Q. Ever since I upgraded to Snow Leopard I have been unable to print Adobe PDFs. I print the file but I cannot find the PDF when it is done.

A. Apple’s latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 aka Snow Leopard, is an upgrade for Intel based Macintosh computers that uses 64-bit processing, which allows for faster and wider data processing. As a result the computing experience is much faster and seemingly gives new life to all compatible Mac desktops and laptop computers. While the upgrade has negatively affected some printing services, the refinements in Snow Leopard make it a welcome improvement.

In the case of Adobe’s virtual printers, Adobe PDF 9.0 et al, the method used to print a PDF contravenes Apple’s security protocols. In the past when you chose to print a PDF from a program you were actually printing a PostScript file using the LaserWriter print spooler, which was then silently passed to Adobe’s Distiller application. Distiller would actually convert the PostScript into a PDF and save the file to the location you specified.

That is a simplified explanation and there are more applications under the hood involved. Apple’s CUPS or common unix printing system handles most printing tasks and there is some issues with the permissions set by software manufacturers that is prohibiting successful printing. You may see a notice in a print spooler that warns that you need to contact the manufacturer for an update.

The method to print a PDF your self involves a few simple steps. You can print your file to PostScript which will result in saving a file ending with “.ps”. Next open Adobe Distiller and drag and drop the PostScript file onto the main window. Distiller will convert the PostScript file to a PDF and save it in the same folder as the PostScript file. In most cases you would choose “Standard” but if you want a PDF ready for press you can choose “High Quality Print” or “PDF-X1a” – check with the printer’s account manager. If you want the send the PDF by email choose “Smallest File Size” to create a compressed version.

The Acrobat Team has added an Apple Automator workflow to print PDFs. From the Print dialog you can choose “Save as Adobe PDF” from the PDF menu.

If you’re printing with the regular Mac OSX Print pane:
Choose Print from the File Menu.
This will open Mac OS X print dialog.
Choose the “PDF” button and select “Save as Adobe PDF”.
Click Print.
In a few seconds Automator will open and prompt you to choose what type of PDF
Choose Standard (see above).
On the next window, you will be asked where to save the PDF.
Automator will create the PDF.

Q. Before we upgrade to Snow Leopard, I want to ask you if you have tried the system and if there are conflicts from the software I’m running?

A. Yes, I have tried Snow Leopard as I updated one of my primary Macs as soon as Apple sent me my copy. However before I upgraded I made sure that I had a good backup and I even “cloned” my hard drive. I have not upgraded all of my computers yet because there are still some conflicts.

You can clone your hard drive with “Carbon Copy Cloner” or “SuperDuper” software. Cloning makes an exact copy of very file on your hard drive on a second hard drive; including the System, Applications, all of your own data and most importantly the files critical to booting your Mac. Make sure you have “make bootable” checked and you should start the Mac from the clone to test that it works.

Snow Leopard is not only Apple’s latest upgrade to its Mac OS X operating system (also know as version10.6) but it is the next step in the Macintosh’s migration to Intel and 64-bit processing. The majority of the operating system has been written to take Advantage of the 64-bit capabilities in modern computers. In theory a 64-bit wide cpu can address up to 16.8 million terabytes of RAM – although today’s computers have an artificial memory limit.

You may have heard that some of the low end MacBooks cannot boot into 64-bit. In fact at this point in time it is not terribly important to boot into 64-bit since there is still a fair amount of 32-bit software in use. The Intel Mac’s can switch between 32-bit and 64-bit when it is required but if they boot in 64-bit mode they cannot run 32-bit code.

I recently purchased a MacBook Pro 13 with 2 GB or Ram and was a little disappointed with its initial performance. As soon as I upgraded it to Snow Leopard it came to life and is now snappier and much more responsive. So I would encourage you to seriously consider upgrading.

Before you do you should make a list of all the software you use regularly and pay close attention to items you depend on. You can find a growing list of software compatibility here: http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/ If you are in publishing, you may want to note that Extensis Fusion is reportedly not compatible at the time I am writing. You can also go to the manufacturer’s web sites where they will have published their Snow Leopard status. Users have also reported that while some titles are not officially supported they are running without too much fuss.

We recently tested Extensis Fusion 1.0 on Snow Leopard and it seemed to work fine. There have also been reports that Adobe CS3 works for the most part. So while we strongly recommend that you check with your software manufacturers about compatibility all is not lost. You can create a clone drive as mentioned above and test the upgrade on the cloned version of your system.

So do your homework, back up and/or clone your Mac, get a copy of Snow Leopard ($35 CDN) and enjoy!

Here’e the fix:

Go to backup copy of OS. (you did make a backup copy before you upgraded!?!)

cd /Volumes/[backup]/usr/local/

sudo tar cvf juniper.tar juniper

sudo mv juniper.tar /usr/local/

cd /usr/local/

sudo tar xvf junpier.tar

sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/juniper/nc/[version number/
– this was not necessary for me (tar maintains permissions)

sudo mkdir /Applications/Network\ Connect.app/Contents/Frameworks
– this makes no sense since “Frameworks” is not required on 10.4 or 10.5