Generating Print-Ready PDFs

It is easy to create Print-Ready PDFs that Fine Line can RIP, Trap and Impose directly to plate. If generated correctly, Print-Ready PDFs can speed your project through Prepress. Read below for details on how to create Print-Ready PDFs.

PDF Editing is limited. So your document must be complete.

Although minor text changes are possible, major changes to a PDF document are not. So if you provide a Print-Ready PDF, it needs to be ready-to-RIP.

Here are some "gotchas" that will prevent a PDF from working correctly:

Using Acrobat PDFWriter (instead of Distiller).
Failing to use the correct Distiller output option (use "PDF/X-3:2002").
Forgetting to embed all fonts and graphics.
Including graphics with less than 300ppi minimum resolution.
Failing to enlarge your paper size for bleeds.

Requirements

The following software must be installed on your computer to successfully generate Print-Ready PDFs.

Mac OSX

Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher.
ADPDF7.PPD.hqx (Save to "Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj" ).

Mac OS9

Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher.
ADPDF7.PPD.hqx (Save to "System folder/Extensions/Printer descriptions" ).

Microsoft Windows 2000, XP

Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher.

Generating PDFs

You can generate Print-Ready PDFs from any application, by installing Adobe Acrobat (not Reader) version 5 or higher. Ignore the "Save as PDF" options available in some applications. Of the major design programs, only InDesign creates reliable Print-Ready PDFs using the "Save as PDF" option.

Rather than exporting a PDF directly, print to a PostScript file. Make sure you set your paper size to one-inch larger than your image size, to compensate for bleeds. Then, use Acrobat Distiller to create a PDF from the PostScript file.

Below are application-specific instructions: