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Handing off Adobe PDF files
While PDF files are easy to create, correctly defining PDF settings is critical for press-quality
output. Before you arrange to receive Adobe PDF files from customers, you may want to
discuss with them the factors that affect PDF output, such as compression, image subsam-
pling and downsampling, and font embedding. To greatly simplify the process, you may
want to supply customers with a PDF export preset that defines all of the PDF export options
for them; as a starting point, InDesign CS includes a built-in PDF export preset called
[Press] intended for press reproduction. InDesign CS also includes two new PDF export
presets—[PDF/X-1a] and [PDF/X-3]—for customers working with those ISO-approved
variants of PDF. You use PDF export presets in much the same way as print presets, except
that you manage them using the File > PDF Presets command.
The version of PDF used is important because of the different capabilities of each version,
and because some workflows (such as RIPs and prepress applications) support specific PDF
versions. The following is a brief summary of the differences among PDF versions that are
most relevant to prepress:
•
PDF 1.3 is supported by many RIPs and is the version upon which the PDF/X-1a standard is
based. Transparency must be flattened for PDF 1.3.
•
PDF 1.4 adds support for transparency. Some RIPs process PDF 1.4 directly. Transparency
in an Adobe InDesign document doesn’t need to be flattened when exported to PDF 1.4 or
above.
•
PDF 1.5 adds support for document layers and JPEG 2000 image compression.
Adobe InDesign CS supports all of these versions of PDF. For more information about the
PDF/X standards, see “About the predefined PDF export presets” on page 117. Customers can
learn more about setting up PDF files from the document “How to Create Adobe PDF Files
for Print and Press,” available at the following URL:
http://www.adobe.com/print/prodzone/pdfs/PDFforPrint.pdf
Be sure to check the URL for updated versions of the document as it is updated with infor-
mation about new application versions such as Adobe InDesign CS.
