My cmcl printer can't print from pub as pdf anymore - why?

[Drix]

To .pub or not to .pub. and why not .pub. These are my question, and
I have made our groups's newsletter for a long time in MS Publisher, all
versions.

I then take it to the commercial printer as a .pdf file, as they prefer.

This last newsletter, had a lot of photos and the com. printer says we made
it too big and that it took all day for their machine to process our .pdf
file and even then it was not good a quality and was barely printable by
their commercial printing machines. They said I needed to change programs
because we've grown too big for MS Publisher and need to use QUARK or several
other names I wrote down here somewhere, but I dont' want to remember them,
because I don't want to change from MS Publisher.

I really do prefer to use MS Publisher. It's an easy to use, very powerful
and fast program that allowed us to be able to continue to create Newsletters
and other productions to such a level that we can now (until now) can create
a 24 pages newsletter.

So, my question is - huh? What are the printers saying? How did we grow
too big for MS Publisher? Why can't the commercial printers print from a
..pub file (they say they can open it, but no print from it in their
commercial grade machines?
Why can't they print a photo rich .pdf file? I have hit a wall I can't
understand.

So, can someone please point me to a PATCH/FIX/PAGE that can help our
professional printer print our packed publisher productions - please?

Thanx in advance,
Drix

 

[Mary Sauer]

Maybe you can get help here
Commercial printing
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/CH062524641033.aspx

Commercial printing help
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010833971033.aspx

Might be time to use a new print shop.
Locate a Microsoft Publisher Printer
http://mspublisher.saltmine.com/printerSearch.aspx

 

[Chris Griffiths]

To .pub or not to .pub. and why not .pub. These are my question, and
I have made our groups's newsletter for a long time in MS Publisher, all
versions.

I then take it to the commercial printer as a .pdf file, as they prefer.

This last newsletter, had a lot of photos and the com. printer says we
made
it too big and that it took all day for their machine to process our .pdf
file and even then it was not good a quality and was barely printable by
their commercial printing machines. They said I needed to change
programs
because we've grown too big for MS Publisher and need to use QUARK or
several
other names I wrote down here somewhere, but I dont' want to remember
them,
because I don't want to change from MS Publisher.

I really do prefer to use MS Publisher. It's an easy to use, very powerful
and fast program that allowed us to be able to continue to create
Newsletters
and other productions to such a level that we can now (until now) can
create
a 24 pages newsletter.

So, my question is - huh? What are the printers saying? How did we grow
too big for MS Publisher? Why can't the commercial printers print from a
.pub file (they say they can open it, but no print from it in their
commercial grade machines?
Why can't they print a photo rich .pdf file? I have hit a wall I can't
understand.

So, can someone please point me to a PATCH/FIX/PAGE that can help our
professional printer print our packed publisher productions - please?

Thanx in advance,
Drix

From the point of view of a printer that prints a lot of jobs from Publisher
files, I can see the problem. Publisher is easy to use and "powerful", but
it also lets you easily create pages with effects that will be difficult to
print.

The "output engine" of Publisher, i.e. the part of the software that
generates the PostScript that makes the PDF is not, even in the latest
version, geared up to commercial printing. So it is possible to create a
page which looks great on the screen, prints OK on a desktop inkjet, and is
almost impossible to output to plate via PDF. It is usually Publisher's
handling of transparent objects which causes the problems. Your printer
might have more success by running separations direct from Publisher, rather
than from PDFs, but in our experience, lots of transparency = lots of
problems.

There are no real problems in using Publisher for multi-page,
image-intensive publications. We run 12-36pp newsletters every month from
customers' Publisher files, although if we are starting such a job from
scratch ourselves, we would choose InDesign rather than Publisher, because
it will make our life simpler at the output stage. It is not the size of the
publication or the number of photographs which causes trouble. You can
produce "clean" PDFs by trying to avoid the use of transparency wherever
possible. One easy check is to take a look at the PDF file you have created.
If it displays slowly on the screen, with the page image appearing to be
built up bit by bit, then you have transparent elements on your page and may
have difficultiies at the output stage. Pages which display quickly in Adobe
Reader are more likely to be trouble-free. It's a bit of a rough and ready
test, but I find it a good guide.