Acrobat 9 Pro:

Advanced, ACE Edition

Frequently asked questions and instructor notes

Topic A0:   Classroom setup

All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.

Hardware requirements

Each student’s personal computer should have:

·    A keyboard and a mouse

·    An Intel Pentium 4, Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon, or Intel Core Duo (or compatible) processor with a clock speed of 1.3 GHz or higher

·    At least 256 MB of available RAM (512 MB recommended) for Windows XP, and at least 1 GB of available RAM (1.5 GB recommended) for Windows Vista

·    2.13 GB of available hard-disk space

·    A CD-ROM drive for installation

·    An XGA or better monitor, capable of 24-bit color or more (1,024 ´ 768 monitor resolution) with 16-bit video card

Software requirements

You will need the following software:

·    Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1

·    Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro

·    Adobe Reader 9

·    A printer driver (An actual printer is not required, but students will not be able to complete Activity F-1 in the “Color separations” unit unless a driver is installed.)

Network requirements

The following network components and connectivity are also required for this course:

·    Internet access, for the following purposes:

   Downloading the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com

   Downloading the Student Data files (if necessary)

First-time setup instructions

The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.

1   Install Windows XP on an NTFS partition according to the software manufacturer’s instructions.

     Note: You can also use Windows Vista or Windows Server 2003, but the screen shots in this course were taken using Windows XP, so students’ screens will look somewhat different.

2   If the operating system is Windows XP, then launch the Control Panel, open the Display Properties dialog box, and apply the following settings:

·    Theme — Windows XP

·    Screen resolution — 1024 by 768 pixels

·    Color quality — High (24 bit) or higher

3   Display file extensions.

a   Start Windows Explorer.

b   Choose Tools, Folder Options and select the View tab.

c   Clear the check box for “Hide extensions for known file types.”

d   Click OK.

e   Close Windows Explorer.

4   Set up Internet access for the students. Internet access is required; an e-mail account is not.

5   Open Internet Explorer and navigate to www.update.microsoft.com. Update the operating system with the latest critical updates and service packs.

6   Install Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. Perform a typical installation. When prompted, accept the Acrobat license agreement, and then close Acrobat.

     Note: You can also use Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which offers a superset of the features described in this course. RAM and hard disk requirements for Pro Extended are slightly higher than for Pro.

7   Install Adobe Reader:

a   Go to http://www.adobe.com and download Adobe Reader 9.

b   Double-click the installation file to open Adobe Download Manager, and follow the instructions to install Adobe Reader 9. (It’s not necessary to install the Google toolbar.)

8   Install the AGFA Accuset 1500 printer.

a   Click Start and choose Control Panel.

b   Click Printers and Other Hardware.

c   Click “Add a printer” and click Next.

d   Select “Local printer attached to this computer.” Clear “Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer.” Click Next.

e   From the “Use the following port” list, select “LPT1: (Recommended Printer Port).” Click Next.

f    In the Manufacturer list, select Agfa. In the Printers list, select AGFA-Accuset 1500. Click Next.

g   If prompted, select “Keep existing driver (recommended).” Click Next.

h   Verify that the name in the Printer name box is AGFA-Accuset 1500.

i    Under “Do you want to use this printer as the default printer?” select No. Click Next.

j    If prompted, select “Do not share this printer.” Click Next.

k   Under “Do you want to print a test page?” select No. Click Next.

l    Click Finish.

9   Open Outlook Express and configure an e-mail account. (If the operating system is Microsoft Vista, then open Windows Mail instead.) The e-mail account does not need to be a working address, and students will not be sending e-mail in this course, but students will not be able to complete activity E-2 in the “Interactive PDF forms” unit without an account.

10  Create a folder called Student Data at the root of the hard drive (C:\).

11  If you don’t have the CD that came with this manual, download the Student Data files for the course. You can download the data directly to student machines, to a central location on your own network, or to a disk.

a   Connect to www.axzopress.com.

b   Under Downloads, click Instructor-Led Training.

c   Browse the subject categories to locate your course. Then click the course title to display a list of available downloads. (You can also access these downloads through our Catalog listings.)

d   Click the link(s) for downloading the Student Data files, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

12  Copy the data files to the Student Data folder.

Setup instructions for every class

Every time you teach this course (including the first time), you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.

1   Open Internet Explorer and navigate to www.update.microsoft.com. Update the operating system with the latest critical updates and service packs.

2   If necessary, reset any defaults that have been changed in previous classes.

a   Start Acrobat 9 Pro.

b   Choose View, Toolbars, Reset Toolbars.

c   Choose Edit, Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, select General and click Reset All Warnings. Click OK.

d   Open any PDF file, such as one from one of the course data folders. Choose File, Print and click Advanced. In the Advanced Print Setup dialog box, select AGFA Separations from the Settings list and click Delete. Next, select AGFA Separations-Uncoated from the Settings list and click Delete. Click OK to return to the Print dialog box; then click Cancel.

e   Close Acrobat 9 Pro.

3   Delete the contents of the Student Data folder, if necessary. (If this is the first time you are teaching the course, create a folder named Student Data at the root of the hard drive. For a standard hard drive setup, this will be C:\Student Data.)

4   Copy the data files to the Student Data folder. (See the download instructions in the preceding section.)

CertBlaster exam preparation for ACE certification

CertBlaster pre- and post-assessment software is available for the Acrobat 9 ACE exam. To download and install this free software, students should complete the following steps:

1   Go to www.axzopress.com.

2   Under Downloads, click CertBlaster.

3   Click the link for Acrobat 9.

4   Save the .EXE file to a folder on your hard drive. (Note: If you skip this step, the CertBlaster software will not install correctly.)

5   Click Start and choose Run.

6   Click Browse and then navigate to the folder that contains the .EXE file.

7   Select the .EXE file and click Open.

8   Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions. When prompted for the password, enter c_acro9.

 

Topic B:   Frequently asked questions

There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.

 

Topic C:   Course notes

There are no notes for this course at this time.

 

Topic D:   Additional information

There is no additional information for this course at this time.