You can seamlessly view a PDF document across multiple devices without visual alteration of its contents. To do this, you can go to File –> Adobe PDF Presets –> Define as shown above, then choose “PDF/X-1a:2001” and click the “New” button.The PDF file format is one of the most widely used document formats that is used to attach, transfer and download digital files thanks to its ease of use, portability, and ability to preserve all elements of a file. You’ll also need to be proactive about transparency flattening, and may want to specify your own settings for transparency treatment. All of your colors (whether RGB or CMYK) will automatically be converted to CMYK, although any spot colors you’ve set will stay intact. PDF/X-1a:2001 takes away compatibility with Acrobat 5 and downgrades it to Acrobat 4. Because these standards are geared toward producing more universal print-ready PDFs, printers will often take the easiest route and encourage clients to choose the PDF/X presets. Adobe developed this set of ISO standards for print workflows by addressing input from other industry professionals and vendors. They’re a safe bet if you want to be sure your printer will be able to open your file, while also minimizing any printing errors. PDF/X standards are the best choice when your printer hasn’t provided you with specs. Go to File –> Adobe PDF Presets, and you’ll see all of your options right there. You can quickly access InDesign’s PDF presets right from a flyout in the File menu.

You’ll find the presets in similar places when creating PDFs from both Illustrator and Photoshop. If you’ve used other Adobe Creative Cloud applications to generate PDFs, you’ll likely notice something familiar about InDesign’s available preset options.

Presets group multiple panels of choices into the most common combinations for various workflows, such as commercial printing, desktop printing, and digital publishing.īut can you really trust a preset to take care of the piece you worked so long and hard to create? At the same time, how in the world would you expect to remember all of the available print options every single time you need a PDF?ĭon’t worry about the learning curve InDesign’s PDF presets aren’t standalone. InDesign provides PDF presets so that you have fewer choices to make (and fewer details to actively remember).

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