|
After three long years, my epic campaign is slowly drawing to a close. The conclusion is to take place in Dungeon Issue 84's "The Harrowing." While I have the magazine at home, I would like to have a .pdf version, which would make cutting and pasting all that much easier. (Note that the game has shifted from table top to IM and e-mail, so having maps to make and send, as well as cut-outs of descriptions is a godsend.) In any event, that particular issue, along with many others, is no longer available. Note, too, that they are not available for download either. I would certainly be willing to pay $4.75 to download this back issue for my game. So, how about it?
Alternatively, I am trying to figure out how to make my own .pdf of my magazine, but absent forking out nearly $300 for Adobe software, I am clueless about a cheaper way to build my own .pdf document. Help? (Note that I downloaded Open Office, per a prior suggestion, but can't quite seem to figure out how to use it.)
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
|
Our license with Wizards of the Coast allows us to sell PDFs of issues that have sold out in hard copy format only. Unfortunately, that isn't likely to change. So there _is_ a way to get a PDF of issue #84, it just involves buying hundreds of back issues at once.
A bit expensive.
--Erik
I notice that issue 84 is listed as 'currently unavailable.' If currently unavailable doesn't mean that an issue is sold out, what does it indicate? Will issues that are unavailable but not sold out become available in the future? Thanks.
Morrow
|
Chief Technical Officer
|
I notice that issue 84 is listed as 'currently unavailable.' If currently unavailable doesn't mean that an issue is sold out, what does it indicate?
You're correct—it's sold out.
Will issues that are unavailable but not sold out become available in the future?
That *can* happen, as occasionally copies of a previously sold-out title turn up in a warehouse somewhere, but it's pretty rare.
The big problem with making backissues available as PDFs is that while we have permission from Wizards to do this for issues that have sold out, we *also* have to make sure we have all of the rights to all of the content in the issues. If it's a Paizo issue, that process is easy, as we know what all of our contracts said. If it's a Wizards issue, it's more difficult, and if it's a TSR issue, it's very very difficult. This step is what's holding up most of the backissues right now.
Once we work out the rights, we then have to construct the PDF. First, we try to track down electronic layouts. If it's a Paizo issue, that process is easy, as we have all of our files. If it's a Wizards issue, it's more difficult, and if it's a TSR issue, it's very very difficult. If no electronic files are available, then we have to go the scan-and-OCR route, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get an acceptable quality level there.
We are working on this stuff, but it's not as easy as anyone would like, and to be honest, it's nobody's top priority here, so it's not moving especially quickly, but it is moving.
-Vic.
.
Mr. Wertz,
Thank you for that clear and honest response. Not exactly everything I wanted to hear, but at least now I know "where we stand".
Once we work out the rights, we then have to construct the PDF. First, we try to track down electronic layouts. If it's a Paizo issue, that process is easy, as we have all of our files. If it's a Wizards issue, it's more difficult, and if it's a TSR issue, it's very very difficult. If no electronic files are available, then we have to go the scan-and-OCR route, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get an acceptable quality level there.
What's the problem with PDFs? I have the Dragon Magazine Archive, which includes PDFs of the first 250 issues of Dragon. They're fully OCRed and indexed, too (well, the sample I checked now to make sure I don't write nonsense). Seems to me like someone's done all the work already. Shouldn't be a problem to make issue 84 or whatever other issue available.
(If you've never seen the CDs and can't get access to them -- though I'd be surprised if that's the case -- I can send you a copy.)
Oops, hadn't see that it's about Dungeon and not Dragon. Still, you could make Dragon issues available this way, which you don't do now.
|
Chief Technical Officer
|
What's the problem with PDFs? I have the Dragon Magazine Archive, which includes PDFs of the first 250 issues of Dragon.
That product is out of print due largely to those same rights issues, and is part of the reason we need to be particularly diligent about those rights now.
Everything I've said in this thread applies equally to Dungeon and Dragon.
-Vic.
.
Well, at least if you solve the rights problem, the technical issue of providing PDFs won't be a problem for these Dragon issues.
And I guess I must be thankful for getting these CDs on time.
Alternatively, I am trying to figure out how to make my own .pdf of my magazine, but absent forking out nearly $300 for Adobe software, I am clueless about a cheaper way to build my own .pdf document. Help? (Note that I downloaded Open Office, per a prior suggestion, but can't quite seem to figure out how to use it.)
You aren't referring to derek_cleric's recommendation made in a certain thread you started back in September where some subscriber whose handle starts with "T" burned the decals off his keyboard's keys hammering out horribly verbose how-tos, are you? :-D
So Saurstalk, we meet again. I learned much last time around. Now I can happily make PDFs in seconds at the mere click of a toolbar button from inside MS-Word, and it cost me nil. In answer to your question, here's a way (probably not the only way) to go about it. I'll be brief (promise).
I'm assuming you have access to a scanner. Scan hi-res images of the Dungeon pages you need (300 dpi should be plenty, methinks). Follow my steps #1–3 and optional step #5 from my first long-winded post in your other thread. In step #1, where I wrote "MS-Word" read "image viewer/browser of your choice" (something you can print from at any rate); where I wrote "Word DOC" read "scanned image". This part sucks: repeat steps #1–3 for each image, turning each page into an individual PDF (name them pg01.pdf–pgxx.pdf or something simple like that). Using the PDF Toolkit (pdftk) from optional step #5, merge all the PDFs into a single large PDF document. You can also use it to water-mark and encrypt the final PDF if you wish. Since it's a brute of a command-line app, you'll want Dirk Paehl's GUI front-end for it (mentioned under "Unrelated Option" in my final long-winded post in the other thread).
In the end this will produce a compiled image PDF. If you have OCR software it's conceivable you could dump its output into OpenOffice (optionally using extendedPDF to add bookmarks and other goodies) and rebuild the entire mag into a professional looking PDF that way. The quality of the end result would depend on how closely you could match the fonts and page layouts of the original. Oi, what a lot of work that would be.
If you're interested, my email address is available in this thread. Email me and I'll send you a taste of the results I'm achieving with Word2000 + PDF-T-Maker + MS Publisher Imagesetter + Ghostscript.
|
|
Target Audience: This is for Windows users who write in MS-Word (i.e. don't want to switch to OpenOffice) and would like to produce PDF files for free. I repeat: for free. I only have WinXP and 98SE at my disposal, so these instructions will be highly generalised. This will involve some of your time and a 10MB download. A smidgen of DOS knowledge is required. If you know what the DIR and CD commands are and how to use them, you're good. ;-)
Ah yes, Mr. Tramarius. I recall your directions prior. My weakness was two-fold when I read you prior post (above). (1) DOS is not my forte and (2) I don't generally use MS-Word. So, I was hoping that someone could point out a relatively easy drag'n'drop freeware program or the like. However, not to look a gift horse in the mouth - when next I have some time to set aside to out your recommendations, I shall. I think I'll start with Knights of the Lich Queen. I've been wanting to get that on .pdf.
Ah yes, Mr. Tramarius. I recall your directions prior. My weakness was two-fold when I read you prior post (above). (1) DOS is not my forte and (2) I don't generally use MS-Word. So, I was hoping that someone could point out a relatively easy drag'n'drop freeware program or the like. However, not to look a gift horse in the mouth - when next I have some time to set aside to out your recommendations, I shall. I think I'll start with Knights of the Lich Queen. I've been wanting to get that on .pdf.
OpenOffice is pretty good for drag-n-drop and freeware. I did a test just now, opened a new text document, dragged an image onto the page, then put a page break, then another image, etc., exported PDF, and got exactly what I expected.