AutoCAD/FrameMaker PDF conflict

[Hanna]

I use Adobe FrameMaker to produce manuals that I convert into PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Distiller.

I also use AutoCAD to produce engineering drawings which I "plot-to-file" to postscript files using an AutoCAD PostScript Level 1 plot driver (which I created using the Add-A-Plotter Wizard). I then use Adobe Distiller to convert the postscripts into PDFs.

Ever since I installed and started using AutoCAD all my FrameMaker PDFs come out in black-and-white. Not even the hyperlinks have color. Is there a setting in the AutoCAD plot driver that might be causing my PDFs to come out black-and-white? Is there a setting in Distiller that might be causing my PDFs to be black-and-white? I've looked and looked, but I hope I am missing something.

In Distiller I use separate .joboptions for the FrameMaker PDFs and the AutoCAD PDFs. I am running Windows 2000, FrameMaker 6, AutoCAD 2000, and Adobe Acrobat with Distiller 4.0 (full version).

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

- Hanna

[CADTutor]

I've had no problems plotting to PS files - always in colour. However, I've never tried running these through Distiller. I assume the images are in colour when viewed in FrameMaker?

[Hanna]

Thank you for replying so quickly!

Yes, all the images are in colour in FrameMaker. I also reformatted a second computer and re-installed all my software except for AutoCAD and I can generate PDFs from FrameMaker in colour. It just seems to be AutoCAD that changes it. This morning, as a test, I tried to create a postscript/PDF using Word 2000 on the computer that has AutoCAD and it was also in black and white, even though the clip-art was in colour. I created the PDF by printing a post-script to file and using Distiller to convert it to a PDF.

You said you don't use Distiller - which software do you use to convert the postscripts to PDF form? If I can get FrameMaker to use a different conversion method that works then I am very willing to try it!

Thank you so much for helping me with this problem!

- Hanna

[CADTutor]

I do use Distiller - it's just that I've never tried it with AutoCAD PostScript files. If I get the time, I'll try it out and see what happens.