1710 S. Norman Street * Seattle, WA 98144 * (206)324-5644 ext. 235 * FAX (206)324-8939
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1710 S. Norman Street * Seattle, WA 98144 * (206)324-5644 ext. 235 * FAX (206)324-8939
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Adobe Acrobat PDF Workflow The Portable Document Format postscript file was invented by Adobe as a means of transporting large files of text and graphics to a small postscript format which makes for very small files to be sent over the internet. They can be opened quickly and accurately by anybody with Acrobat Reader and printed to a large variety of workflows. The PDF is a cross-platform document format that can be read by both Macs and PCs regardless of the documents originating program. We can view, send, change and image a PDF without having to have the application such as Quark or Pagemaker and the expertise to use them in order to be involved in proofing and publishing of complex documents. The PDF documents structure; text and images, are visually apparent to the viewer. The PDF can also be said to lock the elements of the PDF in position, resolution and color. therefore a properly made PDF can minimize the issues that can arise versus using a native document such as Quark and Pagemaker with font problems and images that have been imported into those programs from a large variety of sources and ripped to a high resolution printing device which outputs film or plates. However, there are hidden issues within the PDF that can create problems for digital print production. Resolution, incorrect colors, bleeds, not centered images are items that can cause a PDF not to image correctly for the printing press among many other output concerns. PDF proofing or soft proofing allows us to send the customer proofs that they can comprehensively view on their monitor or print on their printing device in order to markup the proof. This PDF proof is usually a low resolution snapshot of his printing order and is not of the same quality as an imaging PDF. High resolution PDFs can be used to image film or plates but must be optimized to work well within their job structure. Soft proofing (via PDF) is a fast, accurate way to show the customer a proof of his job before material expense is a factor. A screen type PDF can be created by just about any program directly. These PDFs usually are not made for output to a high resolution output device needed by the printing industry. The two step method of print to postscript and a separate postscript processing to PDF (distilling) is preferred. 1. Native files are assembled, fonts installed and pages checked to composite and separation laser printouts. 2. A Postscript printer driver is used to print the native files using the correct PPD (Printer Description File) to a postscript that conforms witht the job to be printed. 3. The resulting postscript is sent to Acrobat Distiller which has been customized with our job options to make a desired PDF. 4. Softproofing of the files can help with speedy approval for printing. Changes to the document can be made by the originator to his files by thier own publishing department. Native Files Modern publishing software is everchanging to accommodate more efficient workflows and to expand the artistry of the page designer. In giving the print provider native files, the project can be interrupted by missing elements or improper use of the elements to achieve what the designer intended such as image transparency. The final files are then postscripted and sent to our Apogee workflow. Elements or misused fonts can slow down the project when these elements fail to image (rip) as designed. A PDF workflow from the designers workstation can increase the PDFs (postscript) chances of ripping correctly because Distiller brings the postscript to a common file workflow when it PDFs. Postscript Drivers Windows 95/98 - Postscript printer version information can be found by choosing Start>Settings>Printers and then selecting Distiller or Generic Postscripot Printers and then clicking Paper>About to get the version. If you are using older program versions such as Pagemaker 6.5 then an older version such as 4.2.4 will work well. InDesign 1.0 will require at least 4.3 with InDesign 2.0 using 4.51 or 5.52 for best results with the application's new postscript requirements. Windows 2000 or XP installed with newer versions of Pagemaker 7.0 or InDesign 2.0 usually come with the newest driver on the application CD. To check your version choose File>Server Properties>Drivers tab>Highlight Distiller or Adobe PS Generic Postscript driver>Properties>highlight driver file>Properties>Version tab>highlight File Version. The newest version postscript printer driver can be downloaded from Adobe's website and this driver, once installed, will overwrite older postscript driver versions. Macintosh OS 9.1 or earlier will work with Adobe PS printer driver version 8.5.1 except that as of InDesign 1.0 the Adobe PS 8.6 driver is needed. Adobe PS 8.8 is recommended by Adobe to properly handle InDesign 2.0. Quark 4 also works well with this version. Quark 5, which has a few problems issues seems to work with the Adobe PS 8.8 driver. However, Quark 6 is being released to address these issues. It remains to be seen how well Quark 6 works in our workflow. Mac OS 9.2 needs the Adobe PS 8.7 driver. The Adobe 8.8 driver can cause images to break down to a tiled-like multiple image. Although this driver works, this workflow has been known to not print wanted images and the tiled images makes image touchup difficult. The LaserWriter 8.7 driver works well with OS 9.2. To check driver version choose Macintosh HD>System>Extensions>Get Info. Using the Desktop Printer utility from Macintosh HD>Applications>Utilities>Desktop Printer Utility gives the user an opportunity to set up various Desktop printers using variations of Adobe PS and Apple LaserWriter 8(8.7). Macintosh OS X postscript versions can be determined from the Extension Manager. the newest drivers work well for most situations but as this is a developing workflow we have yet to determine which drivers work better, the Adobe PS or the Apple LaserWriter 8. Postscripting the document Selecting the proper postscript printer is the first step to making a good postscript. The Postscript Printer Description chosen in all cases should be in the Distiller ppd (note: the ppd needs to be lowercase). This allows Distiller to make its PDF from a common postscript ppd. This applies to all applications. Microsoft uses its Print to File option to make a prn. You can rename the extension .prn to .ps and then distill. The printing dialog setups varies from application but it has common structure as well. We need a postscript that has all the fonts and images embedded in the postscript. OPI or Open Prepress Interface should not be used in a PDF workflow. If a file with OPI is inserted into the main document, then it should be linked to its OPI images before postscripting for the PDF from which we are to print. A PDF does not itself output proper files. The native application with its fonts and links must conform to the printing standards for the files and for the project. All fonts should be embedded with the proper fonts (avoiding stylized fonts) as well as images with the correct bleeds, resolution, color space, and many other items that need to be checked before the PDF is created. Do not use the style bar to stylize your fonts. You should print to a custom page size that matchs your work with bleeds and crops for larger size printing projects. Center your work and print with crop marks only (without all other color bars and file information). Print to a composite workflow, not a preseparated workflow. Distilling the Postscript The proper job option for Distiller can be created from the default Press option included with your Acrobat 4 or 5 Distiller with the following modifications to the job option. 1. Page size should match the custom page size you printed your postscript to (10x12). 2. Check on Embed all Fonts and make sure subset fonts is NOT checked. 3. In the Color tab, make sure that in the Color Management Policies the color is set to Leave Color Unchanged. You should make sure your color images use CMYK color space and check for the proper use of spot colors. A more custom option can be created but the basic Press job option with these modifications should make your file a press ready PDF. This has been a comprehensive overview of the PDF creation workflow. In order to accommodate the new applications and computer operating systems which are being released, a more custom approach might be necessary in your case. The EDU Printers digital production department is ready to work with you on questions and more specific PDF creation instructions. Please call our prepress department with any questions at (206) 324-5622 ext 235. |