Pages 1--4 from Acrobat Intro Seminar JUL97

1. Overview:
Published description:
"Adobe Acrobat is an increasingly common way to publish files on the Web. This lecture/ demo looks at how to display such files with a Web browser and how to create

them from existing files (MS Word, PageMaker, etc). Prerequisites: General word
processing and Web browsing skills."

Support statement: Computing & Information Services offers consulting support on general Internet usage
and on the Netscape browser. Adobe Acrobat is not a supported product at this time.

Goals: ƒ To understand the advantages and disadvantages of publishing in Acrobat format.
ƒ To understand how to read Acrobat files on the Web.
ƒ To understand how to create simple Acrobat files for the Web.
ƒ To consider Acrobat as part of an integrated Web publication strategy.

2. Quick road test ­ reading Acrobat files.
ƒ Acrobat Reader as Netscape plug- in. look at several sample files on the Web.

ƒ Acrobat Reader toolbar and screen layout:

viewing pages: maginification and page layout.
navigation within a document.
printing a document. 1
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3. Reading and using simple Acrobat files.
ƒ Acrobat components: Reader

Exchange
Distiller
plug- ins ­ Adobe supplied and third- party sources.

ƒ the operational outline: general: creator application -> Acrobat Exchange/ Distiller -> PDF file

model 1: PDF file -> standalone Acrobat reader application
model 2: Web server -> Web browser -> Acrobat plug- in
model 3: e- mail send: uuencode, attach -> e- mail receive: decode, save
MIME type: application/ pdf pdf

ƒ memory requirements Macintosh: OS= 8.8MB + Netscape 3.02= 9MB (7MB min) + Acrobat= 5.2MB

Windows NT: OS=?? MB + Netscape 3.02= 12.7MB + Acrobat= 6MB
ƒ version issues between 2. x and 3.0

ƒ flagging Acrobat files

4. Creating and using Acrobat files.
ƒ the operational outline to create PDF files: model 1: creator app -> PDF Writer -> PDF file

model 2: creator app -> PS -> Acrobat Distiller -> PDF file
model 3: PDF file -> Acrobat Exchange -> edited PDF file

ƒ generate from common desktop apps such as Word, Excel, PageMaker: print to PostScript file and process with Acrobat Distiller

print directly to PDF with PDF Writer and process with Acrobat Exchange
ƒ nature of the PDF file format relationship to PostScript

ƒ content issues and options active hyperlinks
byteserving to reduce download + render time
compression of graphics
indexing and searching

ƒ inclusion in HTML linkname

5. Integrated and alternative publishing strategies.
ƒ choosing a basic strategy: design for print, design for online, design for intermediate meta format.

ƒ related electronic docment technologies Common Ground "Digital Paper" from Hummingbird Communications Ltd at:

Envoy "Portable Document Technology" owned by Novell, from Tumbleweed Software at:
http:// www. envoy. com/ products. htm
Replica was "retired" as a product by Farallon Communications, Inc. 2
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ƒ mark- up languages. relationship of HTML, SGML and XML.
availability of special page and site editors (SiteMill, Fusion, MS FrontPage97)
ƒ use of a desktop application (e. g., Word, PageMaker) output PS, RTF and use filters to generate HTML and other formats.

ƒ use of a database to generate Web pages. Philip Greenspun,
Database Backed Web Sites, ZDPress, ISBN: 1- 56276- 530- 2.

6. References.
Adobe's Acrobat pages.
Acrobat main page.
http:// www. adobe. com/ acrobat/ Acrobat sites on the Web - the PDF Directory.

http:// www. adobe. com/ acrobat/ pdfweb. html Acrobat access for visual disabilities.
http:// access. adobe. com/ Acrobat PDF format details.
http:// www. adobe. com/ supportservice/ devrelations/ PDFS/ TN/ PDFSPEC. TXT
Other Acrobat- related pages. Ambia Corporation's plug- ins for Acrobat Exchange.
http:// www. ambia. com/ BrowserWatch's plug- in plaza.
http:// browserwatch. internet. com/ plug- in. html DigiDox's DigiDozen plug- ins for Acrobat Exchange.
http:// www. digidox. com/ html/ products/ digidozn. htm
Emerge's PDF Zone.
http:// www. emrg. com/ zone/ zone. html Project Cool's Acrobat Developer Zone.

http:// www. projectcool. com/ developer/ acrobat/ Yahoo's Acrobat Links.
http:// www. yahoo. com/
(use "adobe acrobat" to search - the URL is too complex to list here)

Publications. Adobe Acrobat Version 3.0 (Classroom in a Book).
paper: [1997], MacMillan, 303 pp., $40.00, incl CD, ISBN: 1- 56830365- 3. Acrobat by Example, by Dawn Erdos & Ann Aubrey.
paper: [1996], MIS: Press, 384 pp., $24.95 ISBN: 1- 55828468- 0.
Internet Publishing with Adobe Acrobat, by Gordon Kent.
paper: [1996], Hayden Books, 380 pp., $40.00 ISBN: 1- 56830300- 9.
online pdf: http:// www. novagraphix. com/ Internet_ Publishing_ with_ Acrobat/ Web Publishing with Adobe Acrobat and PDF, by Bruce Page & Diana Holm.

paper: [1996], Wiley, 363 pp., $39.95, incl CD, ISBN: 0- 47114948- 9.

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