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PROBLEM: Prep4PDF doesn't produce links in PDFs
Problem
If you use Office 2007 or 2010, Prep4PDF may not translate your PowerPoint links into PDF links, though the same presentation translates correctly in PowerPoint 2003 and previous, using the same version of Prep4PDF
Solution
If you don't mind a bit of registry editing, here's the fix:
- IMPORTANT: Make sure PPT isn't running. If you do this while PowerPoint is active, any changes you make will be ignored and eventually deleted.
- Start REGEDIT
- For PowerPoint 2007 go to: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\PowerPoint\Options\
- For PowerPoint 2010 go to: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\PowerPoint\Options\
- Right-click Options and choose New DWORD (32bit) Value
- Name the new value PrintMode
- Doubleclick PrintMode and change its value to 1 (it will be 0 by default).
- Quit REGEDIT, start PowerPoint and try making a PDF with Prep4PDF again.
This issue is supposedly also corrected by this hotfix.
Unfortunately, the description of the hotfix only refers to Word, and it's large download. Clearly, it's doing a LOT more than making just this small registry change (assuming it works for PowerPoint as well as Word in the first place).
We prefer the registry change described above. With it you know exactly what's changed, that nothing ELSE has changed, and you can easily UNDO the change quickly and thoroughly whenever you wish.
Background
Microsoft broke it. They changed the way they Office programs import EPS files in Office 2007 and 2010. To be fair, they made the change for generally good reasons, but the fact remains that they ignore published standards for handling EPS graphics.
Prep4PDF uses specially constructed EPS graphics to pass instructions about links to the PDF printer driver you use. Because of Microsoft's changes, these instructions are thrown away.
Making the registry change suggested above tells PowerPoint "Do it the old, CORRECT way. Stop throwing away my stuff!" And that makes the links work again.
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