You cannot print high resolution images directly from your QuarkXPress software to your desktop printer unless you have QuarkXPress 6. So, if you need to print a proof or you want to see how your images will actually look with offset printing, your only option is to make a PDF. In addition to QuarkXPress you need PDF creation software, such as Adobe Acrobat Professional. This PDF tutorial uses QuarkXPress for the Mac and Adobe Acrobat 4.0.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Convert all of your images to RGB. Most desktop printers are made to convert RGB images to CMYK. So if you already have your images in CMYK and then you send them to your desktop printer, your images will look dull. So make sure all your images are RGB (and keep a file of the original image).
- Go to the Apple Menu>Chooser. Choose the AdobePS driver. If you have Acrobat Professional, the AdobePS driver should come with it. Otherwise you can download it from the Adobe site.
- Only for QuarkXPress 5: Go back to your QuarkXPress document and go to Edit>Preferences. Under Application>PDF choose Distill immediately.
- Go to File>Print. The Print dialog box will appear. Press the Page Setup button. Another window will appear. Where it says Printer choose Create Adobe PDF (see Picture 1). Then press OK.
- Go to Printer. Choose General (see Picture 2) Make sure that where it says Destination you have chosen File.
- Choose PostScript Settings. Make sure everything looks like Picture 3. If you have EPS images, instead of choosing ASCII as Data Format, choose Binary. It is very important that Font Inclusion is set to All, otherwise if you want to give your PDF to someone else, the fonts will not show up and will be substituted with a default font if the other person doesn't have them.
- Choose PDF Settings. Select PrintOptimized as you are only trying to print this document off your desktop printer. (see Picture 4)
- Press Save. You will now be asked the name of the file and where to save it. Once you have decided that, press Save again.
NOTE: No PDF file has been produced yet. You are only telling your computer where you will be saving your file and what you want to call it. - Now you are back to your original Print dialog box of QuarkXPress. Click on the Setup tab. Where it says Printer Description choose Acrobat Distiller.(see Picture 5)
- Set your paper size. In this case I have set it as an A4 (ISO letter size which indicates a piece of paper that is 210 x 297 mm). Set Page Positioning to Center. (see Picture 6)
- Go to the Output tab. Where it says Print Colors choose Composite RGB. (see Picture 7)
- Select the Option tab. Check the option Full Resolution TIFF Output if you have TIFF pictures in your layout, otherwise it does not matter. In the same tab, choose ASCII where it says Data if you don't have EPS pictures in your layout, otherwise choose Binary.
- Finally press Print! You will get your PDF file wherever you told QuarkXPress to save it in step 8.
Tips:
- This procedure is only valid for PDFs that will be printed on desktop printers and it doesn't go into the more complicated options for offset printing. To be honest, even when I make PDFs for press I hardly use many more options, but I set some of the ones we went through just now differently. You cannot give a PDF made this way to your Service Bureau or your outside printer to print it on a press.
- In QuarkXPress 6 everything is much easier. No PDF is required. Simply right-click (or Alt+Click) on your picture and a menu will appear next to you cursor. Go down to Preview Resolution and select Full Resolution. You will be able to view and print your image with its actual resolution. If you are trying to print to your desktop printer you will still need to convert your images to RGB, but it is much simpler with QuarkXPress 6 than it is with QuarkXPress 4.x and 5.
What You Need:
- QuarkXPress
- Adobe Acrobat Distiller or Equivalent software
- Desktop Printer
