PDF/X Files and Adobe Creative Suite 3

Creating PDF/X files

You can create PDF/X files in Adobe CS3 applications and Acrobat 8 Professional four ways, by:

Directly saving or exporting a PDF/X file from InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, or Photoshop CS3.
Converting a PDF file in Acrobat 8 using either the Preflight tool or the Save As dialog box.
Using Acrobat Distiller® 7.0 or 8.0 job options to print to a PDF/X file using the Adobe PDF Printer; or by first printing a PostScript file and then converting it using Acrobat Distiller.
Using a PDF-JDF workflow. See www.adobe.com/products/jdf/ for more information.

Before creating a PDF/X-compliant file, prepare the original document to ensure that it conforms as closely as possible to the requirements of the PDF/X format and any other publisher or printer requirements. (See Best practices for creating valid PDF/X files.) Ask your print provider or publisher which PDF preset to use when creating the PDF/X file; your print provider or publisher may provide you with custom PDF presets.

Once the file is created, you can use the preflight and preview features in InDesign, Illustrator, or Acrobat to help you verify that the file is ready for printing. In InDesign or Acrobat, you can check the status of fonts, images, and inks in a document. Additionally, you can preview color separations, transparency flattener effects, and overprinting on-screen.

Even if the original document did not meet all the requirements of the PDF/X format, a CS3 component usually can make conversions or corrections for you as it creates the PDF/X file, to produce a PDF/X-compliant file. For example, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat can convert RGB colors to the CMYK color space, define boundary boxes, and assign an output intent. Acrobat Distiller 8.0 can convert colors, check image resolution, and make other corrections for you as it creates a PDF/X file.

Once the file is in PDF/X format, don’t encrypt it or use security or passwords. The PDF/X standard does not allow security.

Using PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4 presets

So that you can create PDF files consistently, Adobe Creative Suite 3 components—InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Distiller 8.0—share PDF presets (called PDF settings files in Distiller), with all the settings used to create a PDF file. These include default PDF/X presets for creating PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4 files; use them as they are, or as a basis for custom PDF/X presets for your workflow.

Note: Distiller processes PDF files using PostScript, which does not support live transparency or layers. Thus, Distiller cannot create PDF/X-4 files, which maintain live transparency and layers. As an alternative to Distiller, you can use the Acrobat 8.0 Preflight feature to convert a PDF file to PDF/X-4.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 installs presets for the PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-3:2002, and PDF/X-4:2007 standards so that you can create valid PDF/X files from InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop. Presets and standards for the 2003 versions are included in the Extras folder on the Adobe Creative Suite 3 installation DVD, and, after you install Adobe Creative Suite 3, in the Extras folder on your hard drive in the following location:

Windows®: Documents and Settings/All Users/Documents/Adobe PDF
Mac OS®: Library/Application Support/Adobe PDF

Creating PDF/X files from Adobe Creative Suite 3

Creating PDF/X files from InDesign CS3, Illustrator CS3, and Photoshop CS3 is straightforward because they share a common user interface. These CS3 components can convert RGB images to CMYK or make other necessary conversions to create a valid PDF/X file, and will alert you of any errors during the conversion. After these components create the PDF/X file, they list any problems encountered or conversions made.

Because conversions may alter the document’s appearance, always review the PDF/X file before sending it to your printer or publisher to ensure that the final document meets your expectations. After you’ve created the PDF/X file, you may want to verify it.

To create a PDF/X file from InDesign CS3, Photoshop CS3, or Illustrator CS3:

Choose an option, depending on the component:
- In InDesign, choose File > Export, and then choose Adobe PDF from the Format menu.
- In Illustrator, choose File > Save As, and then choose Adobe PDF from the Format menu.
- In Photoshop, choose File > Save As, and then choose Photoshop PDF from the Format menu. Photoshop PDF files meet all the requirements for general Adobe PDF files, and retain editability in Photoshop.
Name the file, and specify a location. Then click Save. The Export Adobe PDF (InDesign) or Save Adobe PDF (Photoshop and Illustrator; see Figure 1) dialog box opens.

Figure 1. Photoshop CS3 Save Adobe PDF dialog box, similar to that in Illustrator CS3 and the InDesign CS3 Export PDF dialog box
Choose a PDF/X preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu. By default, Adobe Creative Suite 3 installs PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-3:2002, and PDF/X-4:2007 presets, which use settings that conform to the PDF/X standards. You can also create your own presets, or your printer or publisher may provide you with one to use.
Choose a Standard and Compatibility option:
- Choose PDF/X-1a 2001 or PDF/X-3 2002 from the Standard menu, and Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) from the Compatibility menu. These settings flatten transparency.
- Choose PDF/X-4 and Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4), if your artwork includes live transparent effects or layers.
Make other changes as appropriate. Be aware that some changes may invalidate the PDF/X file; if the PDF/X standard option is dimmed, a change has invalidated the conversion to PDF/X.
Note: Security panel options are dimmed because the PDF/X standards do not support encryption.
Click Save PDF.

Using Acrobat Distiller to create PDF/X files

Using Distiller to create a PDF/X file is a simple matter of selecting a PDF/X-1 or PDF/X-3 preset in Distiller, and then in your application, selecting the Adobe PDF printer, which uses the Distiller settings, to print the PDF/X directly. The Adobe PDF printer is included with Adobe Creative Suite 3.

Note: For best results, CS3 users should create a PDF/X file the native (direct) way by exporting or saving the file as PDF/X, rather than use the Adobe PDF printer. Distiller cannot create PDF/X-4 files, which can contain transparency, because it creates PostScript files, which do not support live transparency.

To create a valid PDF/X file from non-CS3 software, you can print to the Adobe PDF Printer using an Acrobat Distiller PDF/X preset, or you can print an Adobe PostScript file from any application and then distill it into a PDF/X file in Acrobat Distiller 8.0.

Converting a PDF file to PDF/X format in Acrobat 8

Using the Acrobat 8 Preflight feature, you can convert an existing PDF file to a PDF/X file using several methods.

To convert an existing PDF file to a PDF/X file in Acrobat 8 Professional:

Open the PDF file.
Choose Advanced > Preflight.
Choose from the following options in the Preflight dialog box (Figure 2):
- Choose Options > Convert Current PDF To PDF/X from the menu at the top right, or click the Convert Current PDF To PDF/X button at the bottom of the dialog box.
- To use a preflight profile, under Preflight Profiles, scroll to PDF/X Compliance and click the arrow button to expand the list. Choose a Convert preflight profile from the top of the list, indicated by a gray wrench, to check and convert the file. (Verify profiles at the bottom of the list, with colored magnifying glass icons, only check a file for PDF/X compliance.) Click Execute. Skip to step 5.
Figure 2. Photoshop CS3 Save Adobe PDF dialog box, similar to that in Illustrator CS3 and the InDesign CS3 Export PDF dialog box
Do the following in the Preflight: Convert To PDF/X dialog box (Figure 3):
- Choose the PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, or PDF/X-4 option.
- If the artwork contains trapped colors, set the trapped key to True; if it does not, set it to False.
- Set the output condition to the recommended printing condition or standard.
Figure 3. Convert To PDF/X dialog box
Click OK to convert the document. If Acrobat cannot convert the document, it reports that the conversion failed and lists the issues encountered (Figure 4). To correct any issues, you can apply a fixup, or return to the application in which you created the PDF file to correct it.

Figure 4. Preflight Results window

A green check mark in the Preflight Reports window indicates that the file was converted successfully.
Click the Close button to close the Preflight window.
The Preflight feature also lets you validate a file against a specific printing condition using a Verify preflight profile, such as Verify Compliance With PDF/X-1A:2001. In addition, you can correct any issues that would prevent the conversion by applying a PDF/X fixup profile to a copy of the PDF file.