Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
Form XObjects
Objects that are referenced within a PDF. For example, if a PDF contains many occurrences of the same object, it exists as a single resource that is referenced many times.
Include XMP Metadata
Includes information embedded in the PDF that can be used by an XMP-enabled application or device in the workflow. This information can include meaningful descriptions and titles, searchable keywords, the author’s name, and copyright information. If you select Include Advanced Fields, you can include the fields and structures used for storing the metadata using namespaces and properties. This advanced information appears as a text-based tree view of all the XMP data in the PDF, both for the document as well as for those images in the PDF for which XMP metadata is present.
Note: You can also view the metadata for the PDF document as a whole in the Document Properties dialog box. Choose
File > Properties, click the Description tab, and then click Additional Metadata. To see the advanced fields, click
Advanced from the list on the left.
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(Optional) Save the report.
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Preflight profiles (Acrobat Pro)
More Help topics
Analyzing documents with the Preflight tool (Acrobat Pro)
About preflight profiles
The success of a preflight inspection depends on how well you define the criteria for the inspection. The inspection criteria are packaged in a file called a preflight profile. A preflight profile includes one or more checks, fixups, or both checks and fixups. Each check includes one or more property statements that validate the PDF content. Preflight shows an error only if all the property statements in the check are in error. In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, you can specify which values to use and how to handle mismatches. For example, you can choose a profile that simply reports mismatches, or one that automatically fixes a mismatch according to its specified parameters. A profile with a fixup has the filled-in gray wrench icon next to it.
Adobe Acrobat includes several predefined preflight profiles, organized into groups, such as Digital Printing, PDF
Analysis, Prepress, and PDF/A, PDF/E, or PDF/X Compliance. You can use the predefined profiles as is or modify them to create custom profiles. The checks that make up the profiles (called rules in previous versions of Acrobat) are organized by categories, such as Document, Pages, Images, and so on. Each check in a category governs a particular document property.
To help you determine what document properties the preflight profile analyzes, you can review information about each selected check in the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box. This information describes what criteria the check uses to analyze, and possibly fix, a document property.
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Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
View profiles
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Do one of the following:
• If the Preflight dialog box is not open, choose Tools > Print Production > Preflight.
• If another panel is displayed in the Preflight dialog box, click the Profiles tab.
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Expand the profile groups as desired.
The list includes all predefined profiles, and any custom profiles you’ve created.
Set up favorite profiles
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Do one of the following:
• If the Preflight dialog box is not open, choose Tools > Print Production > Preflight.
• If another panel is displayed in the Preflight dialog box, click the Profiles tab.
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Expand the groups as desired.
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Select a profile, click the flag next to the name, and then choose Favorite.
Preflight Edit Profile dialog box overview
The Preflight Edit Profile dialog box lists all available profiles and shows which document properties are being analyzed. From this dialog box you can unlock and lock a profile, create a new group for organizing profiles, and specify inspection criteria. You can access additional options and information by expanding the profile.
To open the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, expand a profile group in the Preflight dialog box, select a profile, and click Edit (or choose Edit Preflight Profiles from the Options menu).
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A Profile B Predefined set of checks C More options D Profile groups
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Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
Add and remove profiles
You can create your own custom preflight profiles. Before you create a new profile from scratch, review existing profiles for ones that achieve results similar to those you want. If possible, duplicate an existing profile and modify only the relevant portion.
A preflight profile must contain at least one check or fix and one property that validate the PDF content. When you build a check from scratch, you can use existing properties or create new properties as you go. For best results when creating and modifying profiles, add only as many checks as you need to validate the PDF content, and keep the checks and properties simple and straightforward. For example, you can use a PDF/X profile to check for certain criteria, and then add checks for non-PDF/X criteria, such as image resolution.
Create a profile
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In the Profiles panel of the Preflight dialog box, click the Select Profiles button .
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Choose Options > Create New Preflight Profile.
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Type a name and purpose for the new profile and specify other options as desired.
By default, newly created profiles appear under the Custom Profiles group, unless you assigned them to a different group.
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Expand the profile in the column on the left.
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Modify checks (as provided).
Add additional checks and fixups.
Duplicate a profile
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In the Profiles panel of the Preflight dialog box, click the Select Profiles button
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Select an existing profile, and choose Options > Duplicate Preflight Profile.
The duplicate profile is added to the same group as the original profile.
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Create a profile group
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In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, choose New Group from the Group menu.
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Type a name for the group and click OK.
Note: If you select a group of profiles, all profiles are moved to the new group.
Remove a profile
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In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, select the profile and click Delete .
Import or export preflight profiles
Preflight profiles can be shared with other users. For example, print service providers can provide them to their customers to ensure that jobs pass an inspection defined by those profiles before the jobs are handed off. Users in a workgroup can create their own profiles as a way to check a document before uploading to the web or printing to a special printer, or to check in-house production.
To exchange a profile, you package it for import and export. The package includes all checks and properties for the selected profile.
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Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
Import a preflight profile
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Do one of the following:
• In the Preflight dialog box, choose Import Preflight Profile from the Options menu.
• In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, click the Import icon .
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Locate the preflight package file (.kfp extension), and click Open. The profile appears in the Profiles list in the
Imported Profiles group.
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(Optional) If the profile is locked, choose Unlocked from the pop-up menu in the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box.
You can edit a profile after it is unlocked.
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(Optional) If prompted, enter the password.
You can also import a preflight profile by dragging the file to the Acrobat window or Acrobat application icon.
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Export a preflight profile
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If needed, rename the profile (in the Edit Profile dialog box) before starting the export process.
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To lock the profile before you export it, choose Locked from the pop-up menu in the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box. You can also select Password Protected and enter a password.
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Do one of the following:
• In the Preflight dialog box, choose Export Preflight Profile from the Options menu.
• In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, click the Export icon .
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Specify a location for the package, and click Save. Don’t rename the file.
Lock, unlock, and password-protect profiles
You can prevent unauthorized changes to preflight profiles by locking profiles and giving them passwords. This may be useful if preflight profiles are shared among several users. You can lock or password-protect preflight profiles when you first create them or any time you save the preflight profiles. By default, all predefined preflight profiles are locked.
Lock a profile
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In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, select a profile.
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Choose Locked from the pop-up menu at the upper left of the dialog box.
The options become unavailable.
Password protect a profile
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In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, select a profile.
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Choose Password Protected from the pop-up menu at the upper left of the dialog box.
Last updated 1/14/2015
Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
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Type and reenter the password, and click OK. You can use uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals, or punctuation marks.
The options become unavailable.
Unlock or unprotect a profile
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In the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box, select a profile.
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Choose Unlocked from the pop-up menu at the upper left of the dialog box.
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If prompted, enter the correct password, and click OK.
Change profile settings
You can change the settings of a single profile.
Change general profile settings
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Open the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box.
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Expand the profile group and select a profile.
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If the profile is locked, choose Unlocked from the pop-up menu.
Change any of the following settings:
• Enter a new name for the profile, and describe it in the Purpose box.
• To apply password protection to the profile, selectPassword Protected from the pop-up menu. When prompted, type and reenter the password, and click OK. Otherwise, choose Unlocked.
• Enter your name and email address.
• Assign the profile to a group. Select an existing group from the menu, or select New Group, type a name, and click OK. Groups are sorted alphabetically.
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When you finish editing a password-protected profile, select Locked from the pop-up menu. You may also want to password-protect it again.
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Click OK, or click Save to save your changes without closing the dialog box.
Modify existing check and alert settings
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Open the Preflight Edit Profile dialog box.
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Expand the profile group and select a profile.
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If the profile is locked, choose Unlocked from the pop-up menu.
Expand the profile to view the groups of properties available for the profile.
Select a property group.
Set options to specify the criteria for the inspection. Options vary according to the selected category of properties under the profile. You can select or deselect criteria, edit values, or activate a property.
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Select an alert option from the pop-up menu to specify how to handle mismatches during the inspection.
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Click OK, or click Save to save your changes without closing the dialog box.
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Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
Preflight alert options
For each check in a profile, you specify how to handle mismatches during the inspection. You can select from the menu next to each alert icon. The icon for the alert appears next to the check in the Preflight dialog box.
Error
Generates an error message for this check (or any checks in this category). Choose this option for mismatches that you must correct before proceeding to the next stage in the workflow.
Warning
Generates a warning message for this check (or any checks in this category). Choose this option for mismatches that you want to know about and may need to correct before final output.
Info
Generates a simple note for this check (or any checks in this category). Choose this option for mismatches that you want to know about but do not need to correct before final output.
Inactive
Never generates an alert message for this check (or any checks in this category). Choose this option for mismatches that will not affect the output quality of the PDF document. You must change the state from Inactive to any other state to make the text boxes available.
View a profile summary
You can view a description of each check and its inspection criteria for a given profile by creating a profile summary.
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In the Preflight dialog box, select a profile, and choose Create Profile Summary from the Options menu.
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More Help topics
About additional checks and properties
Add checks to a profile
Create or modify custom checks
Add fixups to a profile
Create or modify fixups
PDF/X-, PDF/A-, and PDF/E-compliant files (Acrobat Pro)
Last updated 1/14/2015
Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
More Help topics
Analyzing documents with the Preflight tool (Acrobat Pro)
Convert PDFs to PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E
You can validate PDF content against PDF/X, PDF/A, PDF/VT or PDF/E criteria. You can also save a copy of the PDF as PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E, provided it complies with the specified requirements. For example, under certain circumstances, an ICC profile that describes the destination device is required for PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4 compliance. If your document doesn’t have an embedded ICC output profile, you can embed one before saving.
You can convert a PDF to a standards-compliant PDF using the Standards wizard. This wizard explains the intents of specific formats as it guides you through the process. If you are familiar with the standards, you can use a built-in profile, or a profile created via the wizard, to convert a PDF.
Note: You can also create PDF/X-, and PDF/A-compliant files using Acrobat Distiller.
Convert to PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E using a profile
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In the Preflight dialog box, click Profiles.
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Expand a compliance profile and select the profile you want. For example, under PDF/A Compliance, select Convert
To PDF/A-1b (sRGB).
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Click Analyze And Fix.
Convert to PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E using a wizard
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In the Preflight dialog box, click Standards.
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Select Save As PDF/X, Save As PDF/A, or Save As PDF/E, and then click Continue.
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Specify the version and click Continue.
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Select a conversion profile and one of the available viewing or printing conditions.
Do any of the following:
• To apply corrections during the conversion, select the Apply Corrections option. Click the question mark icon to see a list of the fixups that are applied.
• To save the profile, click Save As Profile.
• To convert the PDF based on the selected profile and settings, click Save As.
If the conversion succeeds, a green check mark appears in the Preflight dialog box. If the conversion fails, a red X appears in the Preflight dialog box.
Verify a PDF against PDF/X, PDF/A, PDF/VT, or PDF/E criteria
PDF/X, PDF/A, PDF/VT, and PDF/E files can be created in various ways, such as by using Acrobat Distiller or the File
> Save As Other command. If you open a PDF that conforms to one of these standards, you can view the standards information in the Navigation pane. (Choose View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes), and then click the Standards panel button .) The Standards menu and panel are available only if the PDF conforms to a standard. The Standards panel is present in all versions (Std, Pro and even Reader). However, Verify Compliance functionality is only present in
Acrobat Pro.
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Preflight (Acrobat Pro)
The Conformance information indicates the standard used to create the file, the ISO name, and whether the file has been verified as PDF/X-, PDF/A-, PDF/VT-, PDF/UA-, or PDF/E-compliant. The Output Intent information indicates the color settings file associated with the file. To verify the standards conformance for the file, click Verify
Conformance.
Remove PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E information
You can remove all PDF/X-, PDF/A-, or PDF/E-specific information, such as the output condition or the GTS_PDFX version key. This action is useful if a file has been modified, if you want to start over, or if an ICC profile increases the file size too much.
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In the Preflight dialog box, click Profiles.
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Expand a compliance profile and select the Remove fixup. For example, under PDF/A Compliance, select Remove
PDF/A Information.
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Click Analyze And Fix.
More Help topics
Adobe PDF settings
About PDF/X, PDF/E, and PDF/A standards
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Output intents in PDFs (Acrobat Pro)
More Help topics
Analyzing documents with the Preflight tool (Acrobat Pro)
About output intents
An output intent describes the final destination device you will use to reproduce the color in the PDF, such as the separations printing device. Output intents override working spaces during viewing and printing, but they do not convert the colors in the PDF.
Note: In a PDF/X1-a workflow, the output intent describes the working CMYK space. In a PDF/X-3 workflow, the embedded ICC profile in the output intent is used to dynamically convert any objects with color-managed color to the color space of the ICC profile in the output intent. In most cases this will be CMYK, but can also be RGB or Grayscale.
There are two kinds of output intents: One includes an embedded device profile that defines the color space of the destination device, such as U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2; the other is a name that defines the destination color space and usually names a standard output condition. Using a named output intent rather than an embedded profile helps reduce the size of a PDF, but this is typically only possible for PDF/X-1a files, or PDF/X-3 files that do not contain colormanaged color.
You include output intents when you create PDF/X (or PDF/A) files, using the Standards panel of the Adobe PDF
Settings dialog box. (You access Adobe PDF Settings differently, depending on the application you’re using.) You can also use third-party plug-ins to include output intents. For documents with named output intents rather than embedded profiles, the program looks for the color profile associated with the named intent.
Last updated 1/14/2015
