ESC! Magazine Help Page for the Electronic Download Edition

One of the nice things about using the Adobe Acrobat Format (PDF) is that the Electronic Download Edition is portable across platforms.  Users of Windows, Mac, UNIX/Linux and even Palm and Pocket PCs can read and many can print the latest issue of ESC!

Sometimes problems creep up though and I intend for this page to provide the answers whenever possible.  I'm sorry that I cannot provide help regarding the general installation or use of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  For that type of support, please contact Adobe Systems directly.

I do not have access to all of the different platforms and some, due to screen size limitations, will not be able to view the issues on screen in their entirety.  If you have a platform other than Windows and would like to contribute a solution to a problem you're having reading ESC! Magazine, please send it to Webmaster.  I will add your solution to this page.

Thank You!

Windows 9X, ME, NT, 2000, XP

Q:  When I click the link to download the latest issue it opens up directly in my web browser.  I want to save it to my hard drive instead!

A: No problem!  Follow the directions below for your browser:

Internet Explorer: RIGHT-CLICK the download link and choose "Save Target As" and then choose the location you'd like to save the PDF file to.

Mozilla/Firefox/Netscape Navigator: RIGHT-CLICK the download link and choose "Save Link As" and then choose the location you'd like to save the PDF file to.

Q: I have Adobe Acrobat installed but when I try to open your magazine I get an error about incorrect "color space".  What do I do?

A: You are probably using an older version of Acrobat Reader.  Try downloading the latest version from Adobe Systems and see if that solves your problem.  The current version is 7.0.5.  You may download it from here.  It's FREE.

Q: Your magazine looks okay on screen but when I try to print it, the letters are all squished together.  Why is this?  What do I do?

A:  Solution 2 below is certainly the quickest way to kludge the issue, but it doesn't really fix the problem.

SOLUTION 1: Some laser printers (most notably HP lasers) have this problem.  First make sure you are running the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If that still doesn't solve your problem, try updating your printer drivers to the latest version.

Here is an article from Adobe's Knowledgebase discussing the issue:
Text Prints with No Spaces from Acrobat 4.0 Viewer to HP PCL Printers

SOLUTION 2: If you don't feel like messing around with your printer drivers -- and who does really? -- a quick and easy fix to this problem is to use the "Print As Image" option in the Print dialog box for Acrobat Reader.  The downfall to this is that printing will be MUCH slower.  Follow these steps to use Print As Image:

1) Click FILE -> PRINT... from within Acrobat Reader

2) Make sure your default printer is selected and then locate the PRINT AS IMAGE check box and makes sure it's checked.

3) Click OK to continue printing.

Q: When I print the issue some of the graphics come out almost black and obscure the text.

A:  Hmm, it's hard to accommodate all of the different printers out there but my guess is that you're using an ink jet printer or a 300 dpi laser.  Older Ink Jet printers have trouble rendering high resolution images.  Many of the images in ESC! Magazine are at least 300 - 600 dpi and some are as high as 1200 dpi. 

I make every effort to ensure that the text will not be obscured by graphics, but sometimes it's unavoidable.  In cases like this you can try using a friend's laser printer or order the Premium Printed Edition of ESC!

Q: When I print your magazine, sometimes the images don't print or the printing process stops with an error saying that printing failed.

A: ESC! Magazine can contain very large images which will tax your computer's memory limits.  If you are having problems printing, try closing down all other programs except Acrobat Reader before printing.  Often this will free up enough memory for the printing process to succeed.

Mac, Linux and Handheld Tips

Q:  MAC: When I click the link to download the latest issue it opens up directly in my web browser / Preview.  I want to save it to my hard drive instead!

A: Follow the directions below:

CTRL-Click the mouse button on the download link (or right-click if your mouse supports it).  Choose "Download Linked File" (Safari) or "Save Link As" (Firefox) and then the location you'd like to save the PDF file to.

Do you have a tip for users of the Mac, Linux or Handheld devices?  Please send it to me and I'll post it here for everyone to share.

General Help

Q: Since your electronic magazine is designed in "portrait" mode I have to keep scrolling up and down! Grrrrr!

A: ESC! Magazine is best enjoyed when printed and is not optimized for screen viewing. Reading ESC! in a PDF viewer like Acrobat Reader or OS X's Preview may not provide you the best experience possible unless your have a "portrait" monitor. Of course I encourage you to order the printed edition, but if you download and print the PDF, it will appear its best when output on a high resolution laser printer (600dpi or higher) and when printed double-sided.

Q: I'm having trouble installing Acrobat Reader.
Q: When I double-click a PDF, Acrobat won't open up.
Q: My system crashed after installing Acrobat Reader.

A: I'm afraid questions like these will need to be directed towards Adobe Systems.  I do not have the resources to support their software on the many platforms it's available for.  The links below are provided as a convenience to you and will transport your browser directly to Adobe's Technical Support web site.  In most cases the information found in the Adobe Knowledgebase can solve any issues you might have with Acrobat Reader.