Exporting Adobe PDF files
Adobe designed the PDF export feature to resemble printing as much as possible. InDesign also provides PDF export presets that can apply preset settings. For these reasons, it’s possible for your customers or your shop to export PDF files with a minimum of training.
This section covers the settings and options available when you export an InDesign document as an Adobe PDF file. When you choose File > Export and select Adobe PDF, InDesign generates a completely independent exported file without using a PostScript printer driver or a PPD. In addition, when you export to an Adobe PDF file, InDesign uses the internal PDF library (which supports PDF 1.3-1.6) along with the Adobe Graphics Manager to create the file, instead of using
Acrobat Distiller. If you use postprocessing applications to impose documents, you can use this approach so that you can specify device-dependent print settings in imposition software instead of in the page layout application. In addition, if you encourage customers to create print-ready
PDF files by exporting PostScript or EPS files, this approach can lessen your concern about the variables, such as printer driver versions, PPD versions, and print options, associated with printing composite PostScript files. (Of course, you can also still use Acrobat Distiller to create
PDF files from PostScript files you generate from InDesign, if you need an option that isn’t available in the Export PDF dialog box).
Note: If you or a customer are creating a PDF file from all documents in a book file, you must choose Export Book to PDF from the book palette menu when no documents are selected in the book palette.
Options in the Export PDF dialog box are consistent with those available in the Print dialog box.
The general appearance is also consistent with the Print dialog box. At the top of the Export PDF dialog box is the Preset menu, which lists the PDF export preset in use. At the top left is a list of each panel in the dialog box. Just click in the list to switch to another panel, or press Ctrl+up arrow or down arrow.
Common areas
Like the Print dialog box, the only area that changes in the Export PDF dialog box is the area containing options specific to each panel. All other areas of the dialog box are common areas that remain visible regardless of which panel you are viewing.
Adobe PDF Preset menu
The Adobe PDF Presets includes the Adobe PDF presets included with Adobe Creative Suite 2
(listed in square brackets) and any custom PDF presets you make. Like print presets, they gather all of the settings you use to create a PDF file. You can design presets for specific purposes and choose them as needed. You can manage them by choosing File > Adobe PDF Presets, or by clicking the Save Preset button in the Export PDF dialog box.
For final output, service providers should use the built-in Press Quality or PDF/X standard presets. The Press Quality preset settings result in the level of quality required for prepress output. The presets PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 are ISO standards that are also prepress-quality and may be required by some customers. You can use one of these presets as a starting point for creating your own custom PDF export presets. The built-in presets and your own customized presets are available for use in all Adobe Creative Suite 2 components. For a complete description of using and customizing PDF export presets, see “Streamlining output with PDF presets” on page 112.
Note: PDF/X-1a 2001 and PDF/X-3 2002 appear both as presets and as choices in the Standard pop-up menu. Selecting them as a preset changes options throughout the dialog box. Selecting them in the Standard pop-up menu simply limits your options to settings that comply with the standard you selected, and enables you to base your own preset on one of these standards.
Standard menu
Selecting a standard from this menu restricts the options available in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box to those that are allowed under the standard you selected. This restriction helps
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ensure that the PDF document is valid under the selected standard. For more information about the PDF/X standards, see “About the predefined PDF export presets” on page 112.
Compatibility menu
The compatibility menu changes the options in the Export Adobe PDF dialog box to conform to the version of Acrobat compatibility that you select. If you select a compatibility level that isn’t supported by your selection in the Standard menu, the Standard menu selection will change to
None. The Compatibility pop-up menu includes the following options:
Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3): Generates a file using the PDF 1.3 standard. Maintains compatibility with software or hardware that isn’t compatible with features in Acrobat 5 through Acrobat 7 (PDF 1.4 through 1.6), such as live transparency. If you select this option, transparency must be flattened.
Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4): Generates a file using the PDF 1.4 standard. Choose this option to store native (live) transparency in a PDF file.
Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5): Generates a file using the PDF 1.5 standard. Choose this option to store live transparency in a PDF file and translate InDesign layers to PDF layers. Before selecting this option, verify that any downstream workflow that may be involved (such as RIPs and prepress applications) supports PDF 1.5.
Acrobat 7 (PDF 1.6): Generates a file using the PDF 1.6 standard. Job Definition Format support is enabled when Acrobat 7 is installed on the same computer and you choose this option.
Note: Check the InDesign Adobe PDF settings periodically using the Summary panel in the
Export PDF dialog box. InDesign always uses the last set of options defined; it doesn’t automatically revert to the default settings.
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