Automator PDF help

[Ianarchy]

I want to create a workflow (attached to a folder, I guess) where the postscript files I save to the folder are converted by Adobe Distiller and then the postscript files are deleted.

I've been playing with Automator for the last 5 or 6 hours and so far am not even able to get the files to convert or Distiller to open. Nothing.

I'm sure I'm just missing some easy steps, maybe someone more experienced with Automator knows what to do.

 

[kryten2]

Use the Watched Folders option in Adobe Distiller. Put the postscript files in the watched folder and let Distiller do its thing. Don't know what version of Distiller you're using but it's there in Acrobat Distiller 7.

If you want to you can even use it with Applescript.

 

[Ianarchy]

Thank you very much kryten2. That's interesting, I had no idea that was a feature in Distiller. I'll experiment with it. Does it automatically delete the .ps files after they are converted?

Thanks for the screen shots as well, excellent response. Cheers.

 

[kryten2]

Does it automatically delete the .ps files after they are converted?

If you look at the first attached tumbnail at Post Processing you'll see the answer is yes if you tell it to.
Quote from the help section :

Choose what to do with a PostScript file after it has been processed. The file can be moved to the Out folder along with the PDF file or deleted. Any log file is also automatically copied to the Out folder.

 

[Ianarchy]

That's excellent kryten, thanks so much.

I'm just having a play around with it now. This could be the answer I'm looking for.

You wouldn't happen to have an applescript that makes a printer option in PDF to save as postscript to a specified folder?

 

[kryten2]

a printer option in PDF to save as postscript to a specified folder

You mean something like this :