The simplest way to submit your publication to a copy shop, print shop, or online print service is as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. You can create a PDF file from Publisher without purchasing special software by installing the Microsoft Save As PDF Or XPS add-in from the Microsoft Office Online Downloads site. You can then use the Pack And Go command to create a PDF file that includes all the information a professional printer needs when printing your publication.
In this exercise, you will install the Microsoft Save As PDF Or XPS add-in, and then use the Pack And Go command to create a PDF file that you can submit to a printer.
Note
USE the Postcard publication. This practice file is located in the DocumentsMicrosoft PressSBS_Publisher2007CardsCalendars folder.
BE SURE TO have an active Internet connection before beginning this exercise.
Start your default Internet browser, and go to office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/.
In the left pane, under By Version, click 2007 Office System, click 2007 Microsoft Office System, and then click Add-ins.
In the list of add-ins, click 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save As PDF or XPS.
On the installation page, click Continue. After the Genuine Advantage Tool confirms that you are running genuine, licensed software, click Install and follow the installation instructions given.
After the installation completes, navigate to the DocumentsMicrosoft PressSBS_Publisher2007CardsCalendars folder, and then double-click the Postcard publication.
Notice that the graphic in the lower-left corner of this postcard extends beyond the active area of the publication; we’ll explain why in a minute.
On the File menu, point to Pack and Go, and then click Take to a Commercial Printing Service.
The Take To A Commercial Printing Service task pane opens. At the bottom of the pane, Publisher indicates that it will create both a PDF file and a .pub file when you click Save to complete the process.
If you are going to print thousands of postcards by the four-color printing method, you need to change the publication from RGB color mode to CMYK color mode. But provided your local copy or print shop offers digital printing, you can ignore the issue flagged in the Select An Item To Fix box.
See Also
For information about CMYK colors, see the sidebar titled Color Models, earlier in this chapter.
In the task pane, click Printing Options.
The Print Options dialog box opens.
A copy or print shop might tell you to include crop marks or bleed marks in the PDF file. Crop marks are used when a publication is printed on a sheet of paper that is larger than the desired output. They appear in the four corners of a publication to indicate where the printer should trim the pages. A bleed is an element that appears to extend partially beyond the edge of the page, like the photograph in the lower-left corner of the postcard. The extent of the bleed is indicated by the bleed marks.
With One page per sheet selected in the Printing options box, click OK.
The copy or print shop usually requires this setting for compatibility with its own printing software.
At the bottom of the task pane, click Save.
Troubleshooting
If you have not yet saved a publication, a message appears prompting you to do so. Click OK in the message box. Then in the Save As dialog box, assign a name to the publication, and save it in the DocumentsMicrosoft PressSBS_Publisher2007CardsCalendars folder.
The Pack And Go Wizard starts, and asks where you want to save the publication package.
Insert a blank CD in your CD burner, and with Burn to disc on D: (or the equivalent drive on your computer) selected, click Next.
If your computer does not have a CD burner, click the Other Location option instead, and then browse to the folder in which you want to store the package.
When the wizard announces that your publication is successfully packed, clear the Print a composite proof check box, and then click OK.
Publisher creates a compressed file on the CD (or in the designated folder) containing a PDF file and a .pub file. You can take the compressed file to the copy or print shop for printing.
