Copresco
welcomes your questions on all aspects of digital printing. We appreciate your interest and ask you to keep those
inquiries coming. Thanks to Contemporary Graphics for posing this
worthwhile question.
Q. We have a PDF/X-1a
file from a client. Can Copresco print it?
A. The
answer is emphatically yes! The good news is, anyone can print PDF/X files.
That is what these files are for: universal, error-free printing.
Q. What is the
difference between PDF/X and a regular PDF file?
A.
In fact, there is no such thing as a “regular” PDF. You may
recall from previous Overnight Lite articles that Adobe (makers of
Acrobat and creator of the PDF format) has designed PDF for all sorts of uses.
Print is only one.
Some PDF
uses include on-line forms, scanning and e-mail transmission of documents. PDFs
created for any of these purposes may not be at all suitable for print.
PDF has had seven major version changes since its initial
release, each one adding support for more of the “features” mentioned
above.
Adobe’s most recent versions include, for
example, support for audio and video, that are totally useless and detrimental
to the printing process.
PDF/X, on
the other hand, is regulated by the International Standards Organization (ISO),
meaning that it cannot be changed arbitrarily and that no single company nor
any country controls the standard.
The best-known version
is PDF/X-1a. If you create PDF/X-1a files, you can rest assured that just about
any printer on earth will able to process your print file.
If your
document contains color, be aware that PDF/X-1a supports CMYK process colors
and spot colors but not RGB color spaces.
If your
document includes RGB color graphics, you will need to use PDF/X-3 instead.
Many printers will not accept a PDF that includes RGB color, but Copresco does.
Q.
Haven’t PDF/X-1a and X-3 been replaced by newer versions?
A. X-1a and X-3 both date back to 2001. This is
part of what makes them universal: they use PDF specifications that do not
include all of the extraneous data that can cause printing trouble in newer PDF
versions.
The latest versions of many programs include
support for PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-5.
Ironically, the newer
“X” standards are not yet universally supported. Many, in fact the
vast majority of, print devices in use today do not support all the features
allowed by X-4 and X-5.
In summary, PDF/X-1a is the ideal
format. Either X-1a or X-3 will be great for your Copresco jobs.
Q. How do I create
PDF/X files?
A. Recent versions of Quark X Press
and Adobe InDesign include presets for exporting files in PDF/X compliant
formats. So do the last three versions of Acrobat, with which you can generate
PDF/X files from almost any application.
Another option
you may want to explore is Instant PDF from EnFocus, a software company whose
people were heavily involved in the creation of the PDF/X standard.
This nifty
program includes a “Save as Certified PDF” feature that will not only
help you create PDF/X files but will help you to troubleshoot and correct the
problems you encounter with the process.
This serious
professional software runs about $250.
So, when you need
help with digital books and manuals or technical support, call the recognized
industry leader.
Call Copresco.
For more tech details on
the PDF/X-1a standard, stop by:
http://www.prepressure.com/pdf/basics/pdfx-1a
PDF/X-1a
White Paper from Adobe. Old, but still valid.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/pdfs/pdfx.pdf
EnFocus's
Instant PDF software for creating PDF/X compliant files.
http://www.enfocus.com/product.php?id=864
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