Creating reliable PDF files

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Isaac Copeland
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1 Torch Publishing Company Creating reliable PDF files This document is to assist clients to produce press-ready PDF files which should process properly through our RIPs. Whilst there are no guarantees every job will RIP properly 100% of the time, following these guidelines will go a long way towards ensuring a trouble free print job. Whilst we have included screen shots of just about everything you could possibly want to do, it should noted that the Torch web site includes downloadable files which can simply be loaded into your program to instantly give you access to the standard Torch settings. We highly recommend getting these files rather than creating your own. They can be downloaded from specifications.html There are a number of ways a PDF file can be produced. They can be created directly from a page layout program (Quark, InDesign etc), they can be printed to PDF (Mac OSX, Word, PDF Writer etc) and they can be produced by Distilling with Adobe Acrobat Distiller. The preferred method by far is to use Acrobat Distiller to create your PDF files. Whilst some companies (Adobe in particular) have gone to great lengths to include quality PDF creation tools in their applications, Distiller is still considered the Gold Standard for PDF creation. Exporting from a page layout program can also generate satisfactory results. Using System level or shareware/freeware PDF creation tools or PDF Writer etc should be avoided at all costs. These generally create poor PDF files which will often choke a RIP.

Creating an EPS file Before a PDF can be produced from Distiller, it requires a source file from which to generate the file. This source file will be either an EPS or a Postscript (.ps) file.

2 Creating an EPS file Before a PDF can be produced from Distiller, it requires a source file from which to generate the file. This source file will be either an EPS or a Postscript (.ps) file. This page will deal with creating an EPS file ready for Distilling. Most page layout programs will allow you to create a file of this type via an Export or Save function. In Quark XPress, there is a Save Page as EPS function to create an EPS file, or you can print a postscript file through the print menu. The user manual will explain the details of using these functions. InDesign uses an Export function to generate an EPS file, or a Postscript file can be generated through the print menu. Once again the user manual will assist with the details of your particular version. Typically these EPS/Postscript functions will ask for such things as Postscript level, Colour, Preview, font embedding and data format. They may also give the option to specify bleed. The illustration shows our typical settings for creating an EPS file. It is advisable to allow for some bleed even if you pages are not going to bleed in the final job. This will ensure page items which overlap the page boundaries are not unexpectedly trimmed off.

Creating a Postscript file To produce a postscript file you need to proceed through the Print menu.

We have deliberately made these settings as generic as possible to try and accommodate as many different setups as possible.

To install the settings file, go to File->Print Presets- >Define and click Load. Navigate to the Torch settings file and click Open. A new preset called torch_ps will appear in your list.

3 Creating a Postscript file To produce a postscript file you need to proceed through the Print menu. The settings will vary between programs but included here are screen shots of InDesign s Postscript printing function. This can be a complicated process and the manual is your friend. We have deliberately made these settings as generic as possible to try and accommodate as many different setups as possible. If you have downloaded a copy of the Torch Print Presets from our web site, you won t need to do anything other than choose torch_ps from the preset menu. To install the settings file, go to File->Print Presets- >Define and click Load. Navigate to the Torch settings file and click Open. A new preset called torch_ps will appear in your list. These screen shots will allow you to check settings or create a new setting if your copy gets corrupted or over-written. When you click the Save button, a dialog will appear asking you where to save the Postscript file. Specify your preferred location and click Save. Your postscript file will be created. In the event you receive an error when trying to create a Postscript file, there is probably a problem with something in your document, usually a bad graphic. Even if your pages aren t intended to bleed, we allow a little to make sure page items close to the document edge are accidentally trimmed off.

4 Creating a Postscript file (cont)

5 Creating a Postscript file (cont)

6 Distilling Files to PDF The best way to create PDFs is to Distill them using Acrobat Distiller. You can download a Distiller settings file from the Torch web site and this will make life a lot easier for you. Once you have downloaded the settings file and installed it, simply select it whenever you want to create a PDF to send to us. Once you have the Torch settings selected, simply drag you EPS or Postscript file onto the Distiller window. The progress bar will move and an activity log will be created in the lower pane of the window. If there are no errors, a PDF file will be created in the same location as the EPS or Postscript file. That s all there is to it. If there is an error, a log file will be generated and saved in this location which will detail what the error was. It may be something like a font unable to be embedded or it could be some form of Postscript error. It will be up to you to resolve the problem.

Distilling Files to PDF (cont) If you d like to create your own job setting,

We prefer Acrobat 4 compatibility as it seems to RIP more reliably.

need to be. These are possibly the most important Distiller settings of all.

7 Distilling Files to PDF (cont) If you d like to create your own job setting, here are our recommended settings. We prefer Acrobat 4 compatibility as it seems to RIP more reliably. Using these settings ensure the files you create and not bigger than they need to be. These are possibly the most important Distiller settings of all. You MUST make sure all fonts are embedded when you send us a PDF file. This is the only way to be sure your file will print as expected.

Distilling Files to PDF (cont) Because we are

8 Distilling Files to PDF (cont) Because we are looking after our colour within Photoshop, the colour management in Distiller can be left off. It is very important to have the last setting checked ON. If you don t have this checked, your pages may be cropped or uneven. These settings can be simply left OFF.

Once you do that, a preset called Torch will appear in your list.

9 Creating a PDF directly from InDesign A PDF settings file for InDesign can be downloaded from the Torch web site.. To install, open InDesign and go File->PDF Export Presets->Define. Click Load and then navigate to the settings file. Once you do that, a preset called Torch will appear in your list. Now, when you want to create a PDF for Torch, simply go File- >Export and select Adobe PDF as the file type. Choose the destination and click Save. In the Export PDF window which appears next simply select Torch as the preset and click Export. That s it.

Checking your PDF file After creating a PDF file, it is always a good idea to check it has turned out as expected.

..) to ensure no fonts are missing, the correct number of plates have been created etc.

Third, you should turn on Overprint Preview (Advanced->Overprint Preview) to ensure the file is trapped the way you expect. This is the preflight edit window.

10 Checking your PDF file After creating a PDF file, it is always a good idea to check it has turned out as expected. There are 3 things which should be done - and all are in Acrobat 6 or later. First, a preflight should be run (Document->Prelight...) to ensure no fonts are missing, the correct number of plates have been created etc. Second, a Separation Preview (Advanced->Separation Preview) should be performed to ensure the colours as required. Third, you should turn on Overprint Preview (Advanced->Overprint Preview) to ensure the file is trapped the way you expect. This is the preflight edit window. We can supply a file which you import which covers all our problem areas. Once the preflight settings are loaded, you simply select Torch from the list and click Analyze. At left is a preflight check with some warning about potential problems. Some may not be serious but if you see ANY, please contact us before sending the file. At right is how we d like it to look - no problems found.

Particularly notice this knocked out text. This is how you might expect it to print BUT...... this is the same PDF being viewed in Adobe Acrobat with Overprint Preview turned ON.

11 Overprint Preview Below is an example of why all PDFs should always be viewed with Overprint Preview turned ON before they are sent to us. Overprint Preview allows you to see potential problems with trapping and knockout. The PDF at left is being viewed in Adobe Acrobat with Overprint Preview turned OFF. It appears to be correct. Particularly notice this knocked out text. This is how you might expect it to print BUT this is the same PDF being viewed in Adobe Acrobat with Overprint Preview turned ON. Notice how much of the knocked out text has disappeared. This can result from improper trapping and knockout settings. PDFs created directly from Quark seem to suffer this problem fairly frequently. This is how the job will actually print - with the text missing.

Creating a PDF/X-1a from InDesign

Creating a PDF/X-1a from InDesign Recommendations for Application Settings, General Design Guidelines, and Exporting to a PDF/X-1a (Screen shots for this manual were created from a Mac. If you are using