What's covered
Getting ready to create PDF files
Creating PDF files
Adobe recommends the methods in this document for converting Microsoft Word documents to Adobe PDF with Adobe Acrobat (Professional or Standard).
After you install Acrobat, you can use either the Adobe PDF printer or Acrobat PDFMaker to convert PDF files in Word. Acrobat PDFMaker supports additional PDF features that aren't available with the Adobe PDF printer, such as tagged Adobe PDF information, hyperlinks, styles, and bookmarks. For more information about the Adobe PDF printer and PDFMaker, see the Acrobat Help. You can also convert a Word document to an Adobe PDF file by using Acrobat.
Getting ready to create PDF files
Before you create a Word document, you may want to make a few changes to your system to get the best results when you convert files to PDF. You may not need to perform all the steps in this section if you haven't yet created your Word documents. However, be sure to complete the following tasks in order:
1. Make a copy of your Word document.
To preserve the original formatting of a document, make a copy of the document before changing the printer to the Adobe PDF printer. If you change the default printer for a Word document, the formatting of the document may change because Word applies page setup properties and resident fonts specific to the default printer driver. If you receive Word documents from another source, you should ask the documents' creator to set the default printer to the Adobe PDF printer before he or she creates the documents. Reformat the copy to correct formatting shifts after you specify the printer.
2. Set up the Adobe PDF printer as the default printer.
Setting the Adobe PDF printer as the default printer ensures that you get the best results when you convert your file to PDF.
To set up the Adobe PDF printer as the default printer:
1. Choose Start > Settings > Printers And Faxes (Windows XP) or Start > Settings > Printers (Windows 2000).
2. Right-click Adobe PDF, and then choose Set As Default [Printer]. (In Windows XP, the Set As Default option isn't available if the Adobe PDF printer is already the default printer.)
3. Configure the Adobe PostScript printer driver.
Acrobat configures the Adobe PDF printer to use the Adobe PostScript printer driver (AdobePS); however, you must configure AdobePS to send TrueType fonts as Native TrueType fonts to preserve their appearance and to prevent them from being substituted with Type 1 fonts.
In Windows XP or 2000:
1. Choose Start > Settings > Printers And Faxes (Windows XP) or Start > Settings > Printers (Windows 2000).
2. Right-click Adobe PDF, and then choose Properties.
3. Click the General tab, click Printing Preferences, click the Layout tab, and then click Advanced.
4. Click the plus sign next to PostScript Options.
5. Select the TrueType Font Download Option, and then choose Native TrueType from the pop-up menu.
6. Click OK and OK again to close the dialog.
4. Specify printing options in Word.
The Adobe PDF printer uses the printing options you specify in the Word Options or Print dialog box. If a Word document uses a custom page size, add the custom page size to the Adobe PDF printer properties.
To specify printing options in Word:
1. Choose Tools > Options.
2. Click the Print tab.
3. Deselect Reverse Print Order to make sure that pages in the PDF file appear in the correct sequence. If the document contains line graphics (for example, arrows or flow charts), select Drawing Objects.
4. Select any other appropriate settings, and then click Print.
To add a custom page size to the Adobe PDF printer properties:
1. Choose File > Print.
2. Choose Adobe PDF as the printer, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Adobe PDF Settings tab
4. From the Adobe PDF Page Size menu, click Add.
5. Specify the page height and width, name the custom page size, and then click Add/Modify.
6. Click OK. The custom page size appears in the Adobe PDF Page Size list.
5. Replace low-resolution graphics.
If your Word document contains graphics that have a resolution lower than 200 dpi (for example, on-screen images), replace the graphics with higher resolution graphics, if possible. Graphics with a resolution lower than 200 dpi may not appear as smooth when converted to PDF. Acrobat products apply anti-aliasing, which smooths images, only to graphics that have a resolution of 200 dpi or greater, whereas Word applies anti-aliasing to all graphics.
Creating PDF files
The method you choose to create PDF files depends on the features you want to include in your Adobe PDF file. To create PDF files with the quickest and simplest method, use the Adobe PDF printer. If you want to include embedded tags, styles, bookmarks, hyperlinks, or Properties information for the Word document, convert them by using PDFMaker. Because PDFMaker provides these additional features, it may take longer to convert documents, especially large documents that contain several fonts, complex tables, or both.
Creating PDF files using the Adobe PDF printer
After you specify your printing options, you can create a PDF file from the Word document.
To create a PDF file using the Adobe PDF printer:
1. In Word, choose File > Print.
2. Choose Adobe PDF from the Printer Name menu.
3. Click OK, and specify a file name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.
Creating PDF files using PDFMaker
You can convert Word files from within either Word or Adobe Acrobat. Because both applications use PDFMaker, you can achieve the same results in either application.
To create a PDF file from within Word:
1. Exit from all applications except Word to minimize processing time. To further minimize processing time, complete the following:
-- If the document contains several fonts, either reduce the number of fonts or replace TrueType fonts with Type 1 fonts.
-- If the document contains large or complex tables, reduce the number of columns and rows.
2. If the document contains hyperlinks, make sure that the page margins are .8 inch or larger.
3. To add features such as font embedding and compression to your PDF file, choose Adobe PDF > Change Conversion Settings. (To create customized job options settings with these features, edit the conversion settings. For more information, see "Customize Adobe PDF settings" in the Acrobat Help.)
4. Choose Adobe PDF > Convert to Adobe PDF, or click the Convert to AdobePDF icon on the Word toolbar, specify a file name and location for the PDF file, and then click Save.
To create a PDF file from within Acrobat:
1. Configure Acrobat PDF conversion settings:
a. In Acrobat, choose Edit > Preferences > and select Convert to PDF from the list.
b. Select Microsoft Office Word from the Converting To PDF list.
c. Click Edit Settings, select one or more conversion settings, and then click OK.
2.Choose File > Create PDF > From File.
3. Select Microsoft Office Word from the File of Type list, select the file that you want to convert, and then click Open. Acrobat then opens the document in Word, and converts it to a PDF file by using PDFMaker.
