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CREATING PDF'S
Here's what you need to know

Creating PDFs with the Acrobat Distiller 

 

Every software package will have different ways of creating PDFs. How you create them will vastly change the outcome.


The main points to cover are:

 

  • Make sure your colours are set up correctly (Spot or Process)

  • All images are in the correct colour mode (CMYK, Greyscale, Duotone and NOT RGB) and are the correct resolution for printing. 

  • All fonts are embedded or converted to paths. 


Creating PDFs with the Adobe CS Suite 

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Our current distiller settings are: Worldwide 2.0. These settings can be imported directly into the Adobe CS2 Suite and PDFs with our settings can be exported directly from InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. 

 

With our Celebra Level 3 RIP it is recommended that PDFs are generated directly from these packages using the Worldwide 2.0 PDF settings.

 

This keeps PDF files sizes to a minimum because the flattening of any transparency takes place in the RIP rather than at the distilling process. It also enables the Pre-Press a greater level of interaction with PDFs when alterations are required prior to printing.  
 

 

Creating PDFs with QuarkXpress 

 

Older versions of Quark don't have the facility to output directly to PDF. Quark did provide a free plug-in that enabled PDFs to be created directly from Quark if you could link to a licensed copy of Adobe Distiller on your network. 

 

Alternatively you can distil PS or EPS files that have been created from Quark. CAUTION older versions of Quark do not support font embedding in EPS files. If you distil an EPS after the fonts have been turned off or taken from your system they will default to courier or Distiller will come up with an error message depending on your preferences. 

 

 

Creating PDFs with Microsoft Office 
 

Most modern PCs running on XP or Windows 2000 will now have the facility to print to PDF built into the operating system. This is not a true PDF but the operating system creates a high-res image file that is PDF compatible. 

 

  An important point to remember is that apart from Publisher these software programs are not designed as specialised desktop publishing programs. 

 

You'll need to carefully check any PDFs you create, making sure that the files split into the correct colours. You'll need to make sure the document size is created with bleed as there are no bleed options available when printing to file in these programs. Be careful with RGB scans when converting to CMYK, the default conversion can turn many scans very dark and grey looking. 

 

 

Creating PDFs with Mac OSX (Acrobat 7) 

 

You can create Adobe PDF files in Mac OS X using any of these options: Use Acrobat 7.0 in Mac OS X Native mode to create PDF 1.6 and earlier files Use the PDF creation feature of Mac OS X to create PDF 1.3 files from native Mac OS X applications Note: In PDF 1.3 files, layers and preview transparency are not preserved. 

 

Using Acrobat in Mac OS X 

 

You can create PDF 1.6 and earlier files by using Acrobat 7.0 in Mac OS X 

 

To create a PDF file from a single file: 

 

  1. Choose File > Create PDF > From File. 

  2. Select the file you want to convert, and then choose the appropriate file 
    type from the Show pop-up menu. 

  3. Click Settings if you want to change the conversion settings. 
    (This option isn't available if the file type you selected doesn't support it.) 

  4. Click OK. 

 

To create a PDF file from multiple files: 

 

  1. Choose File > Create PDF > From Multiple Files. 

  2. Click Browse, select a file to convert, and then click Add. 

  3. Repeat step 2 for each file you want to add to the PDF file. 

  4. Arrange the document order by selecting a file and clicking Move 
    Up or Move Down, and then click OK. 

  5. Choose File > Save As, name the PDF file, and then click OK. 

 

To create a PDF from other applications: 

 

  1. Choose File > Print. 

  2. Choose the Adobe PDF printer. 

  3. Click Print. 

  4. Name and save the PDF document. 

 

For more instruction about creating PDF files, see the Complete Acrobat Help files. 

Using the PDF creation feature of Mac OS X 

You can use the PDF creation feature of Mac OS X to create PDF 1.3 files from native Mac OS X applications. 

 

Note: If you use a native Mac OS X Adobe application, use the PDF creation feature built into that application instead of this method. For example, in Adobe Illustrator, choose File > Save As, and choose Adobe PDF from the Format pop-up menu. For more information about creating PDF files from Adobe applications, see the Help included with the application. 

 

To create a PDF file by using the PDF creation feature in Mac OS X: 

  1. Open the document you want to convert to PDF in the native Mac OS X application. 

  2. Choose File > Print. 

  3. Click Save as PDF. 

  4. Name the file and then click Save. 

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