PDF

The Adobe PDF file format is the format of choice for the initial submission of manuscripts to the RSC. Files are compatible with most types of computer, and can be viewed using Acrobat Viewer, a piece of free software available from the Adobe website (see below). PDF files are usually created using Acrobat Distiller, a program sold with the full version of Adobe Acrobat, although other programs can also produce PDF files.

1 - General guidelines

When creating your original document, following these guidelines will make it easier to produce useable PDF files: 

• Avoid using unusual fonts; try and use only the following:
  
  
  • Times New Roman
  • Arial
  • Helvetica
  • Symbol       
  
  
• When inserting graphics into a text document, save the image as a separate file and then import that file into your word processing package; do not cut and paste from one program to another, as this can cause problems later on.        

2 - General software settings

These settings are the mminimum requirements when creating your PDF file:

• Use Acrobat 4.0 (PDF 1.3) compatibility.
• Embed all the fonts used in the document.
• Use a page size of "A4" (210 by 297 mm).
• Use a reasonable level of image compression, to limit the size of the final PDF file without excessively degrading the quality of embedded images.    

3a - Acrobat Distiller - automatic set up

An Adobe Acrobat Distiller ".joboptions" file, containing all the necessary settings to produce correctly structured PDF files, is available for download from the Templates section of this site. Click on the link below to go to the download page.

Links:

3b - Acrobat Distiller - manual set up

If for some reason you cannot use the ".joboptions" file you will need to configure Acrobat Distiller manually. See below for the Acrobat Distiller settings that should be used when preparing PDF files for the RSC. Once the values have been entered, click on "Save As..." and call the new file "RSC.joboptions".        

4a - Using Acrobat Distiller: Distilling a postscript file

To create a PDF file from a postscript (.ps/.eps) file, follow the steps below:

1. Create your postscript file.
2. Start Acrobat Distiller.
3. Select "RSC" from the "Job Options" pull-down menu (if not present in list, RSC settings not set up properly - see step 2 above).
4. Process the postscript file by (a) using the "File - Open" menu option, or (b) dragging the postscript file into the Acrobat Distiller window.
5. The PDF file should appear in the same folder as the original postscript file.  

4b - Using Acrobat Distiller: Printing to Acrobat Distiller

To create a PDF file direct from your application, follow the steps below:

1. Create your document in another application (e.g. Microsoft Word).
2. Open the "Print" dialogue box via the "File - Print" menu option, and select "Acrobat Distiller" as the printer.
3. Click on the "Adobe PDF settings" tab that appears at the top of the "Print" dialogue box.
4. In the "Conversion Settings" pull down menu, select "RSC" (if not present in list, RSC settings not set up properly - see step 2 above).
5. Below the "Conversion Settings" box, make sure the option "Do not send fonts to Distiller" is NOT ticked.
6. Click on "Apply", then "Print".
7. Select a file name and location in the "Save PDF File As" dialogue box which appears, and click on "Save".
8. The PDF file should appear in the folder you selected.