Skip to Content

The University of Texas at Austin

Creating PDF files in Word or Wordperfect for Macintosh

Before you start

Locate a computer with either Microsoft Word or Corel Wordperfect and Adobe Acrobat Distiller (3.x or 4.x) software installed. Distiller is usually part of the larger Adobe Acrobat software package. NOTE: "Adobe Acrobat" is the software used to create PDF files and is separate and distinct from "Adobe Acrobat Reader" which can only view PDF files.

If your dissertation consists of multiple Word or Wordperfect files:
Prepare your dissertation files for conversion by saving them all into a single folder or directory on the computer you are using. Name the very first file (the one which includes the title page, abstract, table of contents, etc.) "etd.doc". Name subsequent files whatever you wish. Maintain these same names for the various pieces of your dissertation when it comes time to convert them to PDF.

Instructions

  1. Download and install a Postscript printer driver if you are not already connected to a Postscript printer:

  2. Open your dissertation in Word or Wordperfect.
  3. Within Word or Wordperfect, select Print from the File menu as if you were about to print a copy of your dissertation.
  4. Within the popup box which appears, make sure you have selected a Postscript capable printer from the pulldown list . Check the Print to File box and select OK. You will then be prompted to choose a location at which to save the Postscript copy of your dissertation materials.
  5. Open Adobe Acrobat Distiller.
  6. From within the Distiller dropdown menu select Job Options.
  7. Within the Job Options popup box select the Font Embedding tab. Select the Embed All Fonts checkbox. Select OK to finish this step.
  8. From the File menu within Distiller select Open. You will be prompted to select the file you wish to open in Distiller. Select the Postscript version of your dissertation materials which you created earlier and select OK.
  9. You will then be prompted to select a location to which to save your soon to be created PDF file. Select OK to start the PDF conversion.

If this process produced one PDF file, you are finished. If your dissertation consisted of multiple documents, repeat these same steps and then combine the PDF files using Acrobat. See Combining Multiple PDF files into one.