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October 21, 2002 PDF Magic Professional 1.0 Now Shipping! Orlando, FL - Acro-Works Software (a division of Acro-Works, Inc) is pleased to announce the official release of their newest software, PDF Magic. Used for automating the process of creating interactive, multi-media, PDF files; PDF Magic shatters the mold for PDF automation by introducing an entirely new approach for creating multi-page, interactive PDF documents. Previously, when attempting to save time while building complex, link-filled PDF files, it has been necessary to buy a plug-in (an add-on for an already owned application) for either Adobe Acrobat, or for the layout application in which a source document (that will become the PDF) is created. Each approach has its drawbacks. An Acrobat plug-in to add links or transitions works only post-distillation (i.e. after the source file has been converted to a PDF). Consequently, all the work needs to be repeated each time that changes / revisions are made to the source file, and the file is then distilled to a new PDF. A plug-in for a layout application works only for that application, a serious flaw in today's wired world where PDF is rapidly becoming the format of choice, and companies need to produce PDF files from many diverse programs including layout, word processing, and even slide-show applications. PDF Magic is a stand-alone application that converts Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop EPS files into EPS files that Acro-Works has dubbed "Magic Link Graphics", which contain all of the desired settings for a link the creator wishes to have in a PDF file. This Link Graphic can then be placed into any file that can place an EPS graphic. This includes all layout applications, major word processor applications, most slide-show and presentation applications, and many others. Once this file has been converted to a PDF by Acrobat Distiller, those links are present, activated, and pre-configured � as if by Magic! As Acro-Works Founder and CEO, R. J. Sinclair explains, "I wanted to convert a sixty-four page catalog (that had been laid out to go to press) into a PDF file for electronic distribution. Every catalog I've seen, for a company with a web site, has the URL (the web address) on every page. Those URLs should, of course, be clickable links that will take the viewer to the site. Manually going through each page, and building those web links one at a time, by hand, was unacceptable. Spending hundreds of dollars on a plug-in (for Acrobat) to save twenty to thirty percent of that time was also unacceptable; especially when I realized that every time the source file was updated and run through Acrobat Distiller, I'd have to do it all over again. Buying a plug-in for my layout application was also out of the question because I make PDF files from about a dozen different programs; and that would add up to thousands of dollars � if they were even available for all the programs I use." What Mr. Sinclair wanted - a way to put the links into nearly any kind of source file, especially layout files, (where they could be placed just once on a Master Page, making them appear on every page) - just didn't seem to exist. So he decided to build one for himself. When other designers heard about his system, and realized that it could save as much as ninety-five percent of the time necessary to build complex, active PDF files, they wanted to get in on it as well. Following in the footsteps of so many all-American entrepreneurs who have come before him, he decided to start a company and sell the system to anyone who needed it. PDF Magic was the result. In addition to the application for making Link Graphics, the system also includes a set of 160 Transition Graphics that allow a designer to build flashy page transitions like Wipes, Splits and Dissolves into any PDF file. Like the Link Graphics, Transition Graphics can be placed in any source file that can place an EPS. Once that file has been converted to a PDF (via Acrobat Distiller), the transitions simply appear � as if by Magic! This enables the creation of PDF slide-shows that are small, clean, reliable, and viewable in the free Acrobat Reader, on nearly every platform in existence. The system also includes a set of 32 View Graphics (again, placed in the source file) that will cause the PDF to open automatically at a particular View (e.g. Fit In Window, Full Screen, etc.). Early responses from customers have been exceptionally positive, and include such comments as: "It's like waving a magic wand." "It's taken all of the drudgery out." "I've never had a slide show presentation go so well, as when using one built with PDF Magic. Even the client who saw it was impressed, and kept commenting on how smoothly it played, and that it didn't 'break' even once." PDF Magic Professional 1.0 includes: * PDF Magic 1.0 * 160 Transition Graphics * 32 View Graphics * Over 600 Ready-To-Use Source Graphics (to be converted to Link Graphics) * 2 User Guides in PDF format (one designed for on-screen use, and one formatted to be printed) * FREE Upgrades for the life of the product * Price: $195.00 per copy (site license discounts and educational discounts are available, see web site for contact info.) For more information, visit the web site at: http://www.pdfmagic.com __________________________ Please visit our sponsors: RadGad(sm): The Place for Useful Gifts & Gadgets.(sm) http://www.radgad.com/, mailto:info@;radgad.com, or 877-5-RADGAD MacTech(r) Magazine: The journal of Macintosh technology and development http://www.mactech.com, mailto:info@;mactech.com, or 805-494-9797 DevDepot(sm): Your Source for RAM, Technical & Developer Products http://www.devdepot.com, mailto:info@;devdepot.com or call 877-DEPOT-NOW To submit a posting to MacDev-1, mailto:press_releases@;mactech.com. To subscribe to MacDev-1, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the SUBJECT line reading "SUBSCRIBE MACDEV-1". To unsubscribe, the SUBJECT line should read "UNSUBSCRIBE MACDEV-1". MacTech, Developer Depot, RadGad, and Xplain Corporation are not responsible for any errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in this message. 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