Creating Adobe PDF Files Using the X-1a Standard

The Adobe X-1a Standard: What is it, and why is it important? PDF files are the industry standard format for production-quality graphics files. They are also the most confusing file format for people to understand. Adobe Acrobat is has been available in several versions over the last few years (we are currently at version 9 as of this writing), and all have differing capabilities. The newest versions include options like layers and transparency, double-byte font support, and some of these can cause problems in older workflows. PDF/X-1a is designed to provide the most robust and, to some extent, least flexible delivery of PDF data. It requires that the color of all objects be expressed as CMYK or spot colors; objects in RGB or Lab color spaces are prohibited and will be converted to CMYK. It also requires that all fonts used in the job be embedded in the supplied PDF file- probably the best overall reason to use the standard. Transparency, available in Acrobat 5 and higher, is another area of concern in prepress, and is solved in X-1a by flattening all layers. When you create a PDF/X-1a file out of a program like InDesign, you are automatically solving these issues before they become a problem. The reason for the X-1a standard is simple: it makes files compatible with nearly every RIP software and workflow in the industry. PDF/X-3, a confusingly similar standard, allows slightly more flexibility in that color managed workflows are also supported - elements in Lab, and RGB with attached ICC source profiles may also be used. Please DO NOT use the X-3 standard! The results are not the same nor are the files “prepress ready.” Please Note: For the sake of illustration, I have included the screenshots one would see when using Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard and InDesign CS2 on Windows XP. Your specific setup dialog boxes will vary with different software versions and operating systems. If you are not using a full version of Acrobat 7 or higher, it would definitely be in your best interest to do so. The flexibility and

Creating PDF/X-1a files in ADOBE INDESIGN CS2 & Higher: The latest versions of InDesign have a handy way of saving PDF files directly out of the application. It is also the most robust system available for creating PDF files directly from an application- even other Adobe products. For creating PDF files out of Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark, PageMaker, Word, Printshop or any other application for that matter, skip to the next section, Using Adobe Acrobat to Create PDF Files. 1. Design and save your InDesign project. 2. From the InDesign menu bar, click “FILE” and let your cursor rest on “Adobe

PDF Presets and select [PDF/X-1a:2001].” (Keyboard shortcut {Ctrl-E})

3. Choose a location for the PDF file. Then type a file name and select “Adobe

PDF” in the “Save as type” dropdown box. Click the “Save” button.

4. The Export Adobe PDF dialog box will open. With the “General” tab on the

left hand side selected, [PDF/X-1a:2001] in the “Adobe PDF Preset” dropdown menu is automatically selected. (What is an Adobe PDF Preset? See “Adobe Presets” Section below)

5. If your project has bleeds or needs crop marks, go to step 6.

If your project does not have bleeds or need crop marks, skip to Step 7. For more information on crops and bleeds, go to the “Crops and Bleeds” section.

6. With “Marks and Bleeds” selected in the left-hand column, check the box next to “Crop Marks” under “All Printer’s Marks.” Then go to the area marked “Bleed” and specify “0.125 in” (1/8 inch) in each box. If the document already has bleed settings in the InDesign document setup, then you can simply check “Use Document Bleed Settings.”

7. Click “Export” at bottom of page. The file will be created in the location you

specified in Step 2, and will be ready to send to the RIP.

Using Adobe Acrobat to Create PDF Files: In the previous section we learned to create a PDF file directly from InDesign CS2. Other programs, including Illustrator and Photoshop, create their own PDF files, but the quality of these files is marginal at best. In addition, office applications like word processors and presentation graphics software often have no direct way to create PDF files.

The answer is to install a full version of Adobe Acrobat (Standard or Professional) and allow this software to create the PDF files. Since this is Adobe’s most robust PDF tool, it will create the best files. Instructions: 1. Open the file that you want to convert to a PDF in its authoring application,

and choose File > Print. 2. Choose Adobe PDF from the printers menu. (Note: You must have a full

version Acrobat 7 or higher installed on your local machine to see this option.)

3. Click the Properties (or Preferences) button to customize the Adobe PDF printer setting. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to access the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences.) You should see a screen similar to the following:

4. Choose [PDF/X-1a:2001] in Default Settings. (What does this mean? See “Adobe Presets” Section below) click “OK.” If your project has bleeds or needs crop marks, go to step 5. If your project does not have bleeds or needs crop marks, skip to Step 6. For more information on crops and bleeds, go to the “Crops and Bleeds” section.

5. With “Marks and Bleeds” selected in the left-hand column, check the box next to “Crop Marks” under “All Printer’s Marks.” Then go to the area marked “Bleed” and specify “0.125 in” (1/8 inch) in each box. If the document already has bleed settings, then you can simply check “Use Document Bleed Settings.”

6. Click “Export”. 7. When the “Save PDF File As” window pops up, choose a location and

filename for your PDF file. Click save, and you are done.

Crops and Bleeds When you have a project that has a color or an image that prints all the way to the edge of the finished project, that edge is called a “bleed”( i.e- the color is “bleeding” off the edge of the paper.) For instance, on the business card example below, the photo of pelicans and the blue shaded areas are bleeds.

Printing is a science, but can be an imprecise one. Paper moves slightly when it is running through the printing press, so you must allow for this. In addition, when the card is cut, a small “miss” with the cutter blade by even a few hundredths of an inch will create an unwanted small strip of white (or whichever paper color you are using) that will appear on the edge of the card. The solution is to create bleeds and trim marks as shown below. The card will be cut along the lines, or “cropped” right through the “bleed” area, allowing a full color image right up to the edge of the card. The green dashed line represents the dimensions of the final card. All of the printed area outside the dashed green line will be cropped.

All modern page layout programs can automatically create crop marks (see blue arrows.) Bleeds are created by extending the graphic or picture at least 1/8” (.125”) over the edge of the final page area (see red arrows.) Again, anything outside the crop marks will be discarded.

{Crops and Bleeds, Continued}It is best to create bleeds in the original file. If you send a file that needs bleeds to your printer, they will either send the file back to you for editing, or will try to stretch out the artwork, thereby lowering the resolution of any image (bitmap/raster) files embedded in the file. Neither of these is a satisfactory substitution for creating a proper file from the start.

Adobe Presets for PDF Creation

When you create a PDF file, you are faced with several preset options for creating your file. What do they mean?

[High Quality Print]: Do not use this setting for files to be run on a printing press. This setting optimizes PDF files for high quality output on office laser printers and inkjets.

[PDF/X-1a:2001] This setting is the best choice for files

intended for running on printing presses. It conforms to the X-1a standard, an industry accepted format designed to create the least amount of problems when imaging files on RIP computers. It converts RGB data to CMYK (spot color remain unchanged), flattens transparency, and downsamples graphics to 300dpi.

[PDF/X-3a:2002] Do not use this setting for files that are intended to be run on a printing press. It allows inclusion of RGB data, which will cause problems when outputting to a RIP computer.

[Press Quality] Use this setting only if [PDF/X-1a:2001] is not available in your version of Acrobat. This will save images in 300 dpi format, but may allow some features that may cause problems for RIP computers.

[Smallest File Size] Do not use this setting for files that are intended to be run on a printing press. It converts images to 72dpi and removes data vital to prepress imaging systems.

(Note- all presets in brackets- [ ] – are defaults supplied by Adobe.) Non bracketed presets are custom setting from the user.

Page Description Boxes

Programs like Acrobat Pro and Enfocus Pitstop often refer to various “boxes” when preflighting. Below is a list of common page elements and their definitions.

Highlighted Differences between Various Acrobat & PDF Versions

Acrobat Version:

Acrobat 3 Acrobat 4 Acrobat 5 Acrobat 6 Acrobat 7 &

higher

PDF Version: 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 & up

Allows Transparency?

No No Yes Yes Yes

Allows Layers? No No No Yes Yes

Default level for PDF/X-1a?

No Yes No No No

Embed double-byte fonts? (Kanji, etc)

No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Color Transformation

Supports sRGB?

No Yes* Yes Yes Yes

Smooth shading

supported?

NO Yes Yes Yes Yes

*sRGB is converted to CMYK/SWOP in PDF/x-1a.

If you need further assistance, please contact your print provider.