on 5 June 2009Adobe PDF is a superbly flexible file format that’s become the norm for sharing documents. It’s also increasingly dominant as a way of delivering desktop publishing (DTP) jobs to print shops, but the plethora of output options has many users questioning whether it really makes things easier.
In this article we’ll explain all the basics of PDF for prepress. We’ll focus on output from the leading DTP applications, InDesign and QuarkXPress; graphics programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel Painter also have PDF export facilities, and similar issues apply.
Where to begin
There are essentially three ways to produce a PDF. The simplest is to use the PDF generator built into Mac OS X, which is accessible from almost every application via the Print dialog box. In a drop-down menu at the bottom left corner is an option to Save as PDF. This does exactly what it says on the tin, but you’ll notice a suspicious lack of options. If you need a quick copy of something in a format that both you and any other user can easily open and will look roughly as intended, it’s very handy. As a way of storing complex documents ready for reliable and accurate reproduction, however, it’s about as effective as taking a picture of the screen with your iPhone.
Read the full article in MacUser Vol 25 No 12, on sale now.
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