Rickself? Wanna have a go at Publisher?

Did you do the text in Photoshop and bring the image into Publisher?
If so, Photoshop is a raster program and depending on the resolution of your image and how large you made it in Publisher the text may have pixellated. Please see our Resource section threads on "Raster vs Vector" and "DPI and Resizing".

Nope, it was all created in Publisher. Actually that's what has me confused, I actually saw a printed proof and the text was fine, but the proof was done off a PDF file (which the printer then called me to say had been corrupted somehow). So he asked me to send it in Publisher, and the only thing I changed was to embed the fonts.

Fonts that are not embeded and are missing should default to courier, if it's pixalated it sounds like a font conflict or extremely low res. Printer should have caught it. I don't think the fonts were embeded.

publisher sucks... plain and simple. My thinking is that they didn't have a copy (not many graphic places do) and they converted it somehow and you lost pixelation in the process.

The printer made a mistake by giving the client a proof from a different file, that's a no no!! I always provide proofs from the 1bit tif files that will produce the plates that will print the job. If the fonts were embeded I can't see how it could change. My experience tells me that when fonts pixilate it's a font conflict. I have tried to convert a publisher file into something else before (Indesign?) with no luck however.

Wow, I thought I'd jump on here at my home office just for ducks, and there's a Publisher dilemmma. And thanks PD for the vote of confidence!

Sense and Publisher should never be used in the same sentence, comment, phrase, universe!

It sounds like the pdf was created lo-res, like for a desktop color printer. Most peolpe don't realize that and use the print driver installed on their pc. As long as I use a ppd or driver for an imagesetter with 2000 or 2400 resolution, and my pdf's work good, even for color seps.

Someone has to pay for that job but not really sure where the blame should go. The after the fact comment that, obtw, the pdf may hae been corrupted should point a finger thata way.

Hey Rick, do you think it could be a digital press thingy? I'm in the offset world.

Anythings possible, but I don't think so. I'm in offset too but used to run an IBM digital press.

The thing that makes or breaks the file is the print driver used. Publisher has no way of producing a "commercially printable" pdf other than postscripting the file and then distilling through Acrobat. So the whole printed file depends on that ppd. I'll post a "to do" list, a checklist of sorts, to help produce good Publisher files almost every time, if y'all want.

Anastasia, was the printed piece from a file that made its way through Photoshop? That's gonna look bad right off the bat.

I think what we all need to do is jump on a plane and go look at the equipment, examine that Publisher file, ya know, get a hands on look from the Aussie side of things!

ROFL It's nice and sunny over here . Winter, average temp 70F LOL.

Okay! The doc was created in publisher right off the bat, all the texts were done in Publisher. I must admit to knowing basically nothing about publisher, so any settings were on default, including any res ones if you are able to change them. I converted the doc to a pdf through publisher. I sent that pdf through to the printer, went and saw a proof (which was at a larger size than the final doc) and everything came out perfectly.

Next day, get a phone call, he can't open the file, must be corrupted. I pointed out that I had a proof printed from that file, but he said he had to open it in a different program and couldn't, could I please send the original (asking what it was done in). Told him Publisher, he was concerned about the fonts not sending, but asked me to try. I found the option in Publisher to embed fonts... every time I now open the file it gives me a list of embedded fonts, so I'm pretty sure they are embedded.

I also sent a different file, a psd, which came out perfectly. I'm wondering if he did convert it like Defjoe suggested... anyway it's paid for and I undercharged my client slightly because I feel if I wasn't so inexperienced it probably wouldn't have happened. Would prefer to avoid a repeat though!!

rickself, I have no way if the publisher was sent through photoshop from their end, but it wasn't from mine. If you could post that checklist that would be great thanks!!

(Thinking it might be best to avoid publisher lol).

(Thinking it might be best to avoid publisher lol).
Publisher is a pain to work with. It's fine for office type work but to use it in pro. printing it's not very friendly. Try QuarkXpress or Indesgn.

I'm on a PC so Quark is out, but will definitely check out InDesign.

So much to learn, so little time!!

I'm certainly not going to push Publisher and I don't like Quark that much, but it is available on the PC.

And so little time...didn't you say yer in yer early 20's?!! OMG
Never enuf time. Enjoy it while you can.

don't let rickself hear you say that!