The latest revision of these guidelines can be downloaded from the FTP site at: ftp://specs.qwinc.com. Log-in as user name: pdf and use the password: pdf. A complete set of our international file format specifications and the Distiller
Job Option files are also available for downloading from this site.
Acrobat’s Built-in Functionality, What’s Supported by What Version?
As Acrobat continues to mature, new features are being added. Below is a quick reference of the functionalities various versions of Acrobat support.
With each new release of Acrobat, a newer version of their PDF Specifications was drafted to support the added feature set(s). However, each new version of Distiller is capable of generating PDF files using an earlier version compatibility. When PDF files are created using a previous version’s compatibility, new features may no longer be supported and that feature is either lost (i.e. layers) or converted in a way that the previous version supports
(i.e. transparency is flattened to opaque objects). In the case of overprint, the overprint operator remains intact, but the overprint is displayed as an opaque object when viewed in a PDF viewer that does not support overprint.
Overprints display opaque in Acrobat 3, Acrobat 4, and Acrobat Reader versions 3, 4, 5, and 6.
You can be sure that your printer’s RIP technology cannot handle all the features in the later versions of Adobe’s
PDF specification. Generating PDF files using PDF 1.3 compatibility is always safe; it was the last version of the
PDF specification that could be fully supported by any PostScript 3 RIP. Once you move to PDF 1.4, special tools are required to convert these features into a language that a PostScript 3 RIP can understand.
Acrobat Version PDF Specification Support
Acrobat 6 Professional PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 6 Standard PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 6 Reader PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 7 Professional PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 7 Standard PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 7 Reader PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 8 Professional PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 8 Standard
Acrobat 8 Reader
PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 9 Professional PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Acrobat 9 Standard
Acrobat 9 Reader
PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
PDF 1.7, PDF 1.6, PDF 1.5, PDF 1.4, PDF 1.3, & PDF 1.2
Generates
PDF/X Files
3
1
Overprint
Preview
Previews
Live-Transparency
Transparency
Flattener
Adobe’s Built-in
Preflight
PDF
Layers
3 3 7 3 3
3
7
3
3
7
3
3
7
3
3
7
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
3
7
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
7
7
3
7
7
3
7
7
3
7
7
7
7
3
7
7
3
7
7
3
7
7
3
7
3
3
7
3
3
7
3
3
7
3
1
- PDF/X files can be created using both Adobe Acrobat’s built-in preflight program and/or Adobe Acrobat Distiller 6, 7, 8, and 9.
3
2
- PDF/X files can only be created with Adobe Acrobat Distiller 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Fields containing a dash (—) represent versions of Acrobat that were released before Adobe had added that feature into their Acrobat Suite. Therefore, these versions do not support that particular feature. Fields with the 3 represent that the feature is supported by that version. Fields with the 7 represent that the feature is not supported by that version. It may still open the PDF file, but it will not display any of the new features correctly.
What to Know about PDF?
The Adobe Acrobat PDF file format can be a very safe, predictable, reliable and efficient file format for submitting jobs to your printer, when done correctly. If the files are not created correctly, the results can be unpredictable. By following the simple steps below your job will print properly.
1. Understand how overprint and transparency impacts the output of your page. Tools that allow you to deter-
mine when you have used them, and how these features can effect the output are found on pages 38 and 41.
How2PDF Guidelines – © Quad/Graphics, Inc., 2010. All rights reserved
Quad/Graphics, Inc. Technology Group
July 2010
Page 6
