Not all PDF files are created equally!

As you may already know, there are several different ways to create PDF files, and all of them can be problematic for printers. A good quality PDF file needs to have certain attributes - embedded fonts, correct color settings and correct document size, just to name the most commonly incorrect settings. The three most common ways to create PDF files are as follows:

1. Acrobat Distiller - The best way to create a print-ready PDF is to use Acrobat Distiller, which is part of the Adobe Acrobat suite of PDF products. It is a stand alone software program that "distills" an EPS or PostScript file into a PDF file. It allows you to embed the fonts, which is one of the most common problems associated with graphic files. We strongly recommend that you use the Distiller setting we have provided on this web site. After downloading the file, place it in the settings folder of Distiller, which can be found in the Application folder for Acrobat.
2. PDF Writer - This is launched from within applications such as Microsoft Word or Excel, or as a add-in in Macintosh workstations accessed through the Chooser. DO NOT USE PDF WRITER! It gives you no control over the settings and will only create PDF files that are good for viewing on your computer or printing on a personal printer.
3. PDF Maker - This method is almost like PDF Writer except that it actually uses Acrobat Distiller to create the PDF file. It will allow you to embed your fonts, and it seems to work well with Microsoft Office Applications. Do not confuse this with PDF Writer - while they both are Adobe "plug-ins", they give widely varying results. Once again, we strongly recommend using the Distiller settings we have provided.

PDF files must be complete!

While anyone can create a PDF file that looks good on the Internet, printers require a much more detailed PDF file in order for it to reproduce correctly on commercial presses - whether they are digital or conventional. As always, the most common problem is font substitution - if your file does not have the fonts embedded, anyone else who views your file might see fonts other than the ones you intended. And speaking of embedded fonts, you must make sure that you do not select the option to "Subset Embedded Fonts". Choosing this option only includes a partial set of the fonts used, and seriously restricts our ability to do any editing of your file. If in doubt, just be sure to use our Distiller settings we provide on this web site. Also, while the Internet is fine if you only want to see 256 different colors, your file may look vastly different when it is imaged on an offset web press that produces literally several million different color gradations. Just remember that the image you see on your screen or coming out of your desktop color printer will not be the same as one coming off the end of a commercial-grade offset press.

And speaking of color...

Another recurring problem with digital files submitted to printers is spot color vs. process color. We have seen jobs submitted that include 7 spot colors in addition to process color images - that means this four color job would have to be printed on an 11 color press! The designer of this piece did not set up the color management parameters correctly when it was first created in Adobe's Photoshop, and these color settings were carried all the way through the PDF creation process. The correct procedure would have been to change all spot colors to process color within Photoshop. We have also seen the opposite scenario to be somewhat common - colors intended to be spot PMS colors are sent to us as process colors. In the end, just be sure that spot colors are truly spot colors, and process colors should normally not be mixed with spot colors within the same job.

More references

PlanetPDF: Visit PlanetPDF's web site, a great resource for detailed and easy to understand information on PDF files.

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