> Heck! Adobe Acrobat produces the best quality PDF's with a
> variety of proprietary formats because of probably its knowing the
> format from which it is converting to PDF "protected" by NDA's between
> "Original Software's Manufacturer".I am sure in future better print
> quality PDF generation should be possible from open document formats by
> open source PDF generators created as plugins (using as back-end
> publishing systems already available on Linux) for "Original Open
> Softwares" the same as Adobe creates plugin's for the "Original
> -Proprietory- Softwares".
Adobe acrobat mainly uses distiller to produce pdf files. You can use any
program under windows to print to a ps file and then use distiller to
convert that to PDF. This is what makes PDF so powerful. You can convert any
PS file to PDF, and the resulting PDF will be faithful to the original PS
file to the greatest extent possible. The problem comes when you wan't to
use extra pdf features that are mostly not related to printing. It is at
this point where most non supported software fails. If you wan't plain pdf
files that look on screen almost exactly the same as they would when
printed, then you can use any program that can print to a postscript! The
quality will be as good or bad as the program's print output. Acrobat
doesn't discriminate between products when used in this way. The problem
comes when you don't wan't to use acrobat.
The beauty of PS & PDF is that it works consistently when you use adobe
products or products that license technology from adobe. This is what adobe
promisses with it's PDF readers and PS print processors. The ability of
adobe to deliver on this promise has given them the monopoly on the pre
press printing business.
PDF technology is more in the Acrobat Reader than in the file format. It is
the problem of displaying and printing PDF where most non Adobe products
fail. It seems that only Adobe can produce a PDF reader that works with all
the features. The PDF file format is open, but in a way like PS it is
something to which you can output to easily, but getting information out is
tricky. PDF format that adobe publishes is more as a guide for you to
generate pdf files, and not a guide for you to write pdf readers. Don't
assume that just because you can read the file format, you can make a
compliant reader.
Also note that PDF is more like a wrapper around PS files. Adobe protects
it's PS technology using trade secrets, patents and proprietory code that
works. Most non Adobe PDF/PS processors don't support the whole specs and
break in intresting ways when you have files that use uncommon features in
these technologies. Adobe has a virtual monopoly with PS because they have
been able to make it work. The have produced a standard to which anyone can
output and then their PS processors can output these files to almost any
printing device with the same results. Adobe also helped itself by
withholding some key things that makes PS technology work. This is their
real secret. Kinda like how MS doesn't publish the whole windows api, and
uses undocumented api features from it's own apps.
A similar situation exists with the CDMA cellphone technology. Qualcomm
publishes the CDMA standard, but it seems that w/o their trade secrets you
can't have a fully working system. There are lots of examples of half
published source formats on the net.
Ambar
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