InDesign CS5.5 Generic Postscript PPD

gsprague · 04-19-2012, 09:10 AM

Hi All,

I am running OS X Lion 10.7.3 and using InDesign CS5.5. When I print in InDesign using my PostScript File printer I can choose the Generic PostScript printer PPD. Can anyone tell me where this Generic PostScript Printer file is located on the system? It is not in my /Library/Printer/PPD folder. Is this built into Adobe InDesign or maybe part of Acrobat?

Thank you!

benwiggy · 04-19-2012, 09:46 AM

From a brief search, I can't see it inside the ID app package. But it's more than likely to be a component of InDesign itself.

Adobe forces a Generic PPD on its PostScript file output to ensure that the .ps code is device independent. So they should work fine on any PostScript device.

What do you do with your .ps files after saving them? If they are going to Distiller, then you're advised (by Adobe) to use ID's PDF export in preference to Distiller. Even so, there's little point in sending device-specific .ps to Distiller.

If the .ps file is going off to a device, then why not do it directly? Again, even so, device-independent PostScript should be fine on any device.

One option might be to use a system-wide PostScript print queue, like CUPS-PDF, which you can specify with your own PPD. I've written a backend for CUPS that saves .ps files through a print queue, if you're interested.

gsprague · 04-19-2012, 10:12 AM

Hi benwiggy,

Thanks for the quick reply! Most of my clients use Export to PDF but a few are still stuck on printing to the built-in PostScript Printer. One of my clients is not seeing the Generic PostScript PPD listed within InDesign.

I tried doing a file system search on my machine but nothing came up. What's the path to the file?

I can't imagine that someone might have deleted it from the package contents of the app!

Thanks!

benwiggy · 04-19-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsprague


	One of my clients is not seeing the Generic PostScript PPD listed within InDesign.

Define "Not seeing".
Do you mean it is not listed as the PPD for printing to PostScript in the print dialog? Is the field blank?
What happens when he tries to save a .ps file?

I don't know where the file might reside -- it may not be immediately obvious, as it could be inside a resource or named unhelpfully.

gsprague · 04-19-2012, 10:30 AM

The Generic PostScript PPD is not listed.

Go to File Print
For Printer choose PostScript File
For PPD, the Generic PostScript Printer is not listed there.

benwiggy · 04-19-2012, 11:50 AM

I haven't used CS5.5, but in every previous version on InDesign, the PPD is greyed out and cannot be changed. So what is listed there -- simply a blank, greyed-out drop-down list, or another PPD?

And what happens when you try to save a .ps file?

gsprague · 04-19-2012, 11:52 AM

You can't create one because there is nothing listed there.

benwiggy · 04-19-2012, 12:00 PM

Is this something that used to work properly and has now stopped? Did he do anything to modify ID -- or

Well, I'd be tempted to tell him to Export to PDF directly, if the .ps file is going to be distilled.

Otherwise, as per usual: trash all the InDesign prefs in the user account. Failing that, reinstall ID.

NaOH · 04-19-2012, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsprague


	When I print in InDesign using my PostScript File printer I can choose the Generic PostScript printer PPD. Can anyone tell me where this Generic PostScript Printer file is located on the system? It is not in my /Library/Printer/PPD folder. Is this built into Adobe InDesign or maybe part of Acrobat?

According to Adobe documentation, InDesign (v. 5 and 5.5) should be using a PPD installed on a system level, not an application level.

benwiggy · 04-19-2012, 01:14 PM

NaOH, what you say is true, but that relates to user-defined print queues.

InDesign also has its own app-specific print queue for saving PostScript files to disk. When you select that, the Generic PS PPD is selected and you cannot change it.

NaOH · 04-19-2012, 01:18 PM

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying that/correcting me.

04-19-2012, 09:10 AM	#1
gsprague Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 416	InDesign CS5.5 Generic Postscript PPD Hi All, I am running OS X Lion 10.7.3 and using InDesign CS5.5. When I print in InDesign using my PostScript File printer I can choose the Generic PostScript printer PPD. Can anyone tell me where this Generic PostScript Printer file is located on the system? It is not in my /Library/Printer/PPD folder. Is this built into Adobe InDesign or maybe part of Acrobat? Thank you!

04-19-2012, 09:46 AM	#2
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,039	From a brief search, I can't see it inside the ID app package. But it's more than likely to be a component of InDesign itself. Adobe forces a Generic PPD on its PostScript file output to ensure that the .ps code is device independent. So they should work fine on any PostScript device. What do you do with your .ps files after saving them? If they are going to Distiller, then you're advised (by Adobe) to use ID's PDF export in preference to Distiller. Even so, there's little point in sending device-specific .ps to Distiller. If the .ps file is going off to a device, then why not do it directly? Again, even so, device-independent PostScript should be fine on any device. One option might be to use a system-wide PostScript print queue, like CUPS-PDF, which you can specify with your own PPD. I've written a backend for CUPS that saves .ps files through a print queue, if you're interested. Last edited by benwiggy; 04-19-2012 at 09:48 AM.

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04-19-2012, 10:12 AM	#3
gsprague Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 416	Hi benwiggy, Thanks for the quick reply! Most of my clients use Export to PDF but a few are still stuck on printing to the built-in PostScript Printer. One of my clients is not seeing the Generic PostScript PPD listed within InDesign. I tried doing a file system search on my machine but nothing came up. What's the path to the file? I can't imagine that someone might have deleted it from the package contents of the app! Thanks!

04-19-2012, 10:30 AM	#5
gsprague Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 416	The Generic PostScript PPD is not listed. Go to File Print For Printer choose PostScript File For PPD, the Generic PostScript Printer is not listed there.

04-19-2012, 11:50 AM	#6
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,039	I haven't used CS5.5, but in every previous version on InDesign, the PPD is greyed out and cannot be changed. So what is listed there -- simply a blank, greyed-out drop-down list, or another PPD? And what happens when you try to save a .ps file?

04-19-2012, 11:52 AM	#7
gsprague Major Leaguer Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 416	You can't create one because there is nothing listed there.

04-19-2012, 12:00 PM	#8
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,039	Is this something that used to work properly and has now stopped? Did he do anything to modify ID -- or Well, I'd be tempted to tell him to Export to PDF directly, if the .ps file is going to be distilled. Otherwise, as per usual: trash all the InDesign prefs in the user account. Failing that, reinstall ID.

04-19-2012, 01:14 PM	#10
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,039	NaOH, what you say is true, but that relates to user-defined print queues. InDesign also has its own app-specific print queue for saving PostScript files to disk. When you select that, the Generic PS PPD is selected and you cannot change it.

04-19-2012, 01:18 PM	#11
NaOH Hall of Famer Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,642	Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying that/correcting me.