Preparing pdfs for service providers – Adobe InDesign User Manual
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Preparing PDFs for service providers
About PDF print publishing tools
Checking your document before exporting
Produce a print-ready Adobe PDF file
About PDF print publishing tools
In some print publishing workflows, documents are distributed in the format of the authoring application (called the native format). Once approved,
the files are saved in PostScript or a proprietary format for prepress work and final printing. Because applications generate PostScript in many
different ways, PostScript files may be arbitrarily large and complex. In addition, reliability problems such as missing fonts, corrupt files, missing
graphic elements, and unsupported features can result at output time. In response, Adobe and its partners continue to create reliable, PDF-based
publishing workflow solutions.
From InDesign, you can export your document to a composite PDF file called a digital master. These digital masters are compact, reliable files that
you or your service provider can view, edit, organize, and proof. Then, at the appropriate time in the workflow, your service provider can either
output the PDF directly, or process it using tools from various sources for post-processing tasks such as preflight checks, trapping, imposition, and
color separation.
PDF files in the workflow
Many large publishers use PDFs to streamline their review and production cycles. For example, numerous magazines and newspapers have
adopted PDF as the standard format for delivering advertisements to local publishing offices via satellite or ISDN lines. PDFs enable local
publishers to instantly view an advertisement exactly as it was designed, make late-stage text edits, and reliably print from any computer.
PDF workflow technologies and requirements
Adobe is continually addressing the workflow needs of service providers, and recommends that you visit the Adobe website at
often for the latest developments. Currently, Adobe addresses publishing workflow needs by providing an integrated system of several
technologies:
Adobe Acrobat 9, with its support for Adobe PDF version 1.7.
Adobe PostScript 3 printing technology, for device-independent support, Adobe In-RIP Trapping, in-RIP color separations, and smooth
blends.
Adobe InDesign CS4, with its high-resolution page layout capabilities and direct PDF processing.
PDF/X, an ISO standard for graphic content exchange that eliminates many of the color, font, and trapping variables that lead to printing
problems.
A high-resolution composite PDF workflow typically includes a PostScript 3 output device whose RIP supports in-RIP separations. Therefore, if
your output device uses PostScript Level 2 or does not support in-RIP separations, use a preseparated PostScript printing workflow.
Checking your document before exporting
Before creating a PDF for a service provider, make sure that the InDesign document meets your service provider’s specifications. The following list
offers some recommendations:
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