Can't view in Mac OS X Preview program

[kentino]

I create a PDF on a Window computer then try to view is via the Mac Preview program that comes with Mac OS X (the default PDF reader on the Mac). However, the file opens as gibberish. I have to install Acrobat Reader on the Mac to view the files. Any easy settings to change on the creation or viewing sides of the equation to get them to view in the Mac Preview program?

[hicksr]

A client had the same problem viewing a pdf I did with Primo on his Mac - viewing in Acrobat was fine after I had suggested it but the default viewer would not read it.
I don't have a Mac to try it on but I got the same issue on Linux, again Acrobat was fine but the default viewer converted the text to gibberish.
It has to be something to do with the way fonts are embedded I think - the default viewers must fail to pick up the font data somehow whereas Acrobat Reader is better at figuring this out.
I don't know if any of the Primo settings accessed from the properties button on the Print dialog might help - might be worth a try.
Primo is a great program but it is bit of a disaster when you send a pdf of a big report to a client & the client mails back to say he can't read it!

[polly5931]

I create a PDF on a Window computer then try to view is via the Mac Preview program that comes with Mac OS X (the default PDF reader on the Mac). However, the file opens as gibberish. I have to install Acrobat Reader on the Mac to view the files. Any easy settings to change on the creation or viewing sides of the equation to get them to view in the Mac Preview program?


This is still a problem. The newsletters posted by my church, http://www.WBCBR.org, are gibberish when viewed within Safari or Mozilla using the PDF Browser Plug-In 1.2.3 from Schubert-it.com. It may be that Macs running 10.3 and greater with the PDF Browser Plugin 2.x will have no problem, I don't know. My favorie text editor, Tex-Edit Plus, displays PDFs as PICT files, and it has the same problem as Preview does (also it displays only the first page of a PDF.)

To read a PrimoPDF on my eMac running Jaguar 10.2.8, you have to control-click and Download it with the browser's File->Save, or use the Save function on the plug-in's menu at the top of the scrollbar.
Then view with Adobe.

The printer driver I use creates PDFs that are viewable by both Macs and Windows. Both kinds of PDF are available at the February page at my church site. Maybe someone can compare and say what's the problem. I know they both start off with %PDF-1.3 but the 2nd line is different.

Internet Explorer for Mac doesn't have a workable PDF browser plug-in that I know of and always downloads the PDF. The file helper can be set as Adobe Reader.