Amazon.co.uk Review
Adobe's document standard is an essential part of the computing landscape. PDF stands for "Portable Document Format", and its primary achievement is to preserve document layout and appearance so that it looks right and prints correctly wherever it is viewed. Anyone can read a PDF using the free Acrobat reader, but with the full version of
Acrobat you can create and modify documents, encrypt and secure them and take advantage of a host of additional features.
Acrobat 6.0 Professional has an enhanced user interface along with several important new features. It's easier than ever to convert documents and a neat new feature is the ability to combine several source documents into a single PDF. It's also possible to scan documents directly into Acrobat. Once they're converted, you can touch up the content and add interactive forms or multimedia elements.
Acrobat 6.0 Professional has a greatly improved system for reviewing and commenting, so that a PDF can be e-mailed or posted to a Web location where others can suggest changes. Acrobat 6.0 Standardcan gather all the comments into a new document and each change can be approved or rejected.
Another vital area is security: a PDF can be password-protected or digitally signed to authenticate its content. You can also add trusted certificates to the document, enabling selected individuals to make amendments. A PDF can be exported in a variety of formats and you can create special versions for reading on a Palm or Pocket PC. Accessibility is also a key issue and Acrobat 6.0 Professional includes automatic scrolling, a read-out-loud feature and advice on creating accessible documents.
The preflight and preview features in Acrobat 6.0 Professional are a must-have for those working in the print and design industry. Preflight analyses a document to check its validity for print production. Documents are validated against a profile, specifying rules such as the minimum or maximum resolution of bitmaps, whether fonts are embedded and which types of colour or page elements are permitted. Profiles are fully editable, and you can also test for PDF/X compliance, where PDF/X is an ISO standard for exchanging PDF documents.
Acrobat 6.0 Professional also supports colour management using ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles. You can view colour proofs on-screen and preview print separations. There is also control over transparency flattening, which is where overlapping transparent objects are converted into separate pieces.
Another aspect of Acrobat is especially important for technical drawing. Acrobat 6.0 Professional supports layers in documents converted from Visio or AutoCAD. These drawing packages typically create large documents and there are special navigation and printing tools to make them easier to work with. Many applications can now export in PDF format, with or without Acrobat installed, but for optimised output and to take full advantage of the format's features Acrobat is highly recommended. --Tim Anderson
Manufacturer's Description
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional software provides powerful new tools that enable creative and production professionals to reliably exchange documents with colleagues and clients and to prepare final documents for print. Easily convert any document to an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file from graphics applications. Streamline proofing cycles with robust electronic tools that now let you automatically track, manage, and incorporate feedback. Improved viewing and navigation tools make working with detailed artwork or other large-format documents easier than ever. Output PDF/X-compliant files, and help eliminate surprises at the printer by preflighting files and previewing and printing color separations.
Easy Adobe PDF creation. Create Adobe PDF files with the click of a button from Microsoft Office applications, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Visio and Project, and AutoCAD.
Document merge. Convert and combine Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, AutoCAD, and other application files into one compact Adobe PDF file in a single step.
Review management. Create lists of reviewers and track the feedback you receive. Gather and organize comments onto a summary page and export them to the original Microsoft Word 2002 document for easy revision.
Layers and large-format support. Preserve document layers in technical drawings and easily create Adobe PDF files in standard large-format sizes, including ARCH, ISO, JIS, and ANSI.
High-quality print output. Reduce late-stage errors by sending Adobe PDF files for final output. Print composite output for high-quality proofs, save composite EPS files, or create host-based in-RIP separations.
Built-in preflighting. Check Adobe PDF files to ensure proper creation, and preview colour separations as well as transparency flattening.
Forms creation. Create interactive electronic forms that can be completed and submitted online, simplifying review processes in small workgroups.
Robust commenting tools. Create custom stamps or dynamic date-time stamps, and redline documents with oval, cloud, and other drawing tools. Indicate text insertions and deletions with a single keystroke.
Enhanced file viewing and navigation. View two areas of a large drawing simultaneously by using a split-pane view. Zoom in on unreadable areas without affecting the magnification level of the rest of the document.
PDF/X compliance. Examine Adobe PDF files for PDF/X compliance for reliable printing.
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