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PUBLISH AND PRINT AEC IT / Developer<br />

Tips & Tricks<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong> acrobat 8 professional <strong>for</strong><br />

PUBLISHING, print AND prepress<br />

<strong>10</strong> HOT TIPS AND TRICKS<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 <strong>Professional</strong> software delivers advanced tools <strong>for</strong><br />

creating, collaborating w<strong>it</strong>h, <strong>and</strong> controlling the output of<br />

high-qual<strong>it</strong>y <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF files, as well as distributing them online.<br />

Contents<br />

Tip 1<br />

Tip 2<br />

Tip 3<br />

Tip 4<br />

Tip 5<br />

Tip 6<br />

Patching <strong>and</strong> Configuring<br />

Creating PDFs<br />

Preflight <strong>and</strong> fixups<br />

Touch up ed<strong>it</strong>ing tools<br />

Cropping Pages<br />

Output preview<br />

A de facto st<strong>and</strong>ard among design,<br />

web, <strong>and</strong> print professionals, <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

PDF preserves design work in a<br />

compact, self-contained <strong>for</strong>m that’s<br />

easy to share, e-mail, review, manage,<br />

post online, archive, <strong>and</strong> reliably<br />

output. <strong>Acrobat</strong> 8 <strong>Professional</strong><br />

also provides access to real-time<br />

collaboration using the new <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong> Connect line of products<br />

Tip 7 Converting colors<br />

Tip 8 Transparency<br />

Tip 9 The PDF Optimizer<br />

Tip <strong>10</strong> And finally ...<br />

THIS ARTICLE<br />

Jon Bessant is an <strong>Adobe</strong> Certified Expert <strong>and</strong> Instructor<br />

in <strong>Acrobat</strong> 4, 5, 6, 7 <strong>and</strong> 8 along w<strong>it</strong>h Livecycle Designer,<br />

InDesign, InCopy <strong>and</strong> he also holds Enfocus Certified<br />

Expert status. Living in Wales but working out of London<br />

he is the technical consultant of UK based training<br />

consultancy Cert<strong>it</strong>ec (www.cert<strong>it</strong>ec.com) specializing in<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>, InDesign, InCopy PDF/X, Enfocus, PDF<br />

Workflows <strong>and</strong> print production


TIP 1 - Patch <strong>and</strong> Configure<br />

Patch to <strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8.1 - great new features <strong>and</strong> fixes<br />

When <strong>it</strong> comes to updates, most of the time they might be classed as boring <strong>and</strong> a waste<br />

of time - not the <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8.1 update. As well as fixing some bugs from the first release<br />

of <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 <strong>it</strong> contains lots of new features including support <strong>for</strong>: Windows Vista, 64-b<strong>it</strong><br />

processing, Microsoft Office 2007, faster PDF creation from Word 2007 (Windows) <strong>and</strong> other<br />

small yet refined features. See the feature created by Ted Padova recently - http://www.<br />

acrobatusers.com/articles/2007/06/top_resons_acrobat_8_1/index.php<br />

Figure 1<br />

Figure 2<br />

Green = trim Blue = bleed<br />

Configure your <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

Be<strong>for</strong>e we start, <strong>Acrobat</strong>® should be fine-tuned to<br />

ensure the content you are viewing is accurate. For<br />

many reasons (speed is a major reason) <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

comes as plain vanilla when <strong>it</strong> comes to <strong>it</strong>s defaults<br />

<strong>and</strong> they don’t necessarily help the creative <strong>and</strong><br />

print commun<strong>it</strong>ies. Configuring <strong>Acrobat</strong>® is a<br />

similar to a chef preparing the food be<strong>for</strong>e the first<br />

customers walk into the restaurant.<br />

Know your knockouts from your overprints - <strong>it</strong> can<br />

make the difference. Go to <strong>Acrobat</strong>® Preferences<br />

<strong>and</strong> follow Figure 1. The overprint preview will<br />

allow you to view objects which can e<strong>it</strong>her<br />

knockout or overprint another object. In lay<br />

mans terms, <strong>it</strong>’s a true representation of how the<br />

file was configured <strong>and</strong> how <strong>it</strong> should print (see<br />

preflight in Tip 3). See Figure 2 - the left h<strong>and</strong> side<br />

shows how the object was displayed by default<br />

(overprint preview turned off) <strong>and</strong> the right h<strong>and</strong><br />

side shows exactly how the objects will print<br />

(overprint preview turned on).<br />

The option <strong>for</strong> Show art, trim <strong>and</strong> bleed boxes<br />

allows you to see the trim <strong>and</strong> bleed of your PDF<br />

as an example. This is very h<strong>and</strong>y since you can<br />

easily eyeball your artwork to ensure <strong>it</strong> has objects<br />

extending beyond the trim box if that’s your<br />

Figure 3<br />

intent. Figure 3 demonstrates this feature w<strong>it</strong>h a<br />

green rule depicting the trim <strong>and</strong> the blue rule depicting the bleed box. Your print providers’<br />

impos<strong>it</strong>ion software typically picks up the trim box inside your PDF - so you can now detect<br />

any problems w<strong>it</strong>h your trim <strong>and</strong> bleed further upstream in your workflow.<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® utilizes .csf (color settings files) which can be shared through the Creative® Su<strong>it</strong>e®.<br />

Use the <strong>Adobe</strong>® Bridge® to synchronize all color settings or just pop into Preferences / Color<br />

Management <strong>and</strong> ensure you choose settings geared towards your print output. Finally<br />

uncheck the setting Use Local Fonts once again under Preferences / Page Display, this<br />

ensures that only the fonts embedded inside the PDFs are used to render the fonts.<br />

Remember<br />

• <strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8.1 can be<br />

downloaded via the Check <strong>for</strong><br />

Updates feature under the Help<br />

menu or via the <strong>Adobe</strong> web-s<strong>it</strong>e.<br />

• Live transparency from <strong>Adobe</strong>®<br />

Creative® Su<strong>it</strong>e® applications<br />

<strong>and</strong> all types of overprinting<br />

should always be viewed w<strong>it</strong>h the<br />

overprint preview mode sw<strong>it</strong>ched<br />

on w<strong>it</strong>hin <strong>Acrobat</strong>®.<br />

• <strong>Adobe</strong>® Reader 7® <strong>and</strong> above now<br />

have the ‘overprint preview’ but<br />

this must be turned on manually.<br />

• If you experience lines in <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

which remain the same width even<br />

after zooming, they’re probably<br />

anti-alias regions. You can control<br />

the display by changing the<br />

Smooth Line Art option under<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>’s Preferences <strong>for</strong> Page<br />

Display.<br />

• <strong>Adobe</strong>® Reader® 8 now has the<br />

abil<strong>it</strong>y to view page geometry<br />

(trim <strong>and</strong> bleed boxes) - configure<br />

by going to Preferences / Page<br />

Display’ .<br />

RETAIN THOSE NEW PREFERENCES<br />

There have been occasions when<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong> does not remember<br />

recent changes to preferences if an<br />

application crash is experienced. To<br />

overcome this short-fall, manually qu<strong>it</strong><br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong> <strong>and</strong> then re-launch.<br />

ACROSS THE BOARD<br />

Consolidating versions of <strong>Acrobat</strong> is<br />

extremely important in publishing,<br />

print <strong>and</strong> prepress. Different versions<br />

of <strong>Acrobat</strong> h<strong>and</strong>le the display of<br />

content in slightly different ways,<br />

including the free <strong>Adobe</strong> Reader.<br />

Using <strong>Acrobat</strong> 8 <strong>Professional</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

the <strong>Adobe</strong> Reader 8 will ensure<br />

consistency in your workflow.<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 1


TIP 2 - PDF creation <strong>and</strong> PDF/X st<strong>and</strong>ards<br />

Time to <strong>for</strong>get customized - let’s get st<strong>and</strong>ardised w<strong>it</strong>h PDF/X<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>® <strong>Professional</strong> comes w<strong>it</strong>h many different ISO PDF/X st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>for</strong> the<br />

publishing <strong>and</strong> print industry. These st<strong>and</strong>ards have been created by industry experts <strong>and</strong><br />

contain specific settings which greatly increase the likelihood of the PDF file rendering as<br />

intended. In add<strong>it</strong>ion, <strong>it</strong> saves you having to use specific settings <strong>for</strong> specific print providers.<br />

What different types of PDF/X are available?<br />

The following excerpt is taken from <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF St<strong>and</strong>ards Evangelist Leonard<br />

Rosenthol: PDF/X - this is the first of the st<strong>and</strong>ards the ISO built around PDF.<br />

The X is <strong>for</strong> “eXchange”, specifically blind-exchange among prepress providers<br />

(such as advertisers to magazines). There is current PDF/X-1a (<strong>for</strong> CMYK &<br />

Spot colors), PDF/X-3 (<strong>for</strong> color managed data) <strong>and</strong> PDF/X-2 (which no one<br />

has ever actually implemented!). PDF/X-4 <strong>and</strong> PDF/X-5, which introduce newer PDF features<br />

such as transparency <strong>and</strong> layers/optional content<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® 6 <strong>Professional</strong> <strong>and</strong> above has supported PDF/X but w<strong>it</strong>h each updated release of<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>®, <strong>it</strong> has become much easier to generate a PDF/X compliant file. Conversion of a<br />

normal PDF to PDF/X status can also be implemented via the preflight fix-ups in TIP 3.<br />

Distiller doesn’t just convert to PDF<br />

Did you know that Distiller® can automatically<br />

convert Device independent colors (such as RGB, Lab) to CMYK as the PDF is generated?<br />

The job settings <strong>for</strong> Press <strong>and</strong> PDF/X-1a will convert using <strong>Acrobat</strong>’s default profiles (you<br />

might want to check if these meet your specification) but High Qual<strong>it</strong>y leaves the colors<br />

unchanged <strong>and</strong> the PDF/X-3 option tags all content w<strong>it</strong>h profiles <strong>for</strong> color conversion.<br />

Another thing - Distiller® can also check the resolution of your images whilst generating the<br />

PDF <strong>and</strong> even fail the process if the resolution does not meet your requirements. Select your<br />

preferred job setting <strong>and</strong> then configure w<strong>it</strong>hin Distiller / Images / Policy.<br />

Remember<br />

• <strong>Acrobat</strong>® Distiller® is the engine<br />

<strong>for</strong> PDF creation - you commonly<br />

print to the <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF Printer to<br />

generate a PDF file.<br />

• <strong>Adobe</strong>® Creative® Su<strong>it</strong>e® users<br />

might export or save to <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

PDF - this technique uses in-built<br />

PDF libraries <strong>and</strong> not <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

Distiller.<br />

• When you print to the <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

PDF Printer <strong>it</strong> converts content to<br />

postscript® first, then passes this<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation through Distiller® to<br />

produce an <strong>Adobe</strong>® PDF file.<br />

• Generating a postscript® file<br />

<strong>and</strong> dropping into the Distiller®<br />

window creates an <strong>Adobe</strong>® PDF file<br />

in the same way as printing to the<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong> PDF Printer - <strong>it</strong> just happens<br />

‘under the hood’<br />

AUTOMATIC OPENING OF PDFS ON THE MAC<br />

Mac users can also have their PDFs<br />

open automatically - just launch<br />

Distiller® <strong>and</strong> then select View PDF<br />

when using Distiller from Preferences.<br />

Windows users can change their<br />

behavior in the Printing Preferences<br />

setup of the <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF Printer.<br />

PROBLEMS WITH FONTS THAT DON’t EMBED?<br />

You might occasionally come across a font that refuses to<br />

embed into your PDF file? Does the error Font Licensing<br />

Restrictions ring true? This is probably a font which<br />

does not have the Embed Flag set correctly by the font<br />

manufacturer. Fonts come w<strong>it</strong>h three flags - preview,<br />

print <strong>and</strong> embed - your font might not have the embed<br />

permission included. You might be able to purchase a<br />

version of the font which has embed permissions (contact<br />

the font foundry) or you could outline the text from<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>® InDesign® or <strong>Adobe</strong>® Illustrator® (not typically<br />

recommended but a workaround nevertheless). Another<br />

way might be to add a transparency element onto the<br />

page <strong>and</strong> then ensure you’re flattening the artwork when<br />

the PDF is being created.<br />

Finally, all fonts from <strong>Adobe</strong>® (www.adobe.com/type) are<br />

Opentype® <strong>and</strong> have fully embedding permissions.<br />

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE<br />

It’s really easy to share your Distiller® job settings<br />

between your customers. Even if PDF/X-1a is<br />

a desired setting then you might have slightly<br />

tweaked the color conversion profiles <strong>and</strong><br />

personalized slightly? The easiest way to share<br />

settings is to launch Distiller, choose your setting<br />

<strong>and</strong> then select Settings / Ed<strong>it</strong> <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF<br />

Settings <strong>and</strong> save the .joboptions file onto your<br />

desktop. This file can then be zipped (to avoid<br />

any encryption issues) <strong>and</strong> sent across over<br />

email. Many publishers <strong>and</strong> printers host their<br />

.joboptions files on their web-s<strong>it</strong>e <strong>for</strong> immediate<br />

download. On that point, loading into Distiller is<br />

very easy, just launch Distiller® <strong>and</strong> then drag the<br />

.joboptions file into the open Distiller® window -<br />

bingo, <strong>it</strong>’s now loaded onto your system.<br />

POSTSCRIPT® WORKFLOW?<br />

Speed up your PDF creation by just<br />

double clicking on a postscript file <strong>and</strong><br />

Distiller® will automatically convert to<br />

PDF. If this opens another application<br />

then change the Open W<strong>it</strong>h properties<br />

by right-click (Windows) or controlclick<br />

(Mac).<br />

WATCHED FOLDERS<br />

If you think Distiller has an easy time<br />

why not automate your workflow by<br />

setting up Watched Folders. <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

Distiller® can look <strong>for</strong> incoming EPS or<br />

postscript® files w<strong>it</strong>hin an In folder <strong>and</strong><br />

then deliver the completed PDF into<br />

an Out folder. Launch Distiller® <strong>and</strong><br />

then Settings / Watched Folders.<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 2


TIP 3 - Preflight <strong>and</strong> Fixups<br />

Preflight your PDFs be<strong>for</strong>e delivery to the Print Provider<br />

Sporting a fresh <strong>and</strong> improved interface, the preflight engine w<strong>it</strong>hin <strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong> 8® is<br />

probably one of the most important updates <strong>for</strong> designers, publishers <strong>and</strong> printers alike. There’s<br />

now a lot of emphasis on preflight <strong>and</strong> fix as opposed to just preflight in previous versions<br />

of <strong>Acrobat</strong>®. The first thing you might notice when launching the preflight option from the<br />

Advanced menu is the warning triangle in the top right corner of Figure 1. This in<strong>for</strong>m<br />

is very important, <strong>it</strong>’s the visual gauge on your PDF file - the preflight <strong>it</strong>self is the<br />

internal gauge. Take a look at the feedback in Figure 4.<br />

Taking Preflight <strong>and</strong> Fix-ups to another level<br />

The logic in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® is qu<strong>it</strong>e simple. You can e<strong>it</strong>her use a preflight profile which just<br />

checks the PDF file Figure 2- or use one which not only checks but fixes along the<br />

way Figure 3. The important part is the wrench<br />

icon - if <strong>it</strong>’s empty then only a preflight is being<br />

per<strong>for</strong>med, if <strong>it</strong>s filled then a Fix-up is being<br />

applied.<br />

REVERTING AFTER FIX-UPS<br />

If you apply any fix-ups through the<br />

preflight, <strong>Acrobat</strong>® has to save the<br />

document as part of the fix-up process. To<br />

undo the process just select Undo from the<br />

Ed<strong>it</strong> menu.<br />

REPORT FORMATS - NOw THAT’sHANDY<br />

Did you know <strong>Acrobat</strong>® has many choices<br />

in the report <strong>for</strong>mat in the preflight? You<br />

can choose e<strong>it</strong>her PDF, XML or a Text report.<br />

Having further choices enables you to<br />

process this in<strong>for</strong>mation in the <strong>for</strong>mat that<br />

su<strong>it</strong>s your organization?<br />

Figure 1<br />

In Figure 1 you can see a preflight <strong>and</strong> fix-up<br />

which will attempt to convert (<strong>and</strong> fix) any PDF<br />

file to the PDF/X-1a st<strong>and</strong>ard w<strong>it</strong>h a destination<br />

profile color conversion of Coated FORGA27.<br />

A number of fixes will be applied such as color<br />

conversion, flattening transparency, blending<br />

space, removing ICC profiles <strong>and</strong> many others.<br />

For those used to st<strong>and</strong>ards from the Ghent<br />

PDF Workgroup (http://www.gwg.org),<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® now supports these preflight profiles.<br />

What types of Fix-ups are available?<br />

If there is such as thing as<br />

common fix-ups, here they are:<br />

• Convert colors<br />

• Flatten transparency<br />

• Increase line weight<br />

• Make spot names consistent<br />

• Remove ICC <strong>and</strong> BG<br />

• Auto-correct page boxes<br />

• Crop pages<br />

• Set trapping key<br />

• Remove annotations<br />

• Recompress images<br />

• Set flatness <strong>and</strong> smoothness<br />

Figure 2<br />

Figure 3<br />

Remember<br />

• Preflight in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® has been<br />

improved in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8. There are<br />

more profiles <strong>for</strong> checking your<br />

files <strong>and</strong> now support <strong>for</strong> changing<br />

your PDFs referred to as Fix-ups.<br />

• Sending your PDF <strong>for</strong> print w<strong>it</strong>hout<br />

running a preflight is like checking<br />

an aeroplane at 30,000 feet as<br />

opposed to take-off, <strong>it</strong>’s probably<br />

too late!<br />

• You can automate preflight w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

droplets available from Preflight<br />

/ Options / Create (or Ed<strong>it</strong>)<br />

Preflight Droplet - these are<br />

really h<strong>and</strong>y <strong>for</strong> processing large<br />

numbers of PDFs.<br />

• Loading the preflight profiles<br />

brings a safety panel which<br />

enables you to fix your<br />

configuration w<strong>it</strong>h local fonts,<br />

overprint preview, output preview<br />

<strong>and</strong> output intents. Checks can<br />

be made in read-only mode if<br />

required. This provides a list of<br />

problems w<strong>it</strong>hout having to fix<br />

them - great to send to clients.<br />

• If your PDF does generate errors<br />

you can enable <strong>Acrobat</strong>® to insert<br />

these as comments. This is a user<br />

friendly way to communicate the<br />

problems back to the client.<br />

• Once you’ve chosen a preflight<br />

profile / fix-up - spread the word!<br />

You can export all settings as<br />

a .kfp file <strong>for</strong> easy distribution.<br />

Remember, preflight is everyones<br />

responsibil<strong>it</strong>y<br />

Figure 4<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 3


TIP 4 - Touchup Text <strong>and</strong> Object Tools<br />

For minor ed<strong>it</strong>s - <strong>Acrobat</strong> has a few hidden surprises<br />

You might have used <strong>Acrobat</strong>® in the past to per<strong>for</strong>m some last minutes ed<strong>it</strong>s of type <strong>and</strong><br />

maybe even object? Are you taking advantage of all the features w<strong>it</strong>hin <strong>Adobe</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8<br />

<strong>Professional</strong>? So, be<strong>for</strong>e you do reach <strong>for</strong> specialized tools from plug-in<br />

developers such as ARTS PDF, Enfocus or Callas take a look at what<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong> has to offer. First things first, arm your toolbox via Tools /<br />

Advanced Ed<strong>it</strong>ing or by right-clicking (Windows) or control-clicking<br />

(Mac) <strong>and</strong> select the Advanced Ed<strong>it</strong>ing section (also look <strong>for</strong> More Tools<br />

at the bottom - a new feature to <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8). You can pos<strong>it</strong>ion this<br />

toolbar virtually anywhere you wish including dropping into the toolbar<br />

area at the top of the screen.<br />

Figure 1 Figure 2<br />

What’s are the differences?<br />

Touchup Text Tool Figure 1 - Primary uses:<br />

Ed<strong>it</strong>ing text, changing font properties (font, size, color, character <strong>and</strong><br />

word spacing, stroke <strong>and</strong> baseline offset), creating new text.<br />

Touchup Object Tool Figure 2 - Primary uses:<br />

Moving, cut/paste, ed<strong>it</strong>ing w<strong>it</strong>hin <strong>Adobe</strong> Illustrator® <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

Photoshop®, Placing Images, Cropping, Flip, Rotate <strong>and</strong> convert color.<br />

Maybe a well overdue function w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>Acrobat</strong>® is the abil<strong>it</strong>y to convert the color of a single<br />

image object. Just select the touchup object tool <strong>and</strong> then Properties <strong>and</strong> Color. Now select the<br />

destination profile (or color space as such) <strong>for</strong> the object (such as Dot Gain 15% <strong>for</strong> a greyscale<br />

image) <strong>and</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>® will convert just that one object - very nifty!<br />

What applications can integrate w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 <strong>Professional</strong>?<br />

The two main helper applications are broken down into different types of object content:<br />

Figure 4 Figure 5<br />

Figure 3<br />

Figure 2<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>®Photoshop® Figure 4 h<strong>and</strong>les raster/<br />

b<strong>it</strong>map content. Just select the image w<strong>it</strong>h the<br />

touch-up object tool <strong>and</strong> then right-click (Windows)<br />

or control-click (Mac) <strong>and</strong> select Ed<strong>it</strong> Image at the<br />

bottom of the menu. This launches the image into<br />

Photoshop® - just per<strong>for</strong>m your ed<strong>it</strong>s <strong>and</strong> then save<br />

the file <strong>and</strong> <strong>it</strong> updates back inside <strong>Adobe</strong>® <strong>Acrobat</strong>®.<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>® Illustrator® Figure 5 h<strong>and</strong>les vector<br />

content. Just select the object (or multiple objects)<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h the touch-up object tool <strong>and</strong> then right-click<br />

(Windows) or control-click (Mac) <strong>and</strong> select Ed<strong>it</strong><br />

Object at the bottom of the menu. The great thing<br />

about using Illustrator® <strong>for</strong> ed<strong>it</strong>ing objects is that<br />

you do not have to open the PDF file <strong>it</strong>self <strong>and</strong> run<br />

the risk of other problems - only ed<strong>it</strong> the objects you<br />

wish to ed<strong>it</strong>!<br />

Remember<br />

• The touchup object tool is only<br />

available in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® <strong>Professional</strong>.<br />

• You can now place images<br />

into <strong>Acrobat</strong> by right-clicking<br />

(Windows) or control-clicking<br />

(Mac) <strong>and</strong> then Place Image. This<br />

will dynamically convert the image<br />

into a PDF image Figure 3.<br />

• You can resize an image by just<br />

selecting a corner <strong>and</strong> dragging<br />

(<strong>it</strong> will always resize proportionally).<br />

• Fancy rotating the object? You<br />

have the normal clockwise <strong>and</strong><br />

anti-clockwise options but now<br />

you can also rotate on a 1 degree<br />

angle!<br />

• The touchup text tool is available<br />

in both <strong>Acrobat</strong>® St<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>Professional</strong>.<br />

• Fancy creating new text? Controlclick<br />

(Windows) or Alt-click (Mac)<br />

will allow next text to be inserted.<br />

• Configure your touchup ed<strong>it</strong>ors<br />

(Photoshop® <strong>and</strong> Illustrator®)<br />

w<strong>it</strong>hin the Preferences / Touchup<br />

section of <strong>Acrobat</strong>® first.<br />

• When you touchup text, you must<br />

have the exact font installed on<br />

your workstation - otherwise you<br />

will use a subst<strong>it</strong>ution font or at<br />

worst - not be able to ed<strong>it</strong> the text.<br />

• Are you sure you’re ed<strong>it</strong>ing text? It<br />

might be a scan or even line art?<br />

Zoom into the area to check <strong>for</strong><br />

pixels or use the select tool to see if<br />

you can highlight the text.<br />

What about layer control?<br />

If you’re wondering about how to<br />

bring to front or send to back there is<br />

an answer. Using the touchup object<br />

tool you can adjust the stacking<br />

order of objects w<strong>it</strong>hin <strong>Acrobat</strong>®. Just<br />

select View / Navigation Panels<br />

/ Content <strong>and</strong> then under Options<br />

select Highlight Content. You can now<br />

select the object <strong>and</strong> move in the<br />

tree structure in the open dialogue<br />

box. The logic takes some time to<br />

get acquainted - move up the tree to<br />

send to the back <strong>and</strong> move down the<br />

tree to move to the front!<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 4


TIP 5 - Cropping Content<br />

Get to know the differences between trim, bleed <strong>and</strong> media boxes<br />

The abil<strong>it</strong>y is to crop in <strong>Acrobat</strong> has been a long-st<strong>and</strong>ing feature. Now w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8<br />

<strong>Professional</strong> we have two choices - e<strong>it</strong>her the ‘Crop Tool’ or the ‘Crop Pages’ tool.<br />

Crop Tool - Tools / Advanced Ed<strong>it</strong>ing / Crop Tool<br />

Typically used to crop page margins.<br />

Crop Pages - Advanced / Print Production / Crop Pages<br />

Typically used to modify page regions.<br />

However, when you look more carefully - they’re exactly<br />

the same? One of my favor<strong>it</strong>e uses of the ‘Crop’ tool is to<br />

add bleed <strong>and</strong> trim marks to a ‘plum’ PDF which must also have the page size increased. But<br />

be<strong>for</strong>e we look at the precise options we should explain the page boxes w<strong>it</strong>hin a PDF file.<br />

Crop box<br />

Art box<br />

Trim box<br />

Bleed box<br />

the default view when the PDF is opened in <strong>Acrobat</strong> (typically the paper size)<br />

the extend of your page’s meaningful content<br />

the actual trim (or document size) of your artwork<br />

the area outside the trim box which allows <strong>for</strong> a bleed value<br />

In this example, a 2<strong>10</strong> x 297 advertisement Figure 1 - has been supplied w<strong>it</strong>hout any trim,<br />

bleed or registration marks <strong>for</strong> output to press. We can fix this by enlarging the paper (crop<br />

box) size of the PDF file under Change Page Size at the bottom of Figure 3 - to 230 x 317<br />

then applying the following margin controls in the top area.<br />

Remember<br />

• When you crop the margins of a PDF you<br />

are only changing the portion of the file<br />

that people can see. If the PDF does not<br />

contain document assembly secur<strong>it</strong>y <strong>it</strong> is<br />

possible to undo the crop <strong>and</strong> reveal all<br />

the content prior to the crop. This can be<br />

referred to as a non-destructive crop.<br />

• You can make the physical paper size<br />

larger but not smaller.<br />

• If you wish to remove wh<strong>it</strong>e space around<br />

your PDF just select the Remove Wh<strong>it</strong>e<br />

Margins option.<br />

• There is no way to per<strong>for</strong>m a destructive<br />

crop but you might want to Print to<br />

the <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF printer after you have<br />

cropped. Be careful here since certain<br />

PDF specific content such as ICC profiles,<br />

layers <strong>and</strong> transparency (as an example)<br />

will not make <strong>it</strong> through the re-fry - but<br />

sometimes a useful backup strategy.<br />

• Pre-press systems do not typically look<br />

at the paper size of the PDF (media or<br />

crop box) but the trim <strong>and</strong> bleed boxes.<br />

There<strong>for</strong>e <strong>it</strong>’s best to adjust these using<br />

the cropping tool.<br />

Figure 1<br />

Figure 3<br />

Crop box - 0mm<br />

Art box - 0mm<br />

Trim box - <strong>10</strong>mm<br />

Bleed box - 7mm<br />

You will now see the<br />

green <strong>and</strong> blue boxes<br />

representing trim <strong>and</strong><br />

bleed respectively<br />

(remember to have your<br />

Show art, trim <strong>and</strong> bleed<br />

box option from TIP 1).<br />

As a final finishing touch,<br />

use the Add Printer<br />

Marks option from Tools<br />

/ Print Production<br />

to add the respective<br />

printing guides onto the<br />

document - Figure 2.<br />

Figure 2<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 5


TIP 6 - Output Preview<br />

How to display color separations <strong>and</strong> even different object types<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® can sometimes be confusing - everything looks great<br />

on-screen but then you receive that phone call from the printer<br />

in<strong>for</strong>ming you of RGB content, extra color plates <strong>and</strong> too much ink<br />

in your images! The good news is that <strong>Acrobat</strong>® can now enable upfront<br />

detection of such content<br />

all w<strong>it</strong>hin the Output Preview<br />

option from w<strong>it</strong>hin Advanced /<br />

Print Production Figure 1.<br />

Besides the abil<strong>it</strong>y to check to<br />

see what colors are w<strong>it</strong>hin your<br />

document, you can also hover<br />

Figure 1<br />

over any object <strong>and</strong> the color values (in CMYK)<br />

will be displayed to the nearest pixel. You can turn<br />

the separations on <strong>and</strong> off - Figure 2 <strong>and</strong> FIGURE 3 <strong>and</strong> even remap<br />

Pantone colors via the Ink Manager (almost identical to<br />

that of <strong>Adobe</strong>® InDesign CS3).<br />

People wishing to per<strong>for</strong>m a soft proof can sw<strong>it</strong>ch on the<br />

Simulate Paper Color option at the top of the palette (but<br />

remember you should also color calibrate your system<br />

be<strong>for</strong>eh<strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> reliable results) - still, beats having to use<br />

another system <strong>for</strong> a color managed proof.<br />

Not just color but overprinting <strong>and</strong> rich black<br />

objects too!<br />

Detecting what objects overprint has always been a tricky subject. You can now enable <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

to detect under the Color<br />

Warnings section <strong>and</strong> then<br />

Show Overprinting. The great<br />

thing - you can now apply a<br />

fix-up to change overprinting<br />

<strong>and</strong> knockout <strong>for</strong> vector <strong>and</strong>/<br />

or text from the preflight<br />

option. Rich black which prints<br />

on all color plates can also be<br />

detected in the same section<br />

under Rich Black. Spend some<br />

time examining all the different<br />

options - you will not be<br />

disappointed!<br />

Remember<br />

• The colors you see at the bottom of<br />

the window might not be in CMYK?<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong> will always use e<strong>it</strong>her the<br />

Simulation Profile as your default<br />

preferences or one embedded as<br />

output intent in the PDF (w<strong>it</strong>h PDF/X<br />

as an example). So be careful, you<br />

could be viewing in what would<br />

these colors look like mode if they<br />

were converted to that particular<br />

color space.<br />

• Make good use of the Show option<br />

<strong>for</strong> being able to filter different color<br />

<strong>and</strong> object types such as RGB, Gray,<br />

Lab, Spot Color, Solid Color, Images<br />

<strong>and</strong> Smooth Shade objects. This is<br />

a great tool when trying to detect<br />

flattened content when a PDF is<br />

exported by InDesign® or Illustrator®.<br />

• Another great use <strong>for</strong> the Show<br />

option is the abil<strong>it</strong>y to detect all<br />

spot colors. A very simple yet<br />

effective way of ensuring your color<br />

separations are correct<br />

• The Total Area Coverage option<br />

allows you to check <strong>for</strong> areas in<br />

your PDF which have a lot of ink.<br />

If you have experienced this in<br />

the past then you’ll soon realize<br />

how important this tool can be.<br />

Not <strong>for</strong> everyday use as such but <strong>it</strong><br />

can provide peace-of-mind when<br />

checking content (enter your<br />

maximum ink dens<strong>it</strong>y <strong>and</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

will highlight pixel regions).<br />

Figure 2 Figure 3<br />

Only the Cyan, Yellow <strong>and</strong> Black plate are being displayed<br />

in this example - great <strong>for</strong> double checking content<br />

All the color plates are being display - no extra Pantone<br />

colors in this brochure!<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 6


TIP 7 - Converting Colors<br />

If you need to convert the entire document or just one color<br />

You know the feeling - you wa<strong>it</strong><br />

<strong>for</strong> a bus <strong>and</strong> then three come<br />

along at the same time? You<br />

get that feeling as such w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® since <strong>it</strong> now has color<br />

conversion w<strong>it</strong>hin the preflight<br />

fix-ups, individual conversion w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

the touch-up object tool <strong>and</strong> the<br />

convert color tool which to be fair,<br />

was introduced in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 7. The<br />

good thing is that all tools follow the same logic. There are<br />

however good reasons to use one tool over the next:<br />

Convert Color<br />

Touch-up<br />

Fix-ups<br />

when you wish to convert on a page or an<br />

entire document level<br />

when you wish to convert just one object<br />

great <strong>for</strong> converting color w<strong>it</strong>h images,<br />

text, vector <strong>and</strong> other object types - much<br />

more control <strong>and</strong> can be exported out<br />

In FIGURE 1 you can see the original color image inside the<br />

PDF document - we’ve used the Convert<br />

Color option under Advanced / Print<br />

Production to convert to a Greyscale<br />

colorspace in FIGURE 2 w<strong>it</strong>h just one key<br />

click. This option also has the abil<strong>it</strong>y to just<br />

embed the color profile (w<strong>it</strong>hout actually<br />

converting <strong>for</strong> color management further<br />

upstream) <strong>and</strong> to accurately convert RGB<br />

black objects to just <strong>10</strong>0% K - Preserve Black<br />

Objects. The dialogue in FIGURE 3 depicts the options available<br />

<strong>for</strong> converting all different color space - Pantone colors can also<br />

Figure 1<br />

The original be<strong>for</strong>e conversion<br />

Figure 2<br />

Converted to greyscale<br />

be convert to CMYK as a permanent change to the file (the ‘Ink<br />

Manager’ will only make a change in the open PDF). Let’s say you<br />

had one single object that needed to be converted, you could<br />

use the Photoshop® method as mentioned in TIP 4 but why not<br />

use a new feature of <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8<br />

<strong>Professional</strong> as FIGURE 6 Very similar<br />

to the convert color option <strong>for</strong><br />

e<strong>it</strong>her converting or embedding a<br />

profile - just click-<strong>and</strong>-convert. You<br />

can see the difference between<br />

FIGURE 4 <strong>and</strong> FIGURE 5 - all other<br />

colors are left intact.<br />

Figure 3<br />

The ‘convert color’ dialogue<br />

Figure 4<br />

Figure 5<br />

Remember<br />

• As a starting point, <strong>it</strong>’s always good<br />

practice to per<strong>for</strong>m a preflight on<br />

your PDF to attain in<strong>for</strong>mation on<br />

which objects you wish to convert.<br />

There are many different profiles<br />

which list objects not compliant w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

your color space.<br />

• An important part of the color<br />

conversion is the destination color<br />

space. Be sure to check which<br />

color profile matches your printing<br />

cond<strong>it</strong>ion or ask your print provider.<br />

• Do not change the color of text<br />

using the Touch-up Text tool since<br />

the color swatches are all RGB.<br />

• Do you really have to convert that<br />

color? If you’re using PDF/X-3 or<br />

PDF/X-4 then you don’t have to<br />

convert your colors - please check<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h your print provider.<br />

• Always keep a backup of your PDF<br />

prior to converting colors - you can<br />

always revert to backup if things<br />

don’t work out.<br />

• Configure your color preferences<br />

in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® prior to converting<br />

otherwise you might be fooled by<br />

the color conversion. Remember, if<br />

you have <strong>Adobe</strong>® Bridge® then use<br />

the Creative Su<strong>it</strong>e Color Settings<br />

option under the Ed<strong>it</strong> menu in<br />

Bridge®.<br />

• Color is always an interesting topic<br />

so test <strong>and</strong> test again.<br />

Figure 6<br />

The single-object color conversion<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h the ‘touch-up object’ tool<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 7


TIP 8 - Transparency<br />

Transparency used to be an evil word - now things are changing<br />

Flattener Preview<br />

PDF Optimizer<br />

Fix-ups<br />

Figure 1<br />

The original image be<strong>for</strong>e flattener preview<br />

Ever since <strong>Adobe</strong>® brought transparency effects in <strong>Adobe</strong>® Illustrator®<br />

back in 2000 people have both loved <strong>and</strong> loathed this feature. Designers<br />

design - printers print, but once transparency has been introduced<br />

things can get a l<strong>it</strong>tle technical. Although new technologies <strong>and</strong> PDF/X<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ards have been introduced (see right sidebar) <strong>it</strong> might still be<br />

a requirement to flatten your transparency prior to delivering to the<br />

printer. <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 now delivers some new ways to h<strong>and</strong>le the flattening<br />

of transparency - each is designed <strong>for</strong> different scenarios but effectively<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h the same end-result.<br />

displays transparency in the file prior to the flattening<br />

uses the flattener presets w<strong>it</strong>hout any preview<br />

can be run as a separate fix-up or combined w<strong>it</strong>h other checks <strong>and</strong> fixes<br />

The flattener presets which<br />

come w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>Acrobat</strong>® are<br />

generally very good - use<br />

the High Resolution option<br />

<strong>for</strong> high qual<strong>it</strong>y print<br />

flattening. You might want<br />

to look at the Convert All<br />

Text <strong>and</strong> Convert All Strokes<br />

to outlines options if you<br />

have e<strong>it</strong>her problems<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h fonts (converting to<br />

outline will remove the font<br />

<strong>and</strong> replace w<strong>it</strong>h outlined<br />

vectors) or wish to maintain<br />

consistent appearance.<br />

Remember, you can create<br />

your own preset <strong>and</strong> use<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h the flattener preview,<br />

PDF optimizer <strong>and</strong> the<br />

preflight fixups.<br />

Remember<br />

• Transparency is typically generated<br />

when special effects are applied<br />

in applications such as <strong>Adobe</strong>®<br />

InDesign® <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adobe</strong>® Illustrator®<br />

• Flattening transparency can<br />

sometimes be tricky. Ensure you<br />

preview the effects w<strong>it</strong>hin InDesign®<br />

Window / Output / Flattener<br />

Preview, Illustrator® Window /<br />

Flattener Preview <strong>and</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

Advanced / Output Preview.<br />

• Historically <strong>it</strong> was best to flatten<br />

the transparency when the PDF<br />

was being generated due to<br />

technical<strong>it</strong>ies w<strong>it</strong>h the renderer at<br />

the printers.<br />

• <strong>Adobe</strong>® released the <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF<br />

Print Engine on the 1st April, 2006.<br />

This new technology amongst<br />

other things will allow <strong>for</strong> actual live<br />

transparency to be processed w<strong>it</strong>hin<br />

the renderer. This will allow <strong>for</strong> more<br />

flexibil<strong>it</strong>y at design stage. Check w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

your print provider to see if they’re<br />

implementing the PDF Print Engine.<br />

• ISO St<strong>and</strong>ards PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-2<br />

<strong>and</strong> PDF/X-3 do not support live<br />

transparency. Emerging st<strong>and</strong>ards<br />

such as PDF/X-4 <strong>and</strong> PDF/X-5 will<br />

support transparency, layers, ICC<br />

colors <strong>and</strong> device independent<br />

objects.<br />

• <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 <strong>Professional</strong> supports<br />

PDF/X-4 (Draft) in the preflight <strong>and</strong><br />

fixups.<br />

<br />

Figure 2<br />

The red area depicts the areas of transparency - h<strong>it</strong>ting OK will now<br />

flatten the content <strong>and</strong> remove the live transparency<br />

Figure 3<br />

Some of the built-in fixups now<br />

available in the preflight!<br />

Figure 4<br />

The PDF Optimizer can now flatten<br />

transparency amongst other things!<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 8


TIP 9 - PDF Optimizer<br />

Multi-functional w<strong>it</strong>h a host of new features - a tool <strong>for</strong> everyone ...<br />

<br />

Figure 1<br />

Images<br />

Fonts<br />

Transparency<br />

Discard objects<br />

Discard user data<br />

Clean up<br />

The PDF Optimizer first made <strong>it</strong>s appearance in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 6<br />

<strong>Professional</strong> <strong>and</strong> version after version has become more <strong>and</strong> more<br />

powerful. A swiss-army knife tool <strong>it</strong> boasts many features which can<br />

help optimization of a PDF <strong>for</strong> sending over email or the scrubbing<br />

of a PDF file <strong>for</strong> onwards processing in a pre-press workflow. Some<br />

new features in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 <strong>Professional</strong> include the abil<strong>it</strong>y to flatten<br />

transparency w<strong>it</strong>h custom presets, flatten <strong>for</strong>m fields <strong>and</strong> remove<br />

metadata. Remember to take into account the intent (print or<br />

screen) of the PDF <strong>and</strong> adjust PDF compatibil<strong>it</strong>y accordingly. Many<br />

optimization functions are also available w<strong>it</strong>hin the preflight fix-ups -<br />

more flexibil<strong>it</strong>y <strong>and</strong><br />

choice.<br />

The PDF Optimizer window - take a l<strong>it</strong>tle time to examine the different options<br />

What about<br />

Workflow?<br />

If you’re really<br />

into <strong>Acrobat</strong>®<br />

<strong>and</strong> workflow<br />

think of using the<br />

PDF Optimizer<br />

at the end of a<br />

Batch Processing<br />

comm<strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>for</strong> maximum<br />

efficiency. There<br />

are a number of<br />

ways to increase<br />

efficiency.<br />

downsample <strong>and</strong> change qual<strong>it</strong>y of color, grayscale <strong>and</strong> monochrome images<br />

including JBIG2 <strong>for</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong> 5 <strong>and</strong> above PDFs<br />

decide if you wish to unembed any fonts <strong>for</strong> a smaller file size<br />

flatten transparency based upon both pre configured <strong>and</strong> custom presets<br />

great <strong>for</strong> removing settings <strong>and</strong> data embedded into a PDF such as bookmarks,<br />

print settings, search indexes, javascript etc.<br />

can discard hidden header data from Photoshop® <strong>and</strong> Illustrator®, flatten <strong>for</strong>m<br />

fields, remove multimedia content, file attachments, metadata etc.<br />

compresses document structure, recompresses certain file compression, remove<br />

invalid links <strong>and</strong> bookmarks, optimizes <strong>for</strong> the web (byte serving) etc.<br />

Remember<br />

• If you’re just using the PDF Optimizer<br />

to reduce file-size, look at how much<br />

space is being occupied first w<strong>it</strong>h<br />

the Aud<strong>it</strong> Space Usage function. You<br />

can then just concentrate on those<br />

particular areas.<br />

• Upon optimization, you’re always<br />

asked to save-as (you can overwr<strong>it</strong>e<br />

the existing file) - this will per<strong>for</strong>m<br />

a clean-up routine on the PDF file<br />

in any case, further reducing the file<br />

size. A good tip is to per<strong>for</strong>m a saveas<br />

on any document once you have<br />

per<strong>for</strong>m any ed<strong>it</strong>s regardless.<br />

• You can use just some or all of the<br />

categories. Some users just use this<br />

feature to down-version the PDF<br />

<strong>for</strong> pre-press workflows - others <strong>for</strong><br />

creating a low-resolution PDF <strong>for</strong> the<br />

web from a high-resolution original.<br />

Remember to deselect the checkbox<br />

to the left of the category prior<br />

to optimization.<br />

• You can use the Reduce File Size<br />

feature under the Document menu.<br />

This will only access pre-defined<br />

settings from the PDF Optimizer<br />

engine. Be careful since <strong>it</strong> will reduce<br />

the resolution of images.<br />

• If you regularly per<strong>for</strong>m certain<br />

optimizations use the Settings<br />

option in the top-left corner to save<br />

as a pre-set <strong>for</strong> future use.<br />

• If you’re missing the Scanned Pages<br />

option from previous versions, this<br />

can now be found under Document<br />

/ Optimize Scanned PDF.<br />

• If your PDF contains attachments<br />

you must open each of these <strong>and</strong><br />

per<strong>for</strong>m a separate optimization<br />

to ensure the entire document is<br />

optimized.<br />

• Optimizing a PDF <strong>for</strong> file reduction is<br />

much safer than re-frying (creating<br />

a PDF file from the postscript output<br />

of an existing PDF) since <strong>it</strong> keeps the<br />

original document constructs.<br />

• You might sometimes find lots of<br />

subsetted fonts inside your PDF<br />

which can dramatically bloat the file<br />

size. Use the Fonts section of the PDF<br />

Optimizer to remove duplicates.<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat 9


TIP <strong>10</strong> - Loose Ends ...<br />

An assortment of <strong>tips</strong>-<strong>and</strong>-<strong>tricks</strong> <strong>for</strong> everyone<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong>® PDF has been the preferred<br />

choice <strong>for</strong> many designers, publishers<br />

<strong>and</strong> print providers since the mid 1990’s.<br />

Things have moved on, but whilst you<br />

can generate solid PDF files by using<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® <strong>and</strong> other <strong>Adobe</strong>® applications,<br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® provides the tools you require to ensure<br />

that file h<strong>it</strong>s the press in perfect cond<strong>it</strong>ion.<br />

Some sensible advice about using <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF files<br />

<br />

Keep things<br />

simple<br />

Use <strong>Acrobat</strong><br />

Be sensible about<br />

ed<strong>it</strong>ing<br />

if possible, keep w<strong>it</strong>h the same PDF file - do not try <strong>and</strong> re-fry (convert a PDF<br />

into another PDF) this only complicates <strong>and</strong> sometimes destroys in<strong>for</strong>mation<br />

<strong>for</strong>get opening the PDF in Illustrator® or other applications - <strong>Acrobat</strong> is the only<br />

trusted applications to open PDF files in their entirety. If you need to ed<strong>it</strong> any<br />

content, use the tools as discussed in previous chapters<br />

whilst <strong>Acrobat</strong> now has some great tools <strong>for</strong> ed<strong>it</strong>ing <strong>and</strong> manipulation, <strong>it</strong> is<br />

sometimes best to go-back to the native file <strong>and</strong> re-generate the PDF again<br />

Explore just because <strong>Acrobat</strong> couldn’t per<strong>for</strong>m a certain function in the last version -<br />

don’t give-up .. explore the new features in <strong>Acrobat</strong>® 8 Professsional<br />

Weigh things up don’t <strong>for</strong>get about the different job-settings available <strong>for</strong> PDFs - especially ones<br />

destined <strong>for</strong> a printing press. Why settle <strong>for</strong> Press Qual<strong>it</strong>y when you could use an<br />

industry st<strong>and</strong>ards ISO setting such as PDF/X-1a as an example<br />

Don’t get<br />

complacent<br />

For invaluable help <strong>and</strong> resources<br />

- <strong>Adobe</strong> Print Service Providers<br />

Get Authorised Training<br />

from the <strong>Adobe</strong> Network<br />

of Training Centre’s<br />

you wouldn’t go to the airport w<strong>it</strong>hout checking to see if you have your tickets<br />

<strong>and</strong> passport? Why run the risk of sending a PDF w<strong>it</strong>hout preflight - check<br />

be<strong>for</strong>e sending <strong>for</strong> peace-of-mind<br />

One feature of <strong>Acrobat</strong>® which might have been overlooked in the past is the powerful<br />

Organizer. A great way to display the PDF documents you’ve opened recently. It’s all graphical<br />

so no worries about exactly where that file is stored - <strong>Acrobat</strong>® remembers <strong>and</strong> displays this<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation in the metadata. You can get <strong>Acrobat</strong>® to remember frequently vis<strong>it</strong>ed locations<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h the Favor<strong>it</strong>e Places<br />

options <strong>and</strong> even created a<br />

virtual filing cabinet w<strong>it</strong>h the<br />

Collections option. Finally,<br />

the Organizer can show up<br />

to the first <strong>10</strong>0 pages in the<br />

document <strong>and</strong> these pages<br />

can be enlarged/reduced<br />

<strong>and</strong> sorted by size, number of<br />

pages, last opened date <strong>and</strong><br />

lots more. Go File / Organizer /<br />

Open Organizer<br />

Remember<br />

• Above all, if you’re unsure about<br />

settings <strong>for</strong> print output then check<br />

w<strong>it</strong>h your print provider <strong>for</strong> advice.<br />

If you’re a print provider then you<br />

might want to join the <strong>Adobe</strong><br />

Solutions Network - Print Service<br />

Providers<br />

• There are some great on-line<br />

resources such as the <strong>Adobe</strong> Print<br />

Resource Centre or the User-touser<br />

<strong>for</strong>ums <strong>for</strong> <strong>Acrobat</strong>® Mac <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>Acrobat</strong>® Windows<br />

• Don’t <strong>for</strong>get where you can get the<br />

best <strong>Acrobat</strong> news <strong>and</strong> resources on<br />

the planet - acrobatusers.com<br />

KEEP UP-TO-DATE<br />

Exc<strong>it</strong>ing or annoying? Those l<strong>it</strong>tle<br />

messages that appear from time-totime<br />

asking us to update our current<br />

version of <strong>Acrobat</strong> to the next level<br />

- yes, accept them. They contain<br />

bug fixes <strong>and</strong> also some program<br />

improvements (all free of course!)<br />

DOES ADOBE PDF<br />

MAKE A DIFFERENCE?<br />

<strong>Adobe</strong> are the<br />

inventors of<br />

PDF <strong>and</strong> they<br />

publish the PDF<br />

specification on-line so we can be<br />

rest assured all angles are covered.<br />

If you use an <strong>Adobe</strong> application<br />

such as InDesign®, Illustrator® or<br />

Photoshop then why not save or<br />

export to PDF from the application.<br />

All other programs - use the print<br />

comm<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> use the <strong>Adobe</strong> PDF<br />

Printer <strong>for</strong> that extra piece of mind<br />

when your PDF is destined <strong>for</strong> print<br />

WHAT’s ACROBAT CONNECT?<br />

We use <strong>it</strong> almost everyday <strong>for</strong> both<br />

presentations <strong>and</strong> remote customer<br />

support. Like the idea of controlling a<br />

customers workstation whilst telling<br />

them how to use <strong>Acrobat</strong> (<strong>and</strong> there’s<br />

loads more) - http://www.adobe.<br />

com/products/acrobatconnectpro/<br />

Tips & Tricks: TOP <strong>10</strong> PUBLISH, PRINT AND PREPRESS TRICKS <strong>for</strong> adobe acrobat <strong>10</strong>

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