Re: Mathematica to PDF (and PDF v. PowerPoint)
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg30566] Re: Mathematica to PDF (and PDF v. PowerPoint)
- From: aes <siegman at stanford.edu>
- Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2001 01:40:11 -0400 (EDT)
- Organization: Stanford University
- References: <9mfmfs$242$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
In article <9mfmfs$242$1 at smc.vnet.net>,
Ioan Alexandre Romoscanu <romoscanu at imes.mavt.ethz.ch> wrote:
> Hi
>
> I would like to create a pdf file form a mathematica notebook and do not
> manage to get an acceptable result. I use Mathematica 4.0 and Acrobat
> Distiller and followed all the instructions given here and here.
>
> Any clue? Does anyone manage to create perfect pdf files form Math.
> notebooks?
Yes, I've found printing to PDF very handy for generating projectable
slide shows from Mathematica output -- but I'm don't know whether I'm using the
Math1 fonts or not in doing this (possibly not, because my output is
focused on graphics, not on math typesetting).
Addl notes on generating slide shows in a single step using Mathematica and PDF:
1) I'm using Mac PB G3, OS 8.6, Mathematica 4.1, Acrobat 5.0, and printing from
Mathematica directly to PDF using the AdobePS printer driver that comes with
Acrobat 5.0. This drive has a "Print to PDF" option built in.
Distiller is also present in the Acrobat folder as an ancillary app to
Acrobat 5.0. I don't know whether the AdobePS driver uses Distiller as
part of its processing engine when you print directly to PDF, or not.
2) To make transparencies, set the page format to Landscape instead of
Portrait in Mathematica Page Setup, and use the "Screen" options in the AdobePS
printer driver dialog box.
3) As add'l elementary tools for making slides, I use functions
PrintPageHeading[headerString_]:= StylePrint[
StyleForm[headerString,FontSize\[Rule]18,FontWeight\[Rule]"Bold"],
PageBreakAbove\[Rule]True]
PrintHeading[headerString_]:= StylePrint[
StyleForm[headerString,FontSize\[Rule]18,FontWeight\[Rule]"Bold"]]
to start a new slide with a heading, or to put a bulleted item on the
transparency. These are enough to compose simple transparencies with
graphics plots and some text on them.
4) Printing graphics with ImageSize->10*72 makes a graphic about big
enough to mostly fill a transparency (with the (in)famous80% reduction
taken into account).
5) The primary reasons for generating slide shows this way -- that is,
for using Acrobat instead of PowerPoint for slide shows, despite
PowerPoint's other strong features -- are that you can create them
direct from Mathematica, using Mathematica graphics, in one shot. By contrast
a) I don't know how to print from Mathematica (or any other program) directly
into PowerPoint.
b) To go from Mathematica to PowerPoint requires exporting a graphic from Mathematica
to HD in EPS format; opening the EPS file in Illustrator and Saving it
in order to create a preview; then importing the resulting EPSF file
into PowerPoint -- and after you've done all these steps, the *screen*
PowerPoint image (which is what is projected in a slide show) still uses
only the preview, not the EPS file, and looks lousy if you change the
image size.
(Does Microsoft provide only a crippled version of PostScript rendering
for screen images in PowerPoint as a deliberate tactic to force users
into using MS's drawing and equation editing tools?)
(On the other hand, why can't Mathematica export an EPS, or EPSI, file with a
*PICT* preview built in?)
6) In addition, Acrobat 5.0 has a good built-in Full Screen slide show
capability and an on-screen page-sorting or slide-sorting capability
using thumbnails that is nearly as good as PowerPoint's. So, Acrobat is
reasonable competition for PowerPoint as a slide show application.
--AES