How to Give Your PDF Documents a Professional Look

So you're working your way through Adobeon any device.
Acrobat and are trying to cultivate a more- Select a good cover. You can make a thumbnail
'professional' appearance for your documents?image of your cover using Acrobat 5.0, then that
Here are some tips:thumbnail will be stored in the user's Library. The
- Think about your page size. Not everyone isthumbnail can be 100 pixels wide and resolution at
going to have the same size screen, the same96 dpi (don't forget to set the color mode to
kind of computer or the same platform. 6 x 9RGB).
pages are a good general rule. Remember that- Link the table of contents to the pages. By
machines using Windows NT or Windows 2000 willusing Distiller's Link Tool, you can set up the
retain the standard 8 1/2 x 11 page size; you caneBook so that by clicking on a page or chapter at
use Acrobat 5.0 to crop the document down to athe table of contents, the reader can go directly
more usable 6 x 9 size.to that page. Link Tool can also be used to
- Set your margins. It's the same sort of rule ascross-reference between pages or chapters, or
you should think about for a printed page; marginslink to the index as well as table of contents.
are important to frame the text and give readers- Use Distiller to compress color or grayscale
a chance to rest their eyes. It's important toimages. This can be done by selecting
keep the same size margins on the right and left"Automatic," which will allow Acrobat Distiller select
with Acrobat! Different size margins will make thethe best compression method across various
text "jump around" on the page as the readertypes of images.
scrolls through using Adobe Reader.Distiller can also give you options such as
- Format the text. Don't just pick a text thatcustomizing and embedding fonts, although you'll
looks arty, or looks good for its own sake; pickneed to remember that embedded fonts will also
one that looks good on the computer screen.increase the file's size. Some fonts will also be
- Use color. Color adds greatly to the cost oflicense-protected; Distiller will explain the nature of
printing a book, magazine or newspaper. Not sothe restriction in such cases. Adobe's Advanced
with PDFs; don't be afraid to put some color intoJob Options can also help with converting files
your document. Remember to set the options onfrom PostScript to PDF; the Document
Acrobat Distiller to set all colors over to theStructuring Contentions (DSC) comments will
device-independent sRGB model. While print usessupply you with information about the original
the CMYK color model, Distiller's RGB model willapplication, creation date, page orientation and
ensure that the color values will appear the sameother useful info.