from PowerPoint guide If you have used transparencies, drop shadows or gradients in your PowerPoint poster it is advisable to write a high resolution PDF file for print. This is because as the PDF file is created (version 7) these effects are flattened, as they would be going to print, and a lot of visual problems, that may cause the poster not to print correctly, show up. If when checking your PDF you see that the transparencies have gone solid or the drop shadows are banding you can go back through the file and fix the errors before sending it to us to print.
(Fig. 6a)
(Fig. 6b)
(Fig. 7)
The following shows how to produce the best PDF
for print: Either create a PDF using the in built PDF Maker plug-in: a. In PowerPoint 2000 go to the Acrobat PDF tab and select Change Conversion Settings (Fig. 6a). In PowerPoint 2007 go to the Acrobat tab and select Preferences (Fig. 6b). b. In the PDF Maker Settings window (Fig. 7) that will appear select PDFX3 2002 in the Conversions Settings drop-down menu. Also tick the box View Adobe PDF Result as you will need to check that nothing in your design has moved and that all images and text are of a good enough quality to print.
(Fig. 8)
c. Go into the Advanced Settings menu (Fig. 8)
from here: Set compatibility as Acrobat 7.0. Make sure resolution is at 2400dpi. Adjust the default page size to match your PowerPoint document size and therefore the finished size of your poster. d. Under the Image tab/folder (Fig. 9) make sure the image compressions are as this screen grab. e. Go to the Fonts tab/folder (Fig. 10) and ensure Embed All Fonts box is ticked. f. Under the Colour tab/folder (Fig. 11) the Settings File drop-down should be set to none and the Colour Management Policy should be Leave Colour Unchanged with Document Rendering Intent as Preserve.
(Fig. 9)
g. Click Save As to save the settings for future use then
OK to continue. h. Then back under the Acrobat tab click Convert to Adobe PDF (2000) or Acrobat tab click Create PDF (2007).
If the PDFMaker plugin is not available create your PDF
by going into the print menu:
(Fig. 10)
a. In the first screen select Adobe PDF (Fig. 12) from
the Printer Name drop-down menu. Print Range should be Current Slide (if there is more than one poster/slide in a document create separate PDFs for each by repeating the process described here). At the bottom check the boxes Scale to Fit Paper. b. Next to the printer name click the Properties button. (Fig. 11)
c. Select High Quality Print/Press Quality (Fig. 13)
from the Default Settings drop-down menu and select the correct size of your poster from the Adobe PDF Page Size drop-down menu. d. Next to the Default Settings drop-down menu (which should now say High Quality Print/Press Quality) click Edit. e. Under the General tab (Fig. 8): Set compatibility as Acrobat 7.0. Make sure resolution is at 2400dpi. Adjust the default page size to match your PowerPoint document size and therefore the finished size of your poster.
(Fig. 12)
f. Under the Image tab/folder (Fig. 9) make sure the
image compressions are as this screen grab. g. Go to the Fonts tab/folder (Fig. 10) and ensure the Embed All Fonts box is ticked. h. Under the Colour tab/folder (Fig. 11) the Settings File drop-down should be set to none and the Colour Management Policy should be Leave Colour Unchanged with Document Rendering Intent as Preserve. i. Click OK then Print to create your PDF.
Check your PDF
From the File menu in Adobe Acrobat reader select
Properties. Under the Descriptions tab look at the page size to ensure you have it at the size you intended and check the file version (aim for version 7). Under the Fonts tab check that all the fonts you have used have been embedded. If theyve not they may print incorrectly.
(Fig. 13)
If you have followed all these guidelines you should
get a very good result for your printed poster. If you would like further advice or have feedback on this guide please contact us at print.enquiries@sheffield.ac.uk
Producing to Scale
If you are producing a poster bigger than A0 then
it may be better to set up the file to 25% of the finished size. Providing you follow the Best Settings and Image Quality guidelines (e.g. you view all inserted images at 400% to check the finished quality) then we can blow up the poster to its finished size at the printing stage. 2