What is Adobe Acrobat Distiller, and How to Create PDFs With It?

When you have finalized a PS (PostScript) file and it is ready for publication, Adobe Acrobat Distiller is the tool you need to convert the PS file to PDF. This process will generate a high-quality PDF document with preserved layouts and graphics. 

In this guide, we will learn all about Adobe Acrobat Distiller, including the steps to perform conversion for easy sharing or printing. Plus, if you also want to edit the converted PDF, download UPDF and use its advanced features to edit PDFs. 

Part 1. Introduction to Adobe Acrobat Distiller

Adobe Acrobat Distiller is a software solution to convert documents from PostScript (PS) format to Adobe PDF. It was introduced in 1993 as part of the Adobe Acrobat family. 

Acrobat Distiller interprets the PostScript page description language, a programming language used in desktop publishing. After interpretation, it transforms the document into a high-quality PDF with preserved original formatting. This conversion is useful for printing and publishing workflows. 

Some of the key advantages of using Adobe Acrobat Distiller include:

• Product print-ready and high-quality PDFs.
• Preserve layouts, fonts, and all other elements.
• Users can customize different settings, such as compression, color management, font embedding, and more.
• Batch processes multiple PS files at once to save time.
• Integrates with other Adobe products. 

In short, Acrobat PDF Distiller offers top-notch PS to PDF conversion and generates customized and high-quality outputs ready for printing.

Note: Adobe Distiller is no longer available as a stand-alone download from Adobe. It is automatically included as a component when you download other Adobe products like Adobe Acrobat. 

Part 2. Check to See If You Have the Distiller on Your Computer

Since Adobe Distiller now comes pre-installed with other Adobe products, you should look on your computer and see if you find it. Follow the steps below to check if you have Adobe PDF Distiller:

Step 1. Open the Start menu and search for "Adobe Acrobat Distiller".

Step 2. If you see an installed app in the search result, open it right away. 

Alternatively, you can also check "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat\<version>\Acrobat\" and look for the file named "acrodist.exe".

If you cannot find Distiller, it may not be installed on your computer. So, you can either install the Adobe Acrobat package that includes it or use online PS to PDF converters as an Acrobat Distiller alternative.

Part 3. How to Use Adobe Acrobat Distiller

Adobe Acrobat Distiller offers an intuitive approach to convert PS to PDF. Follow the steps below to use Distiller and convert PS (PostScript) files to PDF:

Step 1. Save your project file with the .ps extension. 

Step 2. Launch Distiller and go to File > Open and pick the PS file you want to convert.

Step 3. Customize the output settings by tapping Distiller > Job Options. Adjust the resolution, compression, font embedding, etc. 

Step 4. Once you have customized the settings, click Save As. Wait for Distiller to convert PS to PDF. 

That's how you can easily use Acrobat Distiller to perform high-quality conversion.

Here, it is worth noting that there are many other tools and online services to convert PS to PDF. You can convert directly from InDesign or use online converters, like CloudConvert, Zamzar, FileConverter, and others. These online converters simply require you to upload the PS file, perform the conversion, and download the PDF.

After converting to PDF files, you can use UPDF to open and manage PDFs. It is a powerful and versatile PDF editor that supports reading, editing, annotating, and converting PDFs. Read the next part to learn what you can get with UPDF.

Part 4. The Best Tool for Viewing and Editing Converted PDF Files

UPDF is the leading PDF editor that offers modernized and AI-backed features to view and edit converted PDF files. You can open the PDF with UPDF on your desktop or smartphone and use the various reading modes for an enhanced viewing experience.

The other key features you get with UPDF include:

AI Assistant

UPDF offers a built-in and advanced AI assistant that can provide summaries of the entire PDF or specific content. You can also translate the PDF to other languages with original formatting. It also lets you chat with a PDF to understand complex concepts or generate a mind map for visual understanding. 

Edit PDF

UPDF empowers you to edit all the elements of a PDF. You can add/edit headers, footers, passwords, hyperlinks, Bates numbering, bookmarks, watermarks, images, and text. All that is accessible from a click-based interface.

Annotate PDF

UPDF lets you annotate a PDF with 13 markup tools. You can highlight, strikethrough, underline, draw, or add text comments, sticky notes, etc.

OCR PDF

UPDF can perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to convert scanned PDFs into searchable and editable PDFs without altering the formatting.

Besides the features mentioned above, UPDF also supports PDF conversion. It can convert PDF to 14 other formats, including Word, Excel, image, PPT, PDF/A, HTML, and more. You can also convert other formats to PDF. 

In short, UPDF dominates as a better alternative to Adobe Acrobat. The only downside is that UPDF cannot convert PS to PDF. However, since Acrobat Distiller is a component of Adobe products, and Adobe is very expensive, the recommended approach is to convert PS to PDF using a free online converter and then use the cost-friendly UPDF tool to manage PDFs.

Feel impressed? Download UPDF right now and open your converted PDFs in a feature-packed PDF editor.

Conclusion

Adobe Acrobat Distiller is designed for only one purpose: to convert PS (PostScript) files to PDF format with high quality and precision. You can follow the steps discussed in this guide to access Distiller and use it for conversion. After conversion, make sure you have installed UPDF to have the best PDF tool at your disposal for further edits, annotations, conversions, and other activities.