Best PDF for digital printing

[gtmo]

Would like to find out what is best setting for saving pdf from indesign for digital printing on Ricoh 7100, 7200, 9200? or any other digital sheetfed.


Press Quality? PDF/X?? Any special settings?

Any imput is appreciated!

 

[realaqu]

Gwg guide

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[Dov Isaacs]

In general, PDF/X-4 is the most appropriate PDF version to export from InDesign for printing, whether for offset printing or digital printing of any form.

- Dov

 

[xmoles]

Hi

I agree with Dov, but for the future we have to start talking about pdfx6 v2.0, what do you think Dov?

 

[gtmo]

Appreciate the input-

On a pdf from client in what ever they save it as and placing in indesign and resaving as
PDF/X-4 would that change pdf? or it keeps its original saved mode?

 

[michaelejahn]

Appreciate the input-

On a pdf from client in what ever they save it as and placing in indesign and resaving as
PDF/X-4 would that change pdf? or it keeps its original saved mode?

Why not ask your customer to save out a PDF/X-4 ? Lets say they are unhappy with the resulting PDF ( Perhaps they wrong layer is visible ) - they can modify it and then send a PDF to you that was what they intended. The X in PDF/X is 'eXchange' - the entiner point is to accomplish a blind reliable exchange of a ready for print file.

 

[Craig]

Why not ask your customer to save out a PDF/X-4 ? Lets say they are unhappy with the resulting PDF ( Perhaps they wrong layer is visible ) - they can modify it and then send a PDF to you that was what they intended. The X in PDF/X is 'eXchange' - the entiner point is to accomplish a blind reliable exchange of a ready for print file.

You must not deal with the general public. Most don't even know what a PDF is. I can imagine all the extra work we would be doing for the client by specifying PDF/X-4. "Why do you need that? Joe Blow down the street prints from our jpeg's, why can't you?" "How do I make that in Canva?"

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Appreciate the input-

On a pdf from client in what ever they save it as and placing in indesign and resaving as
PDF/X-4 would that change pdf? or it keeps its original saved mode?

PDF File Aggregation

gwg.org

 

[Dov Isaacs]

If you place a non-PDF/X-4 file into an InDesign document and subsequently save that InDesign document as PDF/X-4, that placed content is also PDF/X-4-compliant.

That having been said, if the original PDF being placed into the InDesign file is already degraded with flattened transparency and/or colors prematurely converted to some CMYK, that “damage” can obviously not be undone.

- Dov

 

[Dov Isaacs]

Hi

I agree with Dov, but for the future we have to start talking about pdfx6 v2.0, what do you think Dov?

Having spent a number of years heading the ISO committee (ISO TC130 WG2/TF2) that developed the PDF/X-6 standard, I certainly believe that PDF/X-6 (based on PDF 2.0) is the way to go.

The problem is that Adobe doesn't fully support PDF 2.0 (or PDF/X-6) in Acrobat and provides no way of producing it with either InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop. Despite a number of years of trying to convince the powers-that-be within Adobe while I was still an Adobe employee that this was exceptionally important for print publishing workflows going forward, enhancement of printing does not seem to be a priority for Adobe management, at least at this time.

- Dov

 

[gtmo]

Appreciate all your inputs. It would be nice for Adobe to update to PDF/X-6 but in my opinion they do not put much time into our industry that is
why they are ripe to have happen to them what they did to Quark!

Mario

 

[michaelejahn]

You must not deal with the general public. Most don't even know what a PDF is. I can imagine all the extra work we would be doing for the client by specifying PDF/X-4. "Why do you need that? Joe Blow down the street prints from our jpeg's, why can't you?" "How do I make that in Canva?"

Hi Craig - We are a developer ( SmartSoft ) of a Print MIS system ( PressWise ) - while I personally do not process and print PDF files, 100% of our customers do. In PressWise, if a PDF file is submitted for printing, there is a soft proof stage, where the user can preview how that file will print - if they reject their own file, the standard answer is simply "re-export as PDF/X-4" - then the user can control what they need. Anyone buying print wants it right. Anyone buying print is not "the general public". Joe Blow can certainly upload JPGs and PNG files, but they still need to pay when their print file looks like dog shit. PDF/X was developed for this very reason.