Application Notes Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

Application Notes Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

ErgoSoft AG Moosgrabenstr. CH-8595 Altnau, Switzerland 0 ErgoSoft AG, All rights reserved. The information contained in this manual is based on information available at the time of publication and is subject to change without notice. Accuracy and completeness are not warranted or guaranteed. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic medium or machine-readable form, without the expressed written permission of ErgoSoft AG. Brand or product names are trademarks of their respective holders. The ErgoSoft RIP is available in different editions. Therefore the description of available features in this document does not necessarily reflect the license details of your edition of the ErgoSoft RIP. For information on the features included in your edition of the ErgoSoft RIPs refer to the ErgoSoft homepage or contact your dealer. Rev.. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) i

Contents Introduction... Requirements for Using the Adobe PDF Print Engine... Installing Adobe PDF Print Engine... Activating/Deactivating Adobe PDF Print Engine... Global Activation/Deactivation... Activation/Deactivation for Single PDF Files... 4 Configuring PDF Color Management... 5 Recommendations for Using Adobe PDF Print Engine... 7 Saving PDF Files... 7 Selecting the PDF Version... 7 Saving Raster Data... 8 Color Spaces... 9 Fonts... 9 Transparency Flattening... 0 System Configuration... 0 Limitations of the Adobe PDF Print Engine... Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) ii

Introduction Starting with version 4., the Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 is implemented in the ErgoSoft RIP software. With the Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 (APPE.5) the ErgoSoft AG now supports the latest PDF workflow technology. The Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 is available as an option to the complete product range of the ErgoSoft RIP that includes support of PostScript/PDF files and is setting new standards for the handling of PDF files. Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 (APPE.5) Options The Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 ensures fast, reliable, and consistent printing even for complex PDF designs. The Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 eliminates the need for early conversions such as color conversions or flattening transparency. Even gradients from one spot color to another do not need any special treatment. The Adobe PDF Print Engine.5 leverages the same PDF rendering libraries, color management systems, and other technology components used in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Creative Suite, ensuring that complex designs and effects, such as transparency, can be consistently reproduced. This document explains the installation, activation and usage of the Adobe PDF Print Engine. It also explains the color management settings and gives recommendations for PDF file creation and system configuration. All information in this document are for usage with Adobe PDF Print Engine only and replace the information of other application notes to Post- Script and PDF color management when different. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

Requirements for Using the Adobe PDF Print Engine In order to use the Adobe PDF Print Engine the following requirements must be met: The license must include the APPE option, Minimum version 4... of the ErgoSoft RIP is installed on your system. The APPE update is also installed on your system. Installing Adobe PDF Print Engine Before installing the APPE update (link for download) close all open modules of the ErgoSoft RIP including JobComposer, JobCenter, Rip Servers, and Print Clients. After having downloaded the APPE update (link for download) double-click the *.esup4 file (4...480 Adobe APPE.esup4) to start the ErgoSoft update installer. Please note that you need to have administrator rights for your Windows system in order to install the update. b a Ensure that your version of the ErgoSoft RIP is minimum V4.. (a) and that c the name of the update is Adobe PDF Print Engine Update (b) before you click the Install button (c). The update will automatically close still running processes of the ErgoSoft RIP. When the update is installed successfully (a) click the Close button (b) to close the ErgoSoft update installer. The Adobe PDF Print Engine is now ready to be used. a b Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

Activating/Deactivating Adobe PDF Print Engine The Adobe PDF Print Engine can be configured that it will be used For all PDF files that are imported after having activated the Adobe PDF Print Engine (global activation) For each PDF file in a job separately (activation for single PDF files) Global Activation/Deactivation Launch menu Tools > Options to open the global settings. In the left tree menu, select Preferences > Image > PostScript/PDF Parameters to open the Post- Script/PDF options dialog. Select the Interpreter for PDF Rendering: Selecting Ghostscript will activate the default PostScript/PDF interpreter (Artifex Ghostscript). Selecting Adobe APPE will activate the Adobe PDF Print Engine for rasterizing PDF files; Post- Script files will still be rasterized using Artifex Ghostscript. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)

Activation/Deactivation for Single PDF Files Right-click on the PDF file in the job and select Edit Parameters from the Image Context Menu or select menu Image > Edit Parameters to open the PostScript/PDF Parameters dialog. Select the Interpreter for PDF Rendering: Selecting Ghostscript will activate the default Post- Script/PDF interpreter (Artifex Ghostscript). Selecting Adobe APPE will activate the Adobe PDF Print Engine for rasterizing PDF files; PostScript files will still be rasterized using Artifex Ghostscript. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 4

Configuring PDF Color Management To set the color management for the selected image(s), select Color Management in the Properties window. Select a preset for PostScript/PDF files. The current settings can be edited. Furthermore, a new preset can be created based on the current one. 4 The global color management is set in menu Tools > Options. 7 For automatic color replacement the 5 spot color names in the PDF file must match (case-sensitive) with color names in the Named Colors Profile. 5 6 6 The current settings can be saved as a preset. When using the Adobe PDF Print 7 Engine for rasterizing PDF files, the color space of PDF file is set to separated (SEP in the status bar of the program window) so that no additional color management is used. 4 9 0 8 8 The Adobe PDF Print Engine supports the following options: The color management can be specified separately for both CMYK and RGB data. Different input profiles and different rendering intents can be used for images (raster data), graphics (vector data), and text. Embedded profiles can be used together with the embedded rendering intent instead of external profiles and rendering intents that are selected in the list. Checking Adobe APPE: Use black point compensation will activate the Adobe black 9 point compensation. Please note that the rendering intent type relative colorimetric black point compensation of the global settings will be automatically converted into relative colorimetric when using the Adobe PDF Print Engine. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 5

0 The PDF/X and advanced settings allow to: If the current print environment does not use a printer profile, the Default Output Profile of the PostScript/PDF color management is used. When there is not an embedded input profile in the PDF file but an embedded 0 output intent, the embedded output intent can be used as an input profile (PDF/X: Use embedded output intent, if no embedded input profile is available). Embedded input profiles take priority over the embedded output intent which takes priority over external input profiles. The embedded output intent can be used instead of the printer profile provided in the print environment (PDF/X: Use embedded output intent as output profile). Hints for using PDF/X options PDF/X is a standard for creating color managed PDF files for the graphic arts and conventional printing industry. The PDF/X file contains embedded profiles, rendering intents, and the description of the output color space (output intent). The output intent within a PDF/X file is less suited for digital printing workflows. The PDF/X settings are meant for experienced users that want to have more control over their documents. In most cases it is inadvisable to check the PDF/X settings. One specific exception would be when the PDF/X file contains colors that are already converted to the output intent and do not contain an embedded input profile. In this instance, the embedded output intent can be used as an input profile in order to revert back to device-independent colors. Please remember that the output of the Adobe PDF Print Engine is already color managed and will be treated as separated files by the ErgoSoft RIP. This means that additional color manipulation functionalities like color replacement and tuning will not be available. The following options are only available in the global color management settings for compatibility reasons when using the Artifex Ghostscript interpreter for rendering. When using Adobe PDF Print Engine, these options are ignored: Treat gray as RGB (Otherwise it is treated as K) Use CMYK color management for DeviceN color spaces. Use Named Colors Profile to interpret DeviceN color spaces PDF/X: Use embedded output intent as printer simulation profile Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 6

Recommendations for Using Adobe PDF Print Engine Saving PDF Files PDF export/saving dialogs normally offer numerous options. Some of these options are important for optimal printing. The following information illustrates these options with the help of the PDF export dialog of Adobe Illustrator CS. Other PDF export dialogs may look different, but the mentioned options are typically available. Most of the recommendations below do not depend on the selected PDF version unless specifically noted for PDF compatibility and compliance. Selecting the PDF Version The selection of the PDF version (Compatibility) depends on some other options, you want to use. Automatic flattening of transparencies requires that you save in Compatibility Adobe 4 (PDF.). Keeping transparencies require that you save in any higher Compatibility than PDF., e.g. Adobe 5 (PDF.4). The PDF/X versions (Standard) may be linked to specific compatibility requirements (PDF/X- or higher recommended). Please read the Hints for using PDF/X options for information on its usage. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 7

Saving Raster Data Raster data that are included in PDF files can be compressed as well as converted into lower resolutions. Most of the available presets may hold quality problems so that you should check the settings for Compression. To reduce the file size, raster data often is compressed. This Compression method (automatic, JPEG, JPEG000, ZIP, etc.) may not only reduce the file size but also the quality of the saved raster data. All JPEG compression methods will reduce the file size by reducing the quality of the data; the ZIP compression methods just reduce the file size but not the quality. ZIP compressions always results in larger file sizes than JPEG compressions, but the quality of the raster data is (much) higher. Thus, we strongly recommend favoring the ZIP compression methods over the other options. Automatically downsampling images reduces the PDF file size as well as the resolution. For optimal image quality it is generally recommended to select Do not Downsample. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 8

Color Spaces When saving the PDF file, all colors may be converted into one single output space (e.g. converting RGB colors into a CMYK color space). To keep the original colors and benefit from the possibilities of the Adobe PDF Print Engine color management, we recommend to select No Conversion for Color Conversion options. The input profile and possibly the rendering intent that are selected in the color management setting of your image editing software may be embedded in the PDF and used for printing to replace the selection in the list of input profiles and rendering intents. For future reference about the color setup of the PDF file, it may be useful to embed profiles without using them for the Adobe PDF Print Engine color management (but when later re-opening the PDF in the image editing software). Please read the Hints for using PDF/X options for information on the usage of PDF/X. Fonts For compatibility reasons with other operating systems we recommend to either embed the fonts in the PDF file, convert all text into outlines or convert some text into outlines and embed the remaining fonts. Text generated with embedded fonts will be recognized as a Text object type while text converted with outlines become Graphics object types. It is important to note that text in a file without an associated embedded font may be rendered incorrectly. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 9

Transparency Flattening Automatic transparency flattening is only available for PDF. format. For higher PDF formats, transparencies must be flattened manually when needed. Please note that we do not recommend manual flattening of transparencies when you want to benefit from the Adobe PDF Print Engine color management. For high-quality printing, we strongly recommend to select High Resolution options for transparency flattening. System Configuration Converting PDF files into printer dependent data requires two steps: Step : Rasterizing the PDF file which means that the complete file is converted into raster information. Step : Ripping the rasterized data which means that the data that is saved in step is converted into printer dependent data which can be sent to the printer. Since the generation of the raster data and the ripping of the raster data can be divided over multiple CPU cores the calculation time will be reduced if more CPU cores are available. Especially when multiple instances of the RIP Server are running in parallel a multi-core system is advised. Tests showed that having more CPU power reduces rastering and ripping time more than having more cores with less CPU power. The Hyper-threading option for Intel CPU s does not improve the calculation time but even may slow it down. As conclusion, at least two CPU cores per RIP Server are recommended. Memory (RAM) also has a big impact on calculation time. The amount of RAM and the frequency (memory speed) at which they are clocked is important. When using a bit operating system, the maximum amount of RAM that can be used is limited by the operating system. When using a 64 bit operating system you can benefit from its RAM usage: For 64 bit operating systems, GB of RAM for Windows plus GB of RAM per RIP Server is recommended. If for example the license for the ErgoSoft RIP allows using RIP Servers the computer should have 6 GB of RAM. Fast memory of type DDR- (PC0600, PC800, PC6000, ) is recommended. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) 0

Limitations of the Adobe PDF Print Engine Compared to the Artifex Ghostscript PostScript interpreter the Adobe PDF Print Engine has the following limitations: The number of DeviceLink profile channels has to match the number of the output profile channels. Simulation profiles, which are set in the print environment on the tab Extras for simulation another output device, are ignored when using the Adobe PDF Print Engine. Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE)