Acrobat 4

[mgp-1]

I'm a 'lite' Acrobat user and love Acrobat 4 (A4) ... it does everything I need and is sooooo simple to navigate. Later versions are so bloated and hard to find your way around for an busy dummy like me:-) I was OK all the way up to Win XP Prof, now I'm being forced to make the transition to Win7 (32-bit) Professional OS. Surprise, surprise ... A4 won't print to distiller any more (driver issue) ... any ideas for a workaround ... p l e a s e. Thanks.

[leonardr]

I'm a 'lite' Acrobat user and love Acrobat 4 (A4) ... it does everything I need and is sooooo simple to navigate. Later versions are so bloated and hard to find your way around for an busy dummy like me:-) I was OK all the way up to Win XP Prof, now I'm being forced to make the transition to Win7 (32-bit) Professional OS. Surprise, surprise ... A4 won't print to distiller any more (driver issue) ... any ideas for a workaround ... p l e a s e. Thanks.

Move to Acrobat X - it's MUCH EASIER to use than any previous version, it's fast and supports your equipment.

[Dov Isaacs]

I'm a 'lite' Acrobat user and love Acrobat 4 (A4) ... it does everything I need and is sooooo simple to navigate. Later versions are so bloated and hard to find your way around for an busy dummy like me:-) I was OK all the way up to Win XP Prof, now I'm being forced to make the transition to Win7 (32-bit) Professional OS. Surprise, surprise ... A4 won't print to distiller any more (driver issue) ... any ideas for a workaround ... p l e a s e. Thanks.

To directly answer your question other than pointing out that Acrobat 4 was released way back in 1998 or so and was designed for compatibility with Windows'98 and NT 4.0, significant differences in the print and spooling subsystems of Windows that first occurred in Windows Vista make all versions of Acrobat prior to Acrobat 8.1 totally incompatible with new Windows versions in terms of integration with printing to the Adobe PDF virtual PostScript printer driver instance. There are no workarounds for this incompatibility other than opening your wallet so to speak.

Having said that, the PDF imaging model has advanced by an order of magnitude since Acrobat 4, including support for live transparency, JPEG 2000 image compression, enhanced stream compression, etc. Most modern PDF files generated by Adobe applications over the last six to ten years simply will not properly open under Acrobat 4 if at all.

Thus, I would endorse Leonard's recommendation to upgrade to Acrobat X (10).

- Dov

[michaelejahn]

--- now I'm being forced to make the transition to Win7 (32-bit) Professional OS. Surprise, surprise ... A4 won't print to distiller any more (driver issue) ... any ideas for a workaround. ---

Well, I suppose I might ask why it is that you need Distiller at all ? I am not truying to be insulting or mean in any way here - but seriously, if you are looking for a work around, most application can either generate a PDF file directly. Is it some legacy application or older RIP that you can't upgrade ?

If it is a money issue - my twins are students at CSUN University and they use Google Docs to convert most everything to PDF. They even scan documents and upload them to Google docs and convert to Text ( OCR )

Uploading and converting PDF and image files with text to Google Docs : Uploading and exporting - Google Docs Help

As someone who manages application support for a prepress software developer, I can tell you that if you are in prepress, you probably need to consider removing PostScript from your workflow.

Hope this helps - feel free to share 'why you require PostScript either here - or send an email to me privately at michael@composeusa.com

However, I do endorse Dov & Leonard's recommendation to upgrade to Acrobat X (10).

The right hand panels is one of the best things that ever happened to the Acrobat user interface in my opinion, and I love Acrobat X - as Dov or Leonard will attest, I normally complain loudly when things change in a way I do not like, but I am THRILLED with Acrobat X.

Hope this helps you in your decisions

[mgp-1]

Thanks everyone ... my issue really was that with A4 I could easily (1) make minor text changes / edits to the PDF (2) insert/delete pages and (3) easily edit the book mark creation via the very simple side bar set of menu options not the distiller process itself. A4 was so easy to navigate around. I've now downloaded AX (A10) ... just plucking up the courage to run it abd start the 30-day free trial. Not enought hours in the day to do all the stuff I have to do, let alone forced to relearn stuff I was already happy with !!!!!

Thanks again ... Malcolm

[michaelejahn]

Thanks everyone ... my issue really was that with A4 I could easily (1) make minor text changes / edits to the PDF (2) insert/delete pages and (3) easily edit the book mark creation via the very simple side bar set of menu options not the distiller process itself.

My old cell phone was easy to use too - my Droid is quite a bit more complex.

When computers get old, yes, it is tough for IT to migrate. But, lets face it, unless you create the pdf files yourself, you can expect that the pdf file you get will be made using modern applications, and you will eventually run into something that you can't fix with Acrobat 4. It is jolting sometimes. There are all sorts of PDF editors that are not made by Adobe. Search Google for edit PDF to find some - search You Tube for edit PDF to see how they work.

Me, I use Acrobat mostly, and with Acrobat X and CS5, you pretty much have all you would ever need, but when I need to do heavy lifting, I use PitStop Professional or Callas pdfToolBox.

Hope that helps Malcom - good luck, and if you get lost, search you tube for --> Acrobat lynda.com

[Lukas Engqvist]

With Acrobat X and it's Acrion Wizzard you will win the time you invest will give you more time in the long run... latts hope you will write back in a year and tell us how you now have "enough hours in the day to do all the stuff I have to do" and discover more great ways of working as you "relearn stuff I was already happy with !!!!!"

[prepressguru]

If you really want Acrobat 4 to work in windows 7 you could install the virtual pc with win xp and load Acrobat into it.

Good luck

p

[iggee002]

Change in interface is always a hurdle with any upgrade...especially when you are upgrading from a really, really old version to something more current. However, the newer versions have features that do eventually make your life easier..once you get used to using them.

That said,

Adobe.com has an AWESOME knowledgebase. They should have a free video tutorial or something to help show you around the software. The users in the forums are really friendly as well, and will have no problem getting you "unstuck" if you ever need help.

[destryer]

Sorry to say this but prepress is the one area in printing that requires employees to "endure" change. If you are resistant to change you are in the line of work. Not to be harsh, but some employees I've managed have to be reminded from time to time we don't make buggy whips anymore. If you accept outside PDF files from clients you either have to force them to back save to Acrobat 4 but even then you are flirting with danger with an older version of PDF software or move up. You will be dragged along behind the technology/software progression and that is not fun. I have worked at companies that have tried to resist change to save money and they have learned the hard way.