Acrobat 8 Seems Like Something is Missing? Plus Some Nifty New Features

TOOLS MISSING? So, you've decided to upgrade to Acrobat 8 to take advantage of all the new features. When you launch the application for the first time, however, it seems like there are tools missing. Don't be alarmed; the tools are still there, just in a different location. Here's where to find them:

• Toolbars, which were previously a part of the Acrobat menu, will not appear until you have opened a PDF file.
• Use Local Fonts (Advanced >Use Local Fonts in previous versions of Acrobat) is now a preference that should be turned on in Acrobat>Preferences>General>Page Display category
• Overprint Preview, Output Preview, and Preflight (found in the Advanced menu in previous versions of Acrobat) can now all be found in the new Advanced>Print Production spill-out menu

GREAT NEW FEATURES - There are a slew of great new features that Adobe has added to Acrobat 8, many of which are useful for print production. Here's a list of our favorites:

• Control+click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) using the TouchUp Object Tool on an image. You'll find that, in addition to opening the image in Photoshop, the menu now gives the option to flip, rotate, and delete the image. Select Properties, and you can convert the image using a profile directly in Acrobat,without having to open it in Photoshop.

In addition to creating a preflight report, the Preflight Tool now has the ability to repair PDF files. Repairs, which Adobe calls "Fixups", can include converting RGB and spot colors to CMYK, remove OPI, set black to overprint, and dozens of others.

• The Transparency Flattener Tool now allows you to save presets for various conditions.
• In the Print dialog box under Page Scaling, there is a Booklet Printing feature that will output two-up printers spreads.
• To permanently display the pages size of a PDF in the lower left corner, go to Acrobat>Preferences>General in the Page Display category and check Always Show Document Page Size.