PDF-Workflow / Creation the Author, Stephan Jaeggi, Is a Well- Heard About PDF and »Carousel« (The Arts Companies (Now VISCOM), a Posi- Known PDF Expert in Europe

C 01 Creation – Contents

Table of Contents ...... C01 Acrobat Distiller ...... C17 About the Author ...... C02 Job Options ...... C18 Editorial ...... C03 General ...... C19 Why PDF? ...... C04 Compression ...... C20 Workflow ...... C05 Downsampling ...... C21 How to generate a PDF File ...... C06 Fonts ...... C22 Correct Layout Files ...... C07 Font Substitution ...... C23 PDFWriter or Distiller? ...... C08 Font Folders ...... C24 “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD ...... C09 Color ...... C25 Mac Printer Drivers ...... C10 Advanced Menu ...... C26 Windows Printer Drivers ...... C11 Watched Folders ...... C27 PS Resolution ...... C12 Golden Rules ...... C28 Quark XPress 4.0 ...... C13 Instruction for use ...... C29 PageMaker ...... C14 Imprint ...... US2 Microsoft Word ...... C15 Trademarks ...... US3 Use of OPI Images ...... C16 Addresses ...... US4 digital PDF-Workflow / Creation The author, Stephan Jaeggi, is a well- heard about PDF and »Carousel« (the Arts Companies (now VISCOM), a posi- known PDF expert in Europe. He has al- code name for »Acrobat«) at the Seybold tion that enabled him to assist the 1200 ready introduced thousands of profes- conference. member companies with the introduc- sionals to the secrets of PDF in over one Shortly after, he set up his own busi- tion of PostScript and DTP technologies. hundred seminars and numerous lectures. ness and founded the company PrePress- Consulting, based in Binningen near Basel C in Switzerland. During its early years, the 02 About the Author company offered a wide range of con- sultancy and support services for prepress He also receives regular invitations to the companies and printshops. Since 1996, Seybold conferences in the USA to speak PrePress-Consulting has been concen- on the subject of PDF. Stephan Jaeggi is trating exclusively on PDF. co-author of the white paper »PDF for After leaving college in 1978, Stephan prepress« presented in New York in March Jaeggi did a practical course in a print- 1998. shop and went on to study at the Swiss This white paper and a great deal more School of Engineering for Printing and information about PDF can be found on Packaging. He graduated with an Stephan Jaeggi's web server (Internet HTL/ESIG qualification in print engi- address as below). neering. The German-language newsletter He then worked as a systems manag- »PDF-Aktuell« is also published on this er in a large print shop, where he was server, and provides a summary of the lat- responsible for the evaluation, installa- est news on PDF. Everybody can subscribe tion and operation of a large mainframe to this newsletter free of charge at typesetting system (using HELL Digiset www.prepress.ch/pdf-aktuell.html. imagesetters). Our author has been working on PDF He was then appointed Secretary for technology since 1991, when he first IT at the Swiss Association of Graphic

Stephan Jaeggi has been an enthusiastic advocate of PDF technology for Further information on PDF and the »PDF-Aktuell« some years. He is also newsletter is available at http://www.prepress.ch well-known as an informed critic of vendors. To coincide with the introduction of their address). The digital versions contain a Particular thanks go to my friend, new PDF workflow system »Prinergy« number of hypertext links that lead to Bernd Zipper, who has provided great Heidelberg and Creo have asked me to related topics in the other brochures. support to me on this project. write on the subject of PDF workflows in Each page deals with a separate topic, I hope you will enjoy reading these the printing industry for their new range making it easy for the user to read indi- brochures, and that PDF will be a success vidual pages and locate a particular topic for you. C at any time. 03 Editorial My aim in writing these brochures was to provide practical guidance for the use of specialist material, »vision+work«. of PDF in the print production process. Binningen, Switzerland The result is a series of four brochures The brochures are not intended to replace August 1999 directed at different target groups: technical manuals, but rather to explain • Basics: An introduction to PDF tech- the concept of PDF technology, share my nology – intended for all readers. practical experience, and give tips to the • Management: Economic and organi- reader. zational aspects of PDF – for managers. These publications describe the manual • Creation: The creation of PDF docu- PDF workflow using »Adobe Acrobat« Stephan Jaeggi ments – for data suppliers (advertis- and standard plug-ins. They also describe ing agencies, graphic artists, cus- the new potential offered by automatic tomers). PDF workflow systems such as »Prinergy«. • Production: Processing and outputting I would like to thank Heidelberg and PDF files – for prepress technicians. Creo for giving me the opportunity to publish these brochures. The »Basics« brochure is available in For a long time, I have wanted to take printed form. All four publications are the knowledge that I share in my semi- available in digital form on CD-ROM and nars and lectures and write it down to on the Internet (see below for Internet make it available to a broader audience.

All four brochures can be downloaded as PDF documents from the Internet at http://www.visionwork.net These days, most print originals are passed on to prepress service providers and printshops in the form of files from layout applications (e.g. »QuarkXPress«, »Adobe PageMaker«), graphics programs

C 04 Why PDF?

(e.g. »Adobe Illustrator«, »Macromedia FreeHand«, »Corel Draw«) or even word processing applications (such as »Micro- soft Word«). This is often a risky business. Problems ginally developed for office communica- exchange between different companies can include missing illustrations or fonts tions – now incorporates all the infor- in prepress production a simple and reli- and incompatibility between different mation required for high-quality imaging. able process [Basics B07]. program versions [Management M05]. Nowadays, PDF files are usually crea- The page creator as well as the pre- Some users choose to transfer PostScript ted with the »Adobe Acrobat« software press operator can benefit from PDF. As files, but this is also not problem-free. package. The »Distiller« is used to con- film has done in the past, PDF now defi- PostScript data can contain device-speci- vert PostScript print files into PDF files nes a clear interface between creation fic commands that make output impos- [Creation C17] that can then be pro- and production. sible. Moreover, PostScript files are usu- cessed using the »Acrobat« program ally very large and thus difficult to [Production P12]. There is also the free transfer. »Acrobat Reader« that allows PDF docu- The »Portable Document Format« (PDF) ments to be viewed and printed on four- provides an alternative. From Version 1.3 teen different computer platforms. The onwards, this data format – that was ori- features of PDF format make data

Page creators and prepress operators can benefit from PDF. The pages are created as usual using any The most reliable method – that works setter. After a preflight check [Production layout, graphics or word processing appli- with all programs capable of outputting P10], the pages are trapped if necessary cation. A PDF file is then generated. PostScript – is to use »Acrobat Distiller« and then imposed into signatures. There are several ways of doing this. to convert the PostScript data into PDF [Production P22] documents. This method is described in These steps can either be performed detail in this brochure. manually using individual programs, or C It is inadvisable to use »PDFWriter«, using a PDF workflow system such as 05 Workflow since the results after subsequent ima- »Prinergy« from Heidelberg and Creo ging are usually unsatisfactory. [Basics B14] to automate production. Some programs have a direct PDF [Creation C08] export function, but not all are based on Once generated, the PDF document is the Adobe »PDF Library«, and they do checked visually and then sent to the not always generate PDF Version 1.3. printshop. There, the PDF data is prepared [Production P04] for output on a imagesetter or plate-

Instead of the application files used in the past, part- ners in the PDF workflow PDF is the ideal interface between page now exchange PDF files. creation and the printshop. This is faster and more reliable. 06 C How to generate a PDF File cation (1). Then the printer driver is set tiller. [Cr generating a PDF file today is using Dis- The most commonly used method of First, the pages are created in any appli- graphic applica- Create pages in [Cr any layout or eation C07 123456 eation C17 when you know how. It's easy to generate PDF documents tion ]. ] Configure Post- “ driver with the [Cr Acrobat Distil- Script printer ler eation C09 “ PPD file ]. (4), and finally checked using the »Acro- into a PDF file using »Acrobat Distiller« (3). The PostScript file is then converted pages are “printed“ to a PostScript file up with the correct PPD file (2). Next, embedded fonts Generate Post- [Cr Script file with eation C10 PS ]. [Cr PDF file using Convert into » eation C17 Distiller «

]. [Pr pressed in Distiller [Management M13 company or a printshop (6). now ready to be passed on a prepress bat« program (5). The PDF document is Internet. to transfer the file via ISDN or over which means that it is normally possible file in Acrobat Checking PDF oduction P08 The data volume can be greatly com- that supports PostScript. ated out of any application steps a PDF file can be cre- By performing these six ]. [Management PDF file Pass on M14 ]. ], A correct layout file is an important factor behind a success- ful PDF workflow. Although many errors that have commonly occurred in the past can be avoided or eliminated with PDF, it Check list is not a miracle-worker. If the layout file has been created incor- rectly or contains non-printable elements (e.g. hairlines), these ❏ Set correct paper size.

C ❏ Use PostScript Type 1 fonts if possible. 07 Correct Layout Files ❏ Avoid TrueType fonts. errors will be transferred to the PDF file (see check list). Preflight programs can be used to ensure that the layout files are correct. ❏ No electronic font modifications (bold, italic, shadowed, contoured, etc.). PDF is a final-page format. This means in principle that the ❏ pages should be complete. Although PDF files can still be edi- Scan images in correct resolution (take scaling ted using Acrobat and various additional plug-ins if necessary, into account). no further adjustments should be required when a PDF file is ❏ Crop images in an image editor. passed on. ❏ Do not use hairlines. By passing on PDF files, a clean distinction between creation and production is established. It obligates everyone involved to ❏ Do not build frames using four lines, draw them do their own work and frees them from doing other people's using the frame tool. work. ❏ Tint areas: min. 5%, max. 95%.

❏ Delete unnecessary elements.

❏ Delete blank pages.

❏ If necessary, define page bleed.

Correct layout files are the basis of a good PDF file. PDFWriter is a printer driver for Macintosh or Windows that converts graphic information of the operating system (i.e. »QuickDraw« on the Macintosh; »GDI« in Windows) into PDF. Since these graphics models do not support PostScript, PS commands cannot be converted. If an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

C 08 PDFWriter or Distiller?

file is placed in a page and sent to PDFWriter, only the screen preview (72 dpi bitmap ) is transferred to the PDF page. PDF- Writer cannot access the PostScript information encapsulated in the EPS file. PDFWriter is therefore not suitable for the generation of PDF files intended for subsequent imaging. Nearly all desktop publishing applications have been developed for PostScript output, since it is only with PostScript that optimum quality can be achieved. The »Acrobat Distiller« uses a PostScript interpreter to convert PostScript data into PDF [Production P06]. It is therefore essential to choose the Distiller rather than PDFWriter. Added to this is the fact that PDFWriter cannot be configu- red as much as the Distiller. Moreover, PDFWriter 4.0 only generates PDF Version 1.2. It therefore does not support the new features of PDF 1.3 [Production P04] that are important for imaging.

PDFWriter is only suitable for the production PDFWriter is not recommended as a tool of simple office documents. PDF that is to be used for imaging is best generated using the for producing high-end PDF. Distiller. A printer description file (PPD = »PostScript Printer Descrip- ware and the Adobe printer drivers. It can also be found in the tion«) defines the device-specific commands for an output de- folder “..\Acrobat 4.0\Distillr\Xtras\Adist4.ppd“ (Win) or “..:Acro- vice. It includes information about the properties of an out- bat 4.0:Distiller:Xtras:Acrobat Distiller“ (Mac). This PPD file is put device (e.g. resolution, screen frequencies, colors, paper device-independent and allows optimum control of the Distil- formats) and the PostScript commands for device control (e.g. ler. Device-dependent information should not be stored in the PDF file to ensure that it retains its flexibility of output. C Device-specific parameters are either added during printing 09 “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD from Acrobat by selecting the relevant PPD file, or are inser- ted in a PDF workflow system. cutting command for imagesetters, choice of paper cassette If a pre-separated PDF file is required, then an imaging PPD for color copiers). file for PostScript output from the layout program should be Because the PostScript interpreter in Distiller cannot under- used. stand these device-specific commands, a special “Acrobat Dis- tiller“ PPD file must be used for generating PostScript. This is automatically installed on the system with the Acrobat soft-

Distiller Printer PPD PPD

Layout Printer PostScript Acrobat PDF Acrobat Printer Output application driver file Distiller file driver device

PPD files play an important role twice in the lifetime of a PDF file. The “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD file is used to generate the PostScript file for the Distiller, and the PPD file for the output device is used for printing from Acrobat. The PDF file remains free of device-specific information, and can therefore be output on any device. At the moment, the »Apple LaserWriter« or »Adobe- PostScript« printer drivers are best suited for PostScript generation on the Macintosh. An Adobe printer driver now comes bundled with the Acrobat software.

C 10 Mac Printer Drivers

There are two important factors for the Distiller when generating PostScript: allocation of the “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD and embedding of the fonts in the PostScript file. The PPD file is either assigned in the “Chooser“ (in the Apple menu) or in the AdobePS paper format using the »Virtual Print- er« plug-in (see illustration above ). This plug-in comes bundled with »AdobePS 8.6«. For »AdobePS 8.5.1« it has to be downloaded from the Adobe web server [Internet link page]. The use of a virtual printer has the advantage that two PPDs can be assigned to one printer driver: one for the real output device (as defined in the Chooser) and one for the virtual printer (as defined in the paper format). The user can then simply toggle between these two printers in the print menu. The virtual printer always writes the PS data to a file. The settings for the output file in the print menu are important (see illustration below). It is essential that all the fonts be embedded in the PostScript file. This ensures that the correct fonts are available for the Distiller.

The Screenshot shows the allocation of the “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD in the “AdobePS“ All fonts should always be paper format for the virtual printer. The illustration below shows the correct set- embedded in the PostScript file. tings for the output file in the print menu. It is advisable to use the Adobe printer the printer (see illustration). The Post- already installed on the computer and drivers for PostScript generation on the Script file can be stored in any folder (as the user only wants to add a new printer Windows platform. These drivers are “*.ps“ or “*.prn“) and processed later with the “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD, this easier to use and produce better quality using the Distiller. Another simple should be performed via the setup pro- results than the Microsoft drivers. The method is to save the PS file directly in a gram of the »AdobePS« driver. Using the “Add Printer“ function in the “Printer“ C control panel in Windows is not recom- 11 Windows Printer Drivers mended for this purpose.

latest Adobe drivers for Windows 95/98 folder monitored by the Distiller. and NT can be found on the Adobe web [Creation C27] site. [Internet link page] With the Adobe printer driver, it is pos- Installation is simple. When asked for sible to define custom paper sizes so that the PPD file, select the “Acrobat Distil- bleed and printer marks can be output, ler“ PPD [Creation C09]. “FILE:“ should if required. If the Adobe printer driver is be selected as the port. The “PDF Port“ suggested is very con- venient. After the PostScript file has been entered, the »Acrobat Distiller« is automatically launched and the PostScript file is converted into a PDF document. Unfor- tunately, this gives the user no control over the Distiller options used. It is therefore better to perform this process in two steps. When printing from a program, the “Acrobat Distiller“ is simply selected as Generating a PostScript file for Distiller in Win- dows is simple. Select the ”Acrobat Distiller” printer The Adobe printer drivers should always be used in the Print menu and for PostScript generation in Windows. then enter the required file name. In principal, the resolution set in the Post- Script file should not play any role during distilling, because the PDF documents are by definition independent of resolution. However, a few PostScript commands

C 12 PS Resolution

(such as strokeadjust or setflattenpath) do require a resolution setting before they can be interpreted. PS procedures, such as the vignette procedure from Free- hand, ask the RIP for the resolution in order to calculate the size and number of bands required to simulate the vignette. In order to avoid visible banding, a higher resolution (e.g. 2400 dpi) should be set for the PostScript output. It is not essential that this resolution corresponds to the final resolution of the imagesetter or platesetter, as this is defined during output.

Depending on the printer driver or program, the resolution can be set in different places. From top to bottom: AdobePS driver Resolution specifications are only required in Windows, Macintosh printer for distilling in a few rare cases. driver, »QuarkXPress 4.0x« and »Adobe PageMaker 6.52«. In »QuarkXPress 4.0«, the PPD file is set If a color PDF file is required, the in the print menu. This takes priority over options “Separations“ and “Registra- the PPD selection in the printer driver. tions“ must be disabled in the "Docu- Before a PostScript file is generated, the ment“ tab. The “Save Page as EPS…“ “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD should be select- function should not be used, since QuarkXPress does not embed fonts in EPS C files. 13 QuarkXPress 4.0

ed in the “Printer Description“ popup menu of the “Setup“ tab in the “Print“ menu (see illustration). One of the standard paper sizes can be selected or an arbitrary paper width can be defined. The paper height is automatically determined by QuarkXPress. Defining a PostScript output in a file is rather complicated with QuarkXPress 4.0. It is necessary to click on the “Printer“ button in the print menu to open the printer driver settings. Here the user selects the “Virtual Printer“ or the “File“ option in the “Destination“ popup [Cre- ation C10]. Clicking on “Save“ allows the user to enter a file name and the storage location. It is also advisable to disable all PostScript options in “Page Setup…“.

In QuarkXPress, the PPD file is selected The print file must be defined in the printer driver in the print menu. using the “Printer“ button. In »Adobe PageMaker«, PDF files are also the Distiller so that it can be processed by generated from PostScript print files using Distiller automatically. [Creation C27] »Acrobat Distiller«. When creating a PDF file for imaging, Adobe recommends using the printer driver to generate the

C 14 PageMaker

PostScript file rather than the "ExportPDF" filter in PageMaker. [Creation C10; Creation C11] Here too, it is important to use the ”Acrobat Distiller” PPD file (see illustration above). The PPD file in Distiller 4.0 contains the correct definitions for outputting CMYK colors from PageMaker. Errors once occurred with the PPD file in Distiller 3.0, because it contained definitions for RGB output devices. It is, therefore, important to use the “Acrobat Dis- tiller“ PPD file rather than the “Acrobat Distiller 3.0“ file. The name of the PostScript file is then entered in “Print Options“ (see illustration below). The PostScript file can be written directly to a folder monitored by

The PPD file is defined in “Document“ (above) in the PDF generation in PageMaker is also performed PageMaker "Print" menu. The file name is entered in via the printer driver and Distiller. “Options“ (below). With Word documents it is best to use a PostScript print file and convert it into PDF using »Acrobat Distiller«. As Word only uses the operating system graphics commands, it would theoretically be possible to use PDFWriter. However, this is not very easy to configure, only produces PDF 1.2, and is there-

C 15 Microsoft Word

fore not suitable for subsequent imaging. [Creation C08] The process of writing a PostScript file and then distilling is exactly the same in Word as in other applications. [Creation C11; Creation C17]. However, Word usually performs repag- ination each time the printer is changed, altering the number of lines or pages and causing serious problems for many users. In order to suppress this function, a well hidden setting in Word has to be disabled (see illustration). With »Acrobat 4.0«, Adobe provides a macro-package for »Microsoft Office« programs called »PDFMaker«. This auto- mates PDF generation from Word and PowerPoint. In Word, a great deal of additional information is incorporated into the PDF file, such as automatic bookmarks from titles and links in tables of contents. However, the use of »PDFMaker« is not recommended for the production of PDF for imaging.

In order to prevent Word from repaginating the document when the printer is changed, the “Use printer metrics to lay out document“ option in the “Compatibility“ tab accessed via PDFMaker should only be used the “Tools>Options…“ menu (Word 97) or the “Tools>Preferences…“ menu (Word 98) must for interactive PDF documents. be disabled. The »Open Prepress Interface« (OPI) permits the use of low- file from the »Out« folder of the Distiller a few minutes later. resolution preview images for page layout purposes. This en- [Creation C27] sures that the layout workstations are not burdened with a An alternative would be to use the »OPI Doctor« plug-in large volume of image data. The high-resolution images are from Lantana that allows individual low-resolution images to not integrated until output through the OPI server. be replaced by high-resolution images and vice versa.

C 16 Use of OPI Images

There are two different situations that must be distinguished when using OPI low-resolution images in a PDF workflow: In the first scenario, the user wants to incorporate the preview images and the OPI commands into the PDF file and only insert the original image data at the printshop. To do this, the user only has to enable the correct option in Distiller [Creation C26]. Distiller 4.0 supports OPI versions 1.3 and 2.0. In the second scenario, the person creating the PDF file has their own OPI server and wants to generate a PDF document containing high-resolution images that they can pass on for external imaging. In this case, a PostScript file must be distilled with the high-resolution images. To achieve this, a queue must first be set up on the OPI server. The queue will store the PostScript file in a particular folder on the hard disk after the original images have been integrated. If this folder is monitored by Distiller, conversion to PDF will take place fully automatically. The user only needs to “print“ to the relevant queue and can then call up the complete PDF

The »Administrator« in Helios »EtherShare PostScript files with high-resolution images must OPI« can be used to define a new queue that be “intercepted“ on their way out of the OPI server. prints to a PS file. »Acrobat Distiller« converts PostScript files into PDF documents. The PostScript commands are first processed using an original »Adobe PostScript 3« interpreter (see illustration). The Distiller is relatively fast

C 17 Acrobat Distiller

because, unlike a complete PostScript RIP, it does not have to generate a bitmap in the resolution of the target output device. Instead, it generates simple PDF objects. There are various ways of transferring a PS file to the Distiller for processing. The user can choose a file using the “File>Open…“ menu. Or he can drag and drop one or more PS files to the Distiller icon or even directly to the Distiller window. An elegant method is to save the PostScript files in a folder watched by Distiller [Creation C27]. The Distiller settings can be selected with the aid of »joboptions« files in the Distil- ler window via a pop-up menu (see illustration).

The stored settings can simply be called up in the Distiller window. When the Distiller is launched, the message window shows The Distiller settings should not be which PostScript version the changed without good reason. interpreter uses (“30xx“ signifies PostScript 3). Because the generated PDF documents can be used in many different areas (e.g. on CD-ROM, in the Internet, for imaging), the Distiller has numerous options.

C 18 Job Options

A normal user need not to worry about all these settings, since they can be stored in »joboptions« files from Distiller 4.0 onwards. These settings can be called up in the Distiller window using a popup menu. [Creation C17] The correct Distiller settings can be created by a specialist, e.g. in the printshop, and passed onto the person creating the pages. The »joboptions« files are stored in the “Settings“ folder of the Distiller (see illustrations). They are activated immediately without the Distiller having to be relaunched.

The “joboptions“ files are simply stored in the „Set- A »joboptions« file contains all tings“ folder in the Distil- the Distiller settings. ler and are activated immediately. The following pages discuss the settings conversion process in the Distiller is also does not contain a defined resolution. of Acrobat Distiller 4.0 with respect to lengthened unnecessarily. [Creation C12] the generation of PDF files for imaging. In the Resolution option, a standard The “Binding“ option only has an Details of the individual functions can resolution can be set for the Distiller. This effect on double-page display. be found in the online help file in Acro- only becomes active if the PostScript file

C 19 General

bat (»Acrohelp.pdf«). Care must be taken in the “General“ settings in Dis- tiller 4.0 to ensure that compatibility is set to “Acrobat 4.0“. Behind this function is a switch for the PDF version. It is only with PDF 1.3 that is generated with Distiller 4.0 that important elements for imaging – such as duotone images, etc. – can be incorporated into the PDF file [Production P27]. All these new functions are lost with "Acrobat 3.0" compatibility. The “ASCII Format“, “Optimize PDF“ and “Generate Thumbnails“ options are not necessary for “Highend-PDF“. ASCII format and thumbnails only enlarge PDF files unnecessarily. When thumbnails and Internet optimization are enabled, the

Only ”Acrobat 4.0” compatibility can It is important to set com- create PDF Version 1.3. patibility to “Acrobat 4.0“. The Distiller has excellent tools for re- ducing the size of the files to a reasona- ble volume. Images can be downsampled, and images, text and vector graphics can also be compressed.

C 20 Compression

Distiller has two methods of compression for contone images: JPEG and ZIP. JPEG is an intelligent compression method that compresses data the human eye cannot perceive. In Distiller 4.0, there are five quality levels ranging from minimum to maxi- mum. The setting “High“ is recommended for PDF files that will be imaged. With ZIP, the user has no loss of data but this compression method is not as efficient as the JPEG method. [Management M13] If automatic compression is choosen, ZIP is used for screen shots and JPEG is used for contone images. Text and vector graphics are always compressed safely with the ZIP method as there is no risk of losing any data.

Using these compression settings, Distiller 4.0 can reduce the volume of image data ATTENTION: Distiller 4.0 uses different names for the remarkably well without any JPEG compression levels than Distiller 3.0! noticeable loss of output quality. Images in PostScript files are often stored The target resolution depends on the resolution will not be reduced in every at too high resolution. This is either screen ruling of the subsequent imaging case. This only happens when the image because the images have been digitized process. As a guide, values of 250 to 300 resolution in the PostScript file is at least with a too high dpi value, or because they dpi for contone images are advisable for 50% higher than the target resolution. have been scaled in the layout program. offset printing and 150 to 200 dpi for This should prevent any undesirable loss newspaper printing. For linework images of quality. C (black&white bitmap) the resolution must 21 Downsampling be higher (e.g. 1200 to 1500 dpi). The

Rather than incorporating such large amounts of image data into the PDF file, the user can instruct the Distiller to down- sample the image resolutions. This would happen in any case during imaging in the RIP, so the step is simply taken at an earlier stage. This saves valuable storage space and transmission time [Management M13]. There are three different methods of downsampling the resolution in the Dis- tiller: • Subsampling • Average Downsampling • Bicubic Downsampling If the PDF file is to be used for subsequent imaging, it is advisable to use the bicubic downsampling method, since this produces the best quality. However, this method is also the slowest.

The settings for down- By downsampling the resolution, the PDF file sampling the resolution can be relieved of unnecessary weight. are also entered on the “Compression“ tab. The fonts used in a document can be completely to the PostScript file by the ding with TrueType fonts. Distiller 4.0 re- embedded in the PDF file. This is very printer driver and can therefore only be spects this restriction, and displays a warn- important, as it ensures that the same incorporated in the PDF file as font sub- ing in its window. If a font is completely fonts are used during imaging were used sets. Unfortunately, it is possible for the missing, a warning can be given or pro- to create the pages. font manufacturer to forbid font embed- cessing can be canceled completely.

C 22 Fonts

This requires that the options be set correctly (see illustration). The “Subset“ setting only transfers those characters to the PDF file that are actually used in the document. This option was originally created to keep files as small as possible. However, font subsets can lead to problems in subsequent processing (e.g. when several PDF documents are com- bined into one file). Their use is therefore not recommended. From Distiller 4.0 onwards, embedding all fonts really does mean that all fonts are embedded. In the past, the 14 base fonts installed with Acrobat were not embedded. Both PostScript fonts (Type 1) and TrueType fonts are embedded. True- Type fonts are sometimes not written

The “Fonts“ menu is used Embedding fonts ensures smooth to define whether or not the fonts should be processing of PDF pages. embedded in the PDF file. If a font is not embedded in the PDF file and not installed on the computer in use, Acrobat tries to simulate the missing font. It reads the font metrics from the SuperATM database that comes bundled with Acrobat and contains information about more than 1000 fonts, and generates a simulated font with the

C 23 Font Substitution

same width and a similar appearance using the »Adobe Sans MM« or »Adobe Serif MM« Multiple Master Fonts. However, this only works for “normal“ fonts. Unusual fonts cannot be simulated satisfactorily (see illustration). There is only one form of each letter in the simulated fonts (see the “a“ in Garamond BoldItalic). The Acrobat “File>Document Info>Fonts...“ function can be used to check which fonts are being used to display a PDF document. To get a reliable information, however, the user should first disable the “View>Use Local Fonts“ function. [Production P09] If the font information shows that the »Adobe Sans MM« and »Adobe Serif MM« fonts are being used, this means that the fonts have not been correctly embedded in the PDF file.

The top line shows the original font and the It is essential to avoid font substitution bottom line shows its simulation using when imaging. »Adobe Serif MM« or »Adobe Sans MM«. In order to be able to embed fonts in a PDF file, Distiller must have access to these fonts. Priority is given to the fonts embedded in the PostScript file. Distiller then searches through the fonts in the assigned font folders. By default, it polls the system fonts in the “psfonts“ folder (Windows) or the “System Fold-

C 24 Font Folders

er:Fonts“ folder (MacOS) and the Acrobat standard fonts in the “Font“ folder in the “Resource“ folder of Acrobat 4.0 (see illustration). Other folders containing fonts can be assigned to the Dis- tiller using the “Settings>Font Locations...“ menu. Unfortu- nately, it is not possible to assign folders that contain subfold- ers. Instead, each font folder must be entered separately into the list. This is possible when there is a manageable number of fonts, but is obviously of no use to a prepress service provi- der using hundreds of fonts organized according to font fami- lies or customers. It is therefore advisable to always embed the fonts in the PostScript data when writing the print file. [Creation C10] Monitored font folders should only be used in exceptional cases, for example, when an EPS file that does not contain any fonts (e.g. from »QuarkXPress«) must be distilled. The font lists on the “Fonts“ tab in the Distiller settings can be used to check which fonts the Distiller is accessing at any point.

Font folders can be added The simplest and most reliable approach is in the “Settings>Font to embed the fonts in the PostScript file. Locations...“ menu in Dis- tiller. The handling of color is defined in a spe- of the menu. They do not have any effect ters that are particularly important when cial tab in Distiller. Colors can either be on the PDF data itself and only have an using a pre-separated method. leaved unchanged or tagged with ICC effect when PostScript is generated again [Production P25] profiles for subsequent color manage- during output. “Preserve Halftone Infor- ment. In Distiller 4.0, the colors are no mation“ refers to the screening parame-

C 25 Color

longer converted, but are simply tagged with profiles. It is possible to define standard profiles for grayscale, RGB and CMYK objects in the Distiller. The profiles are embedded in the PDF file. Because ICC profiles can sometimes be very large, this increases the size of the file accordingly. ICC input profiles for color conversion can also be assigned in the »Prinergy« PDF workflow system [Production P36]. It is therefore advisable to define the color profiles there and to select the “Leave Color Unchanged“ option in Distiller. Conversion to “sRGB“ should not be used in conjunction with PDF imaging. A few commands from the PostScript file can be transferred to the PDF document using the settings in the lower part

Today, colors are usually still transferred unchanged. This menu is used to define the ICC profiles will be used more widely in future. settings for handling colors. The following points in this menu are important for the PDF workflow: “Use Prologue.ps/Epilogue.ps“ does not play a role any more with Distiller 4.0, since the prologue file is no longer “mis-

C 26 Advanced Menu

used“ to incorporate spot colors (e.g. from »QuarkXPress«) defined in PS Level 1 into PDF. This function is now integrated. [Production P26] With “Save Portable Job Ticket Inside PDF File“, the Distiller generates a mini- mal portable job ticket. [Basics B11] With the “Resize Page And Center Artwork For EPS Files“ option, the PDF page size is automatically set to the same size as the bounding box of an EPS file. This is particularly useful for advertise- ments. With “Preserve OPI Comments“, OPI commands from the PS file are transferred to the PDF document. [Creation C16]

The “Advanced“ menu in Prologue.ps is no longer needed the Distiller contains a few to preserve spot colors. settings that are only used in special situations. PDF generation using the »Acrobat Dis- reduces the burden on a particular work- tiller« is considerably simplified by the station. It also ensures that all team mem- use of “watched folders“. These can be bers always use the same Distiller settings. created at some location in the network (e.g. on a file server or on the Distiller

C 27 Watched Folders

computer). The required folders are then added to the “Watched Folders…“ menu in the Distiller (see illustration). Once this allocation has been performed, the Dis- tiller automatically sets up an “In“ folder and an “Out“ folder within the selected folder. Each “In“ folder can have its own Dis- tiller settings. It is even possible to load existing »joboptions« files. [Production P07]. The watched folders can be created based on any criteria – e.g. level of compression, intended use, customer, etc. (see illustration). The great advantage of watched folders is that the Distiller can run on another computer in the network rather than on the computer in use. This

Distiller operation can be automated Individual Distiller settings using watched folders. can be assigned to each watched folder. The quality of the PDF files generated • Use the “Acrobat Distiller“ PPD file, often determines the success or failure of located in the “Xtras“ folder in the Dis- output. Inadequate PDF files can make tiller folder in Acrobat 4.0. output impossible. However, PDF gene- [Creation C09] ration is actually quite simple if the user • Embed fonts in the PostScript file. This C ensures that Distiller uses exactly the 28 Golden Rules same fonts as were used for creating the layout. [Creation C10] adheres to the following seven “golden“ rules: • Configure Distiller correctly. Distiller settings should be agreed upon with • Correct layout files. The pages must be the data recipient. The settings can be finished and complete. Most layout exchanged in the form of a »jobop- errors are transferred to the PDF file. tions« file on a floppy disc or through [Creation C07] the Internet. [Creation C18; Production P07] • Avoid PDFWriter. PDFWriter is not suitable for the generation of PDF • Use watched folders. This facilitates files for imaging! [Creation C08] PDF generation and ensures that the same settings are used every time. • Install Adobe printer drivers. The [Creation C27] latest printer drivers for Macintosh, Windows, and Windows NT can be downloaded from the Adobe web server free of charge. [Internet-Linkpage]

PDF generation is simple as long as these seven “golden“ rules are followed. The electronic version of the dow” option in the basic settings »vision+work« brochures is very simple. ”File>Preferences>General... CMD+K”. Previous view ...... The buttons on the right-hand side of the These settings are only important for page are used to navigate between the the off-line version. They have no impact pages. in the Internet. Next page ......

C Previous page ...... 29 Instructions for Use

The pages have an article thread. Click- The ”Find” button can be used to Table of content ...... ing on a column enlarges the text to full search for words in the brochures. A full- screen width. Clicking again calls up the text index is also supplied on the CD-ROM. next screen fill. This allows you to search through all the Bookmarks ...... Hypertext links are built into the text. brochures. Unfortunately, this does not These lead to pages containing related work on the Internet, so the normal topics [Basics B02]. Clicking on one of search function of the Reader is called up Find ...... these links opens the relevant page. The in the Internet version of the brochures. top button ”Previous View” takes you You will find further information about back to your previous page. how to use the Reader under ”Help> Find again ...... The links not only take you to pages Reader Guide”. in the same brochure, but also to pages The program is closed using the com- in the other files. Unfortunately, with mand ”File>Quit”. Help ...... its standard settings, Acrobat closes the first file when you jump to another one. It is therefore important to disable the Print ...... ”Open Cross-Doc Links in Same Win- Imprint

Author: Stephan Jaeggi, PrePress-Consulting Greatest care has been taken in compiling the information in this publication and, whenever possible, Co-author: Bernd Zipper, ZIPCON Consulting GmbH checks were made to see that the information was correct. Despite this, errors cannot be fully excluded. Editor: Gabriele Butzke, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG Some information came directly from the manufacturers and could not be verified. Neither author nor Kimberly Lawrence, Creo Products Inc. publisher assume any warranty or liability for damages that may occur through the application of the Translation: Derek Robinson, Linguatext information contained in this brochure. Please also note that software is the object of this application Carolyn Healy and as such is prone to errors and that problems in application of software can never be excluded. Layout and Design: Lemon Design GmbH These pages were written in August 1999 and are based on Acrobat version 4.01, PDF version 1.3 and Illustrations: Uwe Faerber, Designwerk the preliminary version of Prinergy 1.0. Improvements in later versions could not be included. This Production: ZIPCON Consulting GmbH brochure reflects the opinion of the author and must not coincide with that of the publisher. This Pictures: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, brochure was originally written in German. Errors in translation cannot be excluded. PhotoDisc Deutschland, Uwe Faerber, Designwerk, Adobe Systems, Special thanks to Photodisc Germany GmbH for providing the images for ZIPCON Consulting GmbH this brochure series. Photodisc in the Internet: www.photodisc.com Prepress: Prinergy, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG Copyright: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG Siemenswall D-24107 Kiel Trademarks

Subject to changes and modifications without notice. Quickmaster-DI, Signasetter, Heidelberg, Herkules, Signastation are registered trademarks; Delta is a trademark of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. Creo, Prinergy, Virtual Proof System, Copy Dot Toolkit, Trendsetter and other products are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Creo Products Incorporated.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, the Acrobat logo, Acrobat Capture, Distiller, Adobe Type Manager, ATM, Illustrator, PageMaker, Photoshop and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft- Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Apple, Macintosh, Mac, Power Macintosh and TrueType are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG Division Heidelberg Digital Siemenswall D-24107 Kiel Germany www.heidelberg.com

vision+work is a series of practical support tools CREO PRODUCTS INC. from Heidelberg. It serves 3700 Gilmore Way as a platform for experts in Burnaby, British Columbia new technologies and Canada V5G 4M1 applications to offer useful www.creo.com advice and production tips.

vision+work is available either on CD-ROM for PC and Mac, online on the Internet, or as a printed www.visionwork.net brochure.