11. Computing Guide - Creating PDF Files

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This section should help in creating PDF files edible to the powers-that-be at NSF. The solution I provide is necessarily complicated by the fact that a distiller must be used; more on that later. The usual tools like pdflatex or ps2pdf all have their limitations. The former doesn't digest included postscript figures while the latter doesn't produce PDF that conforms to NSF specifications.

The solution below solves both problems.

1. Generate the postscript file for your document.

   If you use Emacs or XEmacs for editing LaTeX files (as I advise people to), then things are quite easy. Once your file can be safely LaTeX'ed without errors, pull down the Command menu and choose Distillable PS.

   The postscript file thus produced can now be distilled. If you want to produce distillable postscript files by hand, then run the following command:

   dvips -Ppdf -j0 -o foo.ps foo
2. Distill the postscript file using Adobe's distiller.

   Since Adobe does not support our server operating system for its distiller product, you need to jump through one hoop. You can either transfer the postscript file over to any PC or Macintosh where you have the distiller or use the distiller we have available on the machine girshick.stanford.edu.

   To do the latter, you need to log into girshick.stanford.edu via the usual kinit, klogin sequence. PC and Mac users will use PC-Samson or MacSamson respectively and open a new connection via the File menu to girshick.stanford.edu. These things are documented in the departmental computing guide.

   Please note that you'll see the same file system on girshick as on rgmiller and therefore there is no need to transfer files back and forth. Executing the command

   mknsfpdf foo.ps

   will produce the required PDF file foo.pdf which is conformant to NSF specifications.

   For those of you using a distiller on other unix systems, the script mknsfpdf simply invokes the command

   distill -compatlevel 3.0 -embedallfonts on -subsetfonts on -maxsubsetpct 99 foo.ps
   We now have a preliminary distilling command that makes distilling transparent on our server. This will be moved into the Emacs menu shortly.

Distilling on Other Machines
Those of you distilling files on your own PC or Mac or whatever should use the following settings while distilling:

1. 3.0 compatibility
2. Embedallfonts should be on
3. Subsetfonts should be on
4. Maxsubsetpct should be 100 (the default is 35).

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