At 10:58 pm -0400 10/5/02, Howard Rigby wrote: >What I want to know is whether any of you can recommend a particular >prepress PDF manipulator that can do the following *without* me >having to use the Finale source files: > >allow a cover and endpage not already in the Handlo PDF; >the ability to chain several PDFs into one; >eliminate/add blank pages; >the ability to override PDF page numbers so that several files with >their own numbering system print as if they were consecutive, and, >lastly, >colorizing options
Howard -- [Speaking from a limited knowledge of the product, the assumption that Adobe knows more about the PDF file format than anyone else, and your statement that: >cost is not an issue.] I think that you should closely examine Adobe inDesign. I think the biggest problem will be your need for >the ability to override PDF page numbers so that several files with >their own numbering system print as if they were consecutive. For this you will almost certainly have to open the files in the _full_ Adobe Acrobat package and manipulate the page numbers there. You might be able to handle the entire process in Acrobat, but I suspect that layout, page insertion and (if needed) additional pages of text, graphics, etc., will be easier when coupled with inDesign. I would make a list of my requirements and then call Adobe Sales. Try to ascertain from them whether everything you need to do can be done from Acrobat alone. If it can, fine. If it can't, ask about using inDesign as well. Whenever they start to stumble in their answers assume that the person you are talking to is in over their head and ask to speak to a tech. If you are going to be processing a lot of documents this way you might want to look into AppleScripting the whole process (assuming you are on a Mac). I believe that both programs have quite a bit of AppleScript functionality, and you might be able to wire the whole process together so that you could get most of the work done by just selecting the files and executing a script. It might be too much programming work if you only have to create your composite documents a few times, but it would be a real time-saver if you have to do similar composites many times over an extended period. I don't know what you mean by "colorizing options," so I can give even less advice about that. Hope some of this helps, -=-Dennis _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
