This document discusses best practices for creating and working with PDF documents. It recommends researching standards like PDF/X-1a, designing workflows, testing files, and promoting PDF use. Specific tips include embedding fonts, using high-resolution images, avoiding transparency issues, and preflighting files. Tools like callas pdfInspektor2 and Enfocus PitStop can help validate and fix PDFs. Following guidelines from organizations like DDAP can help create reliable PDFs for print.

1. Avoiding PDF pitfalls
Dwight Kelly
Apago, Inc.
Premedia Conference – Lancaster, PA 2002

2. Avoiding PDF pitfalls
Research and understand
Design your workflow
Test and tune
Implement
Promote
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3. PDF 101
Designed by Adobe for storing digital documents
Now used for web, ebooks, forms, etc.
Evolved over time to support Print needs
Not proprietary allowing developers to innovate
Free Acrobat Reader
Retail Acrobat & Distiller
Current versions are PDF 1.4 / Acrobat 5.0.5
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4. What’s in a PDF?
PDF stores everything as objects
A table of contents is used to locate each object
Objects can refer to other objects
Objects can be reused
Some object types include:
Pages, Content, Fonts, Images, Color spaces
Annotations, Forms, Job tickets, Metadata
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5. It all starts with the Page
A PDF document is organized into Pages
A Page is composed of:
One of more Boxes (Media, Trim, Bleed)
Content stream
Resources (Colorspace, Images, Fonts)
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6. Color spaces
PDF supports several types of color
Grayscale
RGB
CMYK
Color managed
ICC and Lab
Special types: Pattern, Separation, DeviceN
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7. Images
Images are typically the largest component
May use any PDF color space
Many be any resolution
PDF supports several compression types
Lossy: JPEG
Loss-less: LZW, RLE, Flate, G3/G4, JBIG2
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8. Fonts
PDF supports just about any font format
Type 1, TrueType, Bitmap, CID
Fonts can be embedded or omitted
Unused characters can be removed (subsetted)
Encodings maybe customized (Euro symbol)
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9. Misc. stuff
ASCII vs. Binary encoding
OPI
PDF 1.4 transparency
New features with every revision of Acrobat
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10. Getting your toes wet
Join an association such as GATF or DDAP
Use industry standards such as PDF/X-1a
Or use vendor provided specifications
Review legacy data issues (DCS, TIFF/IT-P1)
Think about future use of content (web, ebooks)
Identify potential problem areas
Design a workflow for your requirements
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11. Best practices – Native document
Using specs, design master document templates
Set page, trim and bleed sizes
Include printer marks and slug info
Gluon Cropster & Slugger plug-ins
Remove any unused colors (Red, Green, etc.)
Make sure “design-only” colors are set to process
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12. Best practices – Native document
Try to stick with Type 1 fonts
or verified TrueType fonts
Understand your font licensing agreements
Use high-resolution images in TIFF or EPS format
Photoshop EPS w/color management problems
Photoshop multi-tone images
Quark tinted images (Agfa CTIFF, Prinergy XT)
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13. Best practices – Native document
If you have DCS files….
Photoshop – open and resave as composite EPS
Photoshop – DCSmerger from impressed software
Other – Total Integration SmartXT
or print separations and recombine later with
Creo Seps2Comp Acrobat plug-in
Agfa Apogee workflow
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14. Best practices – Native document
If you have TIFF/IT-P1 or Scitex files….
Try to keep them in LW + CT formats
Otherwise, convert them to PDF LW+CT
Apago Piktor
Rorke Data PageComposer
Shira CEPS2PDF
Pro: Smaller than original LW+CT
Con: Can be a RIP killer
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15. Transparency
New feature in PDF 1.4
Available in Illustrator 9+ and InDesign 2.0
Not supported by all RIPs and workflow tools
Must be flattened if converted to PostScript
During flattening, elements are rasterized and spot
colors maybe converted to process
Not visible in Acrobat 4.0 and earlier
Maybe created using new Drop Shadow tools
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16. Trapping
Don’t trap in design application …
rather, do trapping later in production process
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17. Preparing to create PDF
Preflight native document
Extensis Preflight Pro
Gluon QualityCheck
Markzware FlightCheck
CompuSense FlightAlert
Adobe InDesign
Verify page sizes, fonts, image resolution and scaling,
colors, etc.
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18. Making a PDF with Distiller
Step 1 – Create PostScript
Use latest Adobe PostScript printer driver (8.7+)
Use Acrobat or DDAP Universal PPD file
Print composite not separations
Remove unused colors, embed all fonts
Tools
callas MadeToPrint XT
Agfa CTIFF XT (free)
Creo Prinergy XTs (free)
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19. Making a PDF with Distiller
Step 2 – Convert PostScript to PDF
Distiller has way too many options
Settings can be stored in a “Job Options” file
Use Acrobat’s built-in “Prepress” job options…
or the DDAP job options
Use Creo’s free Prinergy Distiller Tools
Use impressed DistillerSecrets or custom Document Info
to track what Distiller options were used and what
workflow produced the file.
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20. Save as PDF
PageMaker and InDesign have “Export PDF”
Illustrator 8/9 “Save as PDF”
Illustrator 10 is native PDF
Photoshop can save as PDF
Quark’s PDF filter requires Adobe Distiller
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21. Enhanced Distillers
Agfa Apogee Create
Creo Synapse
JAWS PDF Creator
Workflows
Agfa Apogee
Creo Prinergy & Brisque
DALiM Twist, DSEA, Fuji, and many more….
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22. Post-Distiller issues
Recommend Acrobat 5.0.5
Configure Acrobat viewer
enable “Overprint preview”
disable “Use local fonts”
disable “Smooth images”
disable “Optimize for Fast Web View”
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23. Preflight PDF
There are several really nice PDF preflight tools
Adobe InProduction is dead
callas pdfInspektor2
Enfocus PitStop
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24. Other useful PDF tools
Agfa BleedViewer (free)
Apago imageAlter
Creo Geometry tool (free)
Creo Pagelet
Creo Seps2Comp
Enfocus Eyedropper
Quite a Box of Tricks
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25. Other useful PDF tools (cont’d)
callas pdfOutput
Lantana CrackerJack
Heidelberg SuperTrap
Scenicsoft TrapWise
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26. PDF/X to the rescue?
PDF/X was designed to make it easier to create and
exchange reliable PDF files for printing
Both a US and International standard
Early adopters report great success
Major publications have announced a 100% switch to
PDF/X from native files, DCS and TIFF/IT
Organizations such as the DDAP have developed
detailed workflow implementation guidelines.
Tools to create and preflight PDF/X are cheaper and
easier to use.
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27. Why two PDF/X versions?
Both PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 require the PDF file to be
complete. All fonts must be embedded and all images
must be high-resolution. Pages must have Trim and
Bleed boxes.
PDF/X-1a was designed primarily for the U.S.
advertising market and is limited to grayscale and
CMYK.
PDF/X-3 adds support for color-managed RGB and Lab.
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28. How do you create PDF/X?
Follow the previous guidelines for creating your native
document.
Create good PostScript using DDAP PPD file
Create good PDF using DDAP Distiller Job options
Preflight and make PDF/X using:
Apago PDF/X Checkup
callas pdfInspektor2
Enfocus PitStop 5 and InstantPDF
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29. Bedtime reading
DDAP recommended workflows
Adobe’s “PDF Workflows for Print Production”
Adobe’s “How to Create PDF Files for Print and Press”
Articles by:
Scott Tully – “Tully Talks”
Stephan Jaeggi
Michael Jahn
Online forums – CTPP, PlanetPDF, Adobe forums
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30. Links
www.adobe.com
www.agfa.com
www.apago.com
www.callassoftware.com
www.creo.com
www.ddap.org
www.enfocus.com
www.extensis.com
www.gluon.com
www.impressed.de
www.lantanarips.com
www.markzware.com
www.pdfzone.com
www.planetpdf.com
www.printwriter.com
Premedia Conference – Lancaster, PA 2002