Adobe Acrobat 3.0 Internet Publishing A W I T H C R O B A T® by Gordon Kent A comprehensive reference for creating and integrating PDF files with HTML on the Internet and intranets. Certain functions ofthis digital document have been secured to protect copyright:the ability to copy text.and graphics. Quick Start... Clicking on any of the links below to the left will take you to that section of the book.Use the direct links once you become familiar with the book’s contents.Clicking on any of the links below to the right will take you to this document’s last page where a duplicate,but much longer,home page is repeated with in-depth links into the book. Ch 1 Ch 9 About this book Ch 2 Ch 10 Ch 3 Glossary Table of Contents Ch 4 Appendix Ch 5 Index How to Use this Digital Book Ch 6 TOC. Ch 7 Acknow. Where to Purchase the Paper Edition Ch 8 Home Page Copyright © 1996 Adobe Systems Incorporated.All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form Back to Top or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,without the prior writ- ten permission ofthe publisher. HTML PDF Published by Adobe Press,Adobe Systems Incorporated. Paper Edition:ISBN:1-56830-300-9; Library ofCongress Catalog No.:96-77066 PDF HTML First Digital Mastering:September 1996;Digital Design and Interface:Patrick Ames 1 Introduction Adobe Acrobat®software helps you create content for the Internet that is compact, graphically rich, interactive, intuitively navigable, and easy to publish. Portable Document Format (PDF) publishing on the Internet unshackles your creativity from Web-specific publishing applications and allows you to use the almost limit- less design capabilities ofto-day’s powerful print-publishing software.Ifan appli- cation can print,it can be used to create compelling content for the Web. The World Wide Web introduced most people to Adobe Acrobat and PDF files— and still does. Early in the growth of the Web, Adobe recognized the value of Acrobat and PDF files as a solution for publishing visually complex information on the Internet.PDF files exhibit a number ofcharacteristics that make them well suited for the Internet: n They are cross-platform binary files,requiring no translation or conversion when moved among popular platforms,such as Windows,Macintosh, UNIX,and other operating systems. Introduction 3 n PDF files are surprisingly compact (in file size) for the amount of visual and contextual content they contain. n They support text,graphics,and other media formats. n PDF files are interactive and navigable. To encourage the use of PDF files on the Internet,Adobe regis- tered the PDF file type as a standard file type (like JPEG graph- ics and HTML files) for use on the Internet. Adobe published the specification so that others could develop software that uti- lized the PDF technology. With this evolution of the Acrobat technology,a Web browser could be configured to automatically launch the freely available Acrobat Reader as a helper applica- tion and open a PDF file after it was downloaded. Adobe’s Weblink plug-in—an add-on module formally introduced with Acrobat 2.1—enabled Reader (and Acrobat Exchange) to com- municate with most Web browsers.This communication allowed authors to create links from PDF files to other sites and files on the Web—the same way links are used in HTML documents. Acrobat 3.0 (originally code-named Acrobat Amber) takes this link in communication among the Web, PDF files, and Acrobat one step further.Acrobat 3.0 integrates the relationship between Web browser and Acrobat Reader by enabling the Web browser to display the PDF file within the Web browser’s document win- dow (usually reserved for HTML and image files). Now when viewing a PDF file,the basic Acrobat toolbar appears so the user can navigate and interact with the PDF file as if it were being viewed in Acrobat Reader. Historically, Web publishers shied away from PDF files, feeling they were simply too large to be useful for publishing on the 4 Chapter 1 limited-bandwidth Web.Originally,PDF files were developed for local access networks or large internal networks (intranets), which typically had much greater bandwidth capabilities than the average Internet user.PDF files also can be large because of the types of documents that are published as PDF files.Authors and designers creating PDF files wanted to preserve exactly the electronic magazines,newsletters,technical drawings,and other visually complex documents with their original fonts, extensive use of color,images,graphics,and other design elements.These features included all the attributes that publishers had come to expect from modern page layout, design, and word processing software applications—including large file size.These files had to be completely downloaded before they could be viewed. Ironically,history has shown that PDF files are not significantly larger than HTML files and are sometimes smaller or the same size as most comparable HTML designs. Adobe Acrobat 3.0 allows the publication of even smaller PDF files than previously thought possible through new compression schemes.Now with Acrobat 3.0,PDF pages render as each page element is downloaded, in much the same manner as HTML files;and,only the pages requested are downloaded—no need to wait until the entire file has downloaded before it can be viewed. This allows PDF pages to be viewed as fast or faster than most image-heavy HTML files. PDF files are the portable document file format of choice for hundreds of companies that publish documents on the Internet. Other companies also use PDF files as the file format of choice when distributing information via intranets,CD-ROMs,private computer networks, floppy diskettes, and other media formats. About This Book 5 PDF files also are the document format of choice for electronic magazines, technical documentation, books, marketing docu- ments,catalogs,readme files,white papers,and other document types that need to be distributed via various computer platforms, operating systems,media formats,and networks. From a publisher’s perspective,little experience beyond the skills of most print publishers is required for producing PDF files. Every major desktop publishing software package and a number of graphics applications support the PDF file format.Publishing content as PDF files requires no new design training,as HTML did. Many of these software applications have additions, plug- ins, macros, or other utilities that quickly and simply convert document information such as tables of content, cross-refer- ences, and notes into intuitively navigable and interactive PDF file objects. Creating PFD files is easy. This book will help you publish PDF files expertly. About This Book 1.1 Internet Publishing with Acrobat is the essential reference guide for publishers ofPDF files on the Internet,or those who want to publish PDF files on the Internet.This book is both a technical reference and a content development guide.It contains the most comprehensive technical information about Acrobat and Internet publishing available to date. Much of this information comes directly from Adobe engineers working on Acrobat, and countless third-party developers, power users, and experts. Unlike the plethora ofbooks on HTML and Web publishing,and the handful of books on Acrobat, this book provides the infor- 6 Chapter 1 mation necessary to determine how best to serve content: as Portable Document Format (PDF) files,or as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files. Many of today’s Internet sites created using HTML are ineffective and could benefit dramatically from the addition and integration of PDF files. Internet Publishing with Acrobat provides the knowledge a publisher needs to seam- lessly integrate PDF and HTML files at both the document and site-wide levels. The efficient exposition of technical informa- tion—often compactly in tables or figures—will help the Internet publisher determine the most appropriate Acrobat tool to create compelling PDF files for various document types.The combination of detailed technical information and content development solutions will answer questions,while opening up new content publishing possibilities. Rather than recycling and repeating the information found in the numerous tutorials, user guides, books, magazine articles, and online discussion groups that focus on using Adobe Acrobat,this book concentrates on what the publisher needs to know to devel- op content for the Internet.Ifyou are new to Acrobat,you’ll find yourself referring back to Adobe’s documentation and user guides.Ifyou have limited experience working with HTML files, you may want to take a tutorial in HTML markup before delving into some ofthe more complex information found in later chap- ters. This book lists numerous resources for Acrobat-related issues. So if you’re not familiar with a topic or concept, you’ll know just where to look for more information. Internet Publishing with Acrobat has been carefully focused to provide Internet publishers with exactly what they need to expertly pub- lish PDF files on the Internet with Acrobat. Using This Book 7 Internet Publishing with Acrobat covers Adobe Acrobat 3.0, a major update of the Adobe Acrobat family of software.Acrobat 3.0 includes a number of new Internet-specific features and enhancements that make publishing with Acrobat more efficient and exciting than ever.However,even users of previous versions ofAdobe’s Acrobat software (2.1,2.0,or 1.0) will benefit from the technical information and content development strategies described throughout this book. Most of Acrobat 3.0’s features have been added or enhanced to make publishing and using PDF files on the World Wide Web faster, easier, and more compelling. The Web is by far the most popular service on the Internet. However, rather than limiting the scope of this book to the Web, this book encompasses the whole Internet to include information on sending PDF files as email attachments and serving PDFs on FTP and Gopher sites. There’s also technical information and content service strategies and solutions for publishing PDF files on intranets and on- demand print servers that use servers, applications, and applets to generate PDF files dynamically. These non-Web server and distribution strategies offer additional publishing opportunities alone,or in conjunction with Web publishing efforts. Using This Book 1.2 Put this book near your computer.Undoubtedly,you’ll refer to it as you create, design, edit, and prepare to publish PDF files on the Internet. Use this book before you choose a page size, for example; or, refer to it after you’ve sent your completed docu- ment to the printer,and now want to publish it on the Web.You 8 Chapter 1 may want to keep this book with your favorite book on HTML, a book on Java, your server’s user manual, or some design books—all within easy reach. The best way to use this book is in conjunction with the Acrobat user guide. The user guide includes much of the how-to infor- mation you’ll need to perform the actions referred to in this book.In many cases,actual sections of the user guide are repli- cated so you can quickly find solutions.Also,the user guide has non-Internet publishing-related information,how-tos,and trou- bleshooting that may prove useful when creating, converting, and publishing PDF files with Acrobat. The tasks and concepts involved in Internet publishing with Acrobat borrow from a number ofdisciplines.You should refer to a good book or tutorial on HTML ifyou haven’t published many HTML files. Knowing the basics of HTML will help you better integrate HTML with PDF files.For additional information about related Internet-publishing technologies,see Chapter 10,“Acrobat Resources,” for lists of books, publications, recommended Web sites, and discussion groups. The more you experiment with Acrobat and the more you explore the publishing possibilities of Acrobat and PDF files,the more useful you’ll find this book. Internet Publishing with Acrobat is organized sequentially, with each chapter comprising one of the major steps in the Internet publishing process.Chapters and sections are numbered for easy reference. Tables condense highly-technical information into easily digestible chunks,and figures simplify technical concepts. Using the book should be no problem.You may, however, have some questions about how the information is presented in this book and what you will find. Using This Book 9 1.2.1 Quick Start Table If you have a particular task or question in mind,refer to Table 1.2—1 “Quick Start: Common Internet Publishing Tasks and Questions”for a quick way to find the answers within the book. Note: Throughout this book,references to other sections include the section’s number and title heading. If you want to... Then... Learn how to publish existing files on the See Section 3.1,“Content Development Strategies,”which Web as PDFs... describes a number of strategies for converting existing files and paper documents into PDF files for Internet publication. Learn more about the Internet-specific Read over Section 2.1,“What is Adobe Acrobat?” attributes of Acrobat 3.0 (and earlier ver- sions),and which features are most useful for an Internet publisher... Develop a strategy to integrate PDF and Start with Section 3.1.4,“Integrating HTML with PDF Files,”and HTML files on a Web site... then see Section 8.6,“Supporting PDF Files with HTML Markup.” Select the best page size for viewing within See Section 4.1.1,“Selecting Page Dimensions,”which includes a Web browser... specific page sizes for Netscape Navigator and general sugges- tions for choosing page dimensions. Use the application in which the file was Read both Section 4.2,“Choosing Creator Applications,”and created to maximize the creator software’s Section 4.3,“PDF-Savvy Creator Applications,”for help in select- feature for saving as a PDF file... ing the best software for creating content to be published on the Internet as PDF files,and how to maximize the use of the creator software to automate the task of adding interactive and navigational objects to PDF files. Edit or modify PDF files... See Section 6.2,“Modifying PDF Documents,”for strategies on making changes to your PDF files. Set a link from a PDF file to an HTML file... Refer to Section 7.1.11,“World Wide Web Link Action.” Have your server process or create form Read Section 8.9,“Processing PDF Forms Data.” data from a PDF file... Optimize PDF files for progressive rendering... See Section 7.14,“Optimizing PDF Files for the World Wide Web.” Table 1.2–1 Quick Start:Common Internet Publishing Tasks and Questions 10 Chapter 1 1.2.2 Chapter Summaries If the specific topic you are interested in doesn’t appear in Table 1.2—1, “Quick Start: Common Internet Publishing Tasks and Questions,”try checking the table ofcontents and then referring to the chapter summaries for the most relevant chapter.Each chapter begins with a list that summarizes the most relevant information for Internet publishing in that particular chapter.For a quick ref- erence,the following summaries introduce the concepts and tech- nical information found in the chapters and appendices. Chapter 2:“Adobe Acrobat and the Portable Document Format.” What is Adobe Acrobat 3.0 and the Portable Document Format (PDF),and why are PDF files so well suited for Internet publish- ing? This chapter discusses the software required to publish elec- tronic documents on the Internet. Chapter 3:“Selecting Content Strategies, Sources, Formats, and Service.” Which publishing strategy and file format (PDF or HTML) best fit the content? What is the source of the content? Given the intended purpose (and use) of the PDF files, what is the best way to serve them to the audience? Chapter 4:“Designing Content for the Internet.”Design content for the screen,as well as for online use within the document win- dow of a Web browser.Capitalize on Acrobat’s navigational and interactive features to design the most usable document that can be published on the Internet. Chapter 5:“Converting PostScript Files to PDF Files.”Describes how to convert content to PDF for distribution on the Internet. How to make visually rich,low bandwidth electronic documents also is explained in detail.