How to Convert Publisher Files to a PDF Ebook
By Buffy Naillon
Ebooks have become an important part of the publishing landscape. They allow authors to get their writing out to a wider audience than traditional printing alone does. These books exist in the Portable Document Format (PDF) and give you the ability to publish a written work immediately. If you've written an ebook and would like to make a PDF of it, you need to only follow a few additional steps after you write the book and lay it out in Publisher. Additionally, making your ebook into a PDF presents you with a number of advantages. After you create your book, you can sell it on your website, give it away as an incentive to your customers or sell it on sites like Amazon.
Step 1
Make a file folder in which you can save your work.
Step 2
Open your ebook in Publisher.
Step 3
Do a once-over of your document, checking for spelling errors, misaligned photos or any sentences that read awkwardly. Correct anything that needs it before you make your PDF.
Step 4
Do a final "Save" of your Publisher file.
Step 5
Check for a PDF-maker on your computer. You'll know if your computer can make a PDF by going to "File" > "Print." Near the "Name" heading on the printer pop-up screen, you should see your printer options. If it doesn't indicate something like "Print to PDF," you don't have a PDF-maker on your computer.
Step 6
Get a PDF-maker, if you cannot already create a PDF on your computer. You can download several free PDF-making programs (see Resources section) that will allow you to save your Publisher ebook as a PDF document. Follow the download instructions included with the software.
Step 7
Go to "File" again in your open Publisher document and then to "Print." Click on the PDF option. A pop-up menu will appear, asking you where you want to save your PDF.
Step 8
Select your project file folder and click "Save." The PDF-maker will copy your ebook from your Publisher file and save it in your folder.
References
Tips
- If you plan on also creating a printable version of your ebook, save all the photos and illustrations in the CMYK color format. You do this in a photo-correction software program like Adobe Photoshop. If you accidentally save these file in the RGB format---which is suitable for onscreen, but not print documents---the photos appear black and white when printed (depending upon the printer). Many print shops still use the four-color separation printing method, which requires that all photos be converted to the CMYK format to print properly. (See Resources section.)
Warnings
- The more photos and illustrations your ebook possesses, the larger the file size becomes. This slows down the download time on some computers--a drawback for some possible readers of your book with slower Internet connections.
Writer Bio
Buffy Naillon has worked in the media industry since 1999, contributing to Germany's "Der Spiegel" magazine and various websites. She received a bachelor's degree in German from Boise State University. Naillon also attended New York University and participated in the foreign exchange program at Germany's Saarland University. She is completing her master's degree in educational technology at Boise State.