PDF figures

[Robin Fairbairns]

>     Does your answer mean you can merge a .pdf image into a .pdf file, if
>     you have Distiller? Not having Distiller, its capabilities are
>     beginning to sound almost magical ;-)
>
> It is not especially magical.  In a nutshell, it converts PostScript to
> PDF.  Since both formats were invented by Adobe, as you might imagine,
> they have a lot in common already.

the problems arise because adobe keep making pdf more complicated.
yet another release of distiller in the last month or so.

> Ghostscript, which is free software and available on all major
> platforms, has the same capability, usually invoked through the script
> ps2pdf.  Naturally, ps2pdf and Distiller have different bugs, features,
> pros, cons, etc.  See www.ghostscript.com.

but it's always slightly behind what adobe's just invented.  which is
(in part) why adobe keeps inventing things -- to keep ahead of the game.

> One common way to use pdf files as images is to use pdflatex to create
> pdf files directly.  Then the standard \includegraphics, etc., commands
> will understand .pdf, and the whole ps->pdf conversion step is omitted.
>
> pdflatex can also directly read .jpg, .png, and all the other usual
> formats -- the only common image format it cannot deal with is,
> ironically enough, .eps.  (Unfortunately, there are basic technical
> issues involved which make it impossible.)
>
> I don't know if Y&Y TeX has pdf(la)tex, so I don't know if this helps,
> just thought I'd mention it.

y&ytex _doesn't_ have pdftex capabilities.  which is a pity, but there
you go.

r