Save your publication as a page independent postscript file for commercial printing

When you use the Pack and Go Wizard to pack your publication and related files to take to a commercial printing service, Microsoft Publisher creates a compressed (.zip) file and a PDF file for your commercial printer. Ask your commercial printer if these are the files that they need you to deliver. If these are not the types of files that they work with, your commercial printer may ask you to produce a PostScript file.

Ask your commercial printing service if you need to save your publication as a page-independent PostScript file instead. A commercial printing service may ask you for a PostScript file for any of several reasons:

• They might not accept Publisher files.

• They might not work with PDF files.

• They might use only Macintosh computers.

• As part of their prepress process, the commercial printing service may use a trapping or page-imposition program that requires using page-independent PostScript files that contain font-download information for every page of a multipage publication.

The pages in a page-independent PostScript file can be rearranged or printed selectively by a third-party program without affecting how the other pages of the PostScript file print. PostScript files can be printed only on a PostScript printer and you cannot make changes to a PostScript file after you have saved it.

Newer versionsOffice 2007

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Save as a PostScript file

1. Click File > Save As.

2. In the File name box, type a name for the file. You don't need to type a file name extension. Publisher automatically adds .ps to the end of the file name you type.

3. In the Save as type list, select PostScript.

4. Click Save.

5. In the Printer name list, select the PostScript printer or imagesetter that you want. If necessary, install a PostScript printer:

   1. Consult your commercial printing service about which PostScript printer you should install and where you should install it from.

   2. Download the appropriate PostScript printer driver.

   3. Install the PostScript printer. 

6. In the Save as PostScript dialog box, click Properties.

7. Under Paper, choose a paper size.

8. Under 2-Sided Printing, select 1-Sided Print or 2-Sided Print.

9. Under Output Color, select Color or Black and White.

10. On the Document Options tab, select a pages per sheet option.

11. On the Advanced tab, expand the Drivers list , and in the PostScript Output Option list, select Optimize for Portability.

12. Click OK.

13. On the Save as Postscript dialog box, on the Printer Details tab, click Advanced Printer Setup.

14. Click the options you want on the Marks and Bleeds tab and the Graphics and Fonts tab.

15. Click Save.

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Ask your commercial printing service whether you need to save your publication as a page-independent PostScript file and whether you should save it as a color-separated file or a composite file.

Note: You can save as a PDF or XPS file from a 2007 Microsoft Office system program only after you install an add-in. For more information, see Enable support for other file formats, such as PDF and XPS.

Save as a color-separated PostScript file

1. On the File menu, click Save As.

2. In the File name box, type a name for the file. You don't need to type a file name extension. Publisher automatically adds .ps to the end of the file name you type.

3. In the Save as type list, select PostScript.

4. Click Save.

5. In the Printer name list, select the PostScript printer or imagesetter that you want. If necessary, install a PostScript printer:

   1. Consult your commercial printing service about which PostScript printer you should install and where you should install it from.

   2. On the Start menu in Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers and Faxes.

   3. Under Printer Tasks, click Add a Printer.

   4. Follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard.

6. Click Properties, and then click the Advanced tab.

7. Under printer name Advanced Document Settings, expand Document Options, and then expand PostScript Options.

8. In the PostScript Output Option list, select Optimize for Portability.

9. Click OK.

10. On the Printer Details tab, click Advanced Printer Setup, and then click the Separations tab.

11. In the Print colors as list, click Separations.

12. In the These plates list, do one of the following:

    1. Click All defined inks to print a spot-color or process-color plate for every ink you have defined in the publication (Tools menu, Commercial Printing Tools submenu, Color Printing command).

    2. Click Used inks only to print a spot-color or process-color plate for every defined ink that is used in the publications.

    3. Click Convert spot to process to print only process-color plates and convert all defined spot colors to process colors.

13. To set other print options that your printing service recommends, click the options you want on the Page Settings tab and the Graphics and Fonts tab, and then click OK.

14. Click Save.

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Save as a composite PostScript file

1. On the File menu, click Save As.

2. In the File name box, type a name for the file. You don't need to type a file name extension — Publisher automatically adds .ps to the end of the file name you type.

3. In the Save as type list, select PostScript.

4. Click Save.

5. In the Printer name list, select the PostScript printer or imagesetter that you want. If necessary, install a PostScript printer:

   1. Consult your commercial printing service about which PostScript printer you should install and where you should install it from.

   2. On the Start menu in Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers and Faxes.

   3. Under Printer Tasks, click Add a Printer.

   4. Follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard.

6. Click Properties, and then click Advanced.

7. Under printer name Advanced Document Settings, expand Document Options, and then expand PostScript Options.

8. In the PostScript Output Option list, select Optimize for Portability.

9. Click OK.

10. On the Printer Details tab, click Advanced Printer Setup, and then click the Separations tab.

11. In the Print colors as list, do one of the following:

    1. Click Composite Grayscale to save a composite PostScript file that will be printed to a black and white printer.

    2. Click Composite CMYK to save a composite PostScript file that you can use in a third-party trapping or page-imposition program, or to print to a CMYK proofing device.

    3. Click Composite RGB to save a composite PostScript file that will be printed to a color printer.

       Note: To save a composite CMYK or RGB PostScript file, you must have a color PostScript printer selected.

12. To set other print options that your printing service recommends, click the options that you want on the Page Settings tab and the Graphics and Fonts tab, and then click OK.

13. Click Save.

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