to pdf" and
Pages is doing no more than any of the others in using the ColorSync
Quartz PDF/X-3 filter available.
The best route is the Preview save to pdf using Quartz PDFContent
which produces a tight v1.3 PDF.
The v1.3 PDF is a fairly old one and is best for vector files with
outlines and straight fills, stretched maybe to those with linear
gradients. It does handle vectors with radial fills and meshes but
those are converted to stepped transitions and the file size grows
both in size and complexity. For the more modern and complex .pdfs,
Illustrator's save to .pdf v1.6 or v1.7 is a better route.
If used for the simpler vector files, the pdf that results from
Preview is perfect. The file size is the smallest size possible
beating any other method available and definitely any that Adobe
produces using Distiller or any of its other products. Apple uses a
special algorithm that is very terse, which you can see by reading the
resultant postscript in a Text Editor. The file is reduced to the
bounding box of the graphic meaning it will display at maximum size in
any preview and will import to fill any image box without extra space
around, or white background as long as that was not part of the
illustration. Blacks remain 100% K and the filter does an excellent
job of converting rgb to cmyk. Even spot colors are retained even
though that is not part of Apple's PDF/X-3 model.
The problem is that as I have said the only sensible path I have seen
to this is via a Preview conversion from a .ps or eps file. Preview in
Apple's infinite wisdom is not scriptable and the Quartz PDFContent is
a deep OSX call which to my knowledge is not publically documented.
The more accessible UNIX function of PSTOPDF does nowhere as good a job.
I too have been seeking both an AppleScript that will use the Quartz
PDFContent and/or an Automator action to convert my backlog of eps
files to the much smaller and more useful .pdf format.
I do have a script that basically calls up Preview via Finder and does
the conversion but it is very slow, clumsy and not quite what I
wanted. I am still seeking the Holy Grail of something that will do
the job quickly with error handling and a log for failed files. I have
not got it yet.
Apple should have this as a ready made Action in the Automator suite.
I think it is fundamental to good operation in OSX to have all the
legacy files available in .pdfs. For a start the file size saving is
enormous, cutting megabytes down to a dozen or so kilobytes. It also
lets you preview in Finder, CoverFlow, Catalogers and Open dialogs
files which are otherwise just plain icons.
Apple does some very odd things, such as not making Preview
Scriptable, not making the OSX standard .pdf format one of the
conversion formats in the Automator conversion action and not making
it either obvious or easy to do simple open/save routines in
Automator. I am not a programmer and my attempts have ended in failure
at one point or another. I also found my Automator actions that sort
of did the job would break after a few system updates.
I will try and hunt out the various scripts and actions I have tried
and post those. Maybe someone can fix or improve on them.
Petre Breis
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 23:02:29 -0700
From: "Roger A. Clark" <email@hidden>
Subject: Re: Print to PDF
To: Mike Matthews <email@hidden>
Cc: "email@hidden"
<email@hidden>
Message-ID: <email@hidden>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Pages has an Export to .PDF function. It's in the "Share" menu.
Thanks,
Roger
Sent from my iPhone
On May 20, 2009, at 9:50 PM, Mike Matthews <email@hidden>
wrote:
Hi:
OK, I've scoured the web and drawn a blank. Has anyone seen an
Automator action that will take a file (preferably any file, Pages
files more specifically) and make a PDF of it?
Convert to PDf seems to want text files only.
TIA,
mm
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