Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF

Subject: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jul 09 - 09:08 PM

I'm wondering if there might be a Mudcatter who still has Pagemaker, who would be able to help me convert a number of Pagemaker *.p65 files into *.PDF

I maintain the Website for the women's center where I do volunteer work. I'd like ot post our old newsletters on the Website. I've been able to do that with recent ones because the person who does our newsletter now uses Adobe InDesign and makes a *.PDF copy. She used to be able to open her old Pagemaker files with InDesign and convert them to *.PDF, but now she gets an error message every time that tells here the Pagemaker file is defective.

So, is there anyone here who has a program that can open Pagemaker Version 6.5 files and convert them to *.PDF?

Thanks.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 02 Jul 09 - 09:34 PM

Joe-
Pagemaker 7.0 does this (just click on export on the files menu). Dunno about 6.5--I usually use a cheapie called Primo PDF for conversions. If yoou can send me a zipped file, I'll convert it for you.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jul 09 - 11:24 PM

That's funny. My ex was just asking if my son has a copy of his old Photoshop Elements disk, because he started getting a message that his file was defective. I wonder if there is a virus?

I use InDesign, and can take a stab at opening and converting your files. How large are they? I'll send you an email address according to whether it's too large for my gmail account or not.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jul 09 - 01:52 AM

Yes, please, SRS. If you can give it a stab, I'd be grateful. My sample file is 7 Megabytes - if I can convert it, she'll send more and then I won't have to scan paper copies. I'm sending a copy to Dick to see if he can handle it.
Thanks a lot.

-Joe Offer-
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: Anglo
Date: 03 Jul 09 - 03:32 AM

Pagemaker 6.5 and 7.0, at least on my Mac, came with a "lite" version of Adobe Acrobat Distiller. I make pdfs out of PageMaker all the time - on a Mac. I still have to use an older Mac because PageMaker was never upgraded to Mac OSX, neither was the version of Acrobat Distiller on my computer.

The process: Print the PageMaker doc. In print options, check the "Write Postscript to file" option. I then drag and drop the .ps file onto the Distiller icon, but you can also open it from from the application menu. Either way you wind up with a pdf.

Does PageMaker PC come with Acrobat Distiller?

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: PoppaGator
Date: 03 Jul 09 - 03:54 AM

My experience & knowledge of Acrobat Distiller is [a] at work (PC, not Mac) and [b] used almost exclusively with MS Word, but occasionally with Excel.

I'm pretty sure my employer had to buy Distiller; I don't believe that it "comes with" any word-processing or other program. I don't know the cost, but I do know that, unlike Acrobat Reader, it's not free.

Once you have purchased and installed Distiller, it functions as a virtual printer. Whenever you opt to print from Word (or Excel, or Publisher, or another program), "Acrobat Distiller" appears in the print dialog box as a selection on the dropdown list of printers. When you select Distiller and click the [Print] button, you get a prompt to name the PDF file about to be created; hit [OK] and the file is created.

I don't know for sure that Distiller can be used with Pagemaker or any other specific application, but I don't see why not, since Distiller is recognized by Windows as just another printer.

There is no direct interface with the software that created the "source" document to be converted to a PDF; the commection that exists is via the operating system's print function, which is used with virtually every program on the computer. Any PC program from which a printed copy can be generated via the standard Windows print dialog box should be compatible with Distiller, and I have no doubt that the Mac handles things pretty much the same way.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help converting Pagemaker to PDF
From: GUEST,Mr Red at the local library (and struggling)
Date: 03 Jul 09 - 09:27 AM

My experience with InDesign was that it is not properly compatible. eg Master pages didn't do what I had set up in Pagemaker and there was no workaround - I never bothered with it after that.

Surely if you install a PDF printer driver it will produce a PDF document. We used PDF999 and it was basic but foolproof on any app we had there (like AutoCad). Used as if it were a printer but it asks for a file name.

I use Acrobat5 and the Printer driver regularly from PM. But I can use Distiller. (in theory paid for apps).

I can't remember if I upgraded to PM7 (with an upgrade package) but PM7 does take PM6.5 files because I did that route all the way from PM4 to PM5 to PM6.5 (maybe even PM3)

Joe if you don't get any joy, PM me. I will investigate when I get home shortly. How big are the files?