Section 10.5. PDF Services

10.5. PDF Services

A nice feature of Mac OS X's print system is its tight integration with Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Earlier versions of Mac OS X had a simple Save as PDF button in the lower-left corner of the print sheet. With Tiger, the Save as PDF button has been replaced with a PDF menu that allows you to perform several different PDF-related tasks. The PDF menu also provides easy access to PDF workflows, which are scripts and programs designed to automate common tasks when working with PDFs:

Save as PDF

The firstand simplestis the Save as PDF option. Select it, give your new PDF a name, and Mac OS X does the rest of the work. The end result is a PDF version of what your document would look like on paper.

Save PDF as PostScript

Selecting the Save PDF as PostScript option performs a very similar process to the Save as PDF option, you just end up with a file in the PostScript format (.ps) instead of a PDF.

Fax PDF

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, Mac OS X Tiger has added fax support to the OS. This option is how you make use of that fax functionality. Selecting this option will pop up a new sheet for entering the fax recipient, cover page information, and other fax-related settings.

Compress PDF

The Compress PDF option is the first of several Automator workflows that Apple has included with Mac OS X. You can examine this action yourself by double-clicking it in the /Library/PDF Services folder. The workflow contains a single action, which compresses all image files in the PDF to keep its file size down.

Encrypt PDF

This workflow also contains only one Automator action. When you choose this option, you will be prompted for a password with which to encrypt the file. The PDF is then encrypted to secure its contents from prying eyes.

Mail PDF

Selecting this option causes the print job to be saved as a PDF file that is then attached to a new Mail message.

Save as PDF-X

PDF/X is a subset of the PDF standard that is geared toward the publishing industry. It is designed to have fewer problems between different PDF implementations and between different types of publishing equipment. This option will take the print job and turn it into a file that meets the PDF/X specification.

Save PDF to iPhoto

Upon choosing this option, the print job is saved to a PDF file that is then imported into iPhoto.

Save PDF to Web Receipts Folder

A handy option for online shoppers, selecting this will create a PDF that is then saved in a folder named Web Receipts, which is within the Documents folder. If you don't have a Web Receipts folder, it will be created upon use.

The included Automator workflows are great examples of what is possible using Automator and PDF Services. You can add some workflows of your own by creating a PDF Services folder within your user Library folder. Not sure what kind of workflows to create? Take a look at Chapter 13 for some more sample workflows and to get an idea of what's possible.