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]

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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.

 

[kdw75]

We have been using PDF/X-4 2008 and suggesting customers use it as well for many years. We have a little guide that we send them with instructions on what settings to choose when creating a PDF out of Adobe programs. That of course is just for our regular clients. We also get PDFs all the time from people that we have no prior contact with, but they seem to be happy with the output.

 

[OUPrint872]

I share my PDF export profile with my customers. PDF/X-4 seems to work for most anything. Since converting all my machines to Canon presses with Prisma Prepare I have seen some issues with transparency blend and Internal PDF conversion errors processing a few files, which has me playing with the export settings. Been fixing these PDF's with Preflight with an additional PDF/X-4 cleanup. I have been finding these issues with Quark and Mac ID exported documents. Driving me batty! 30 years of Fiery, shifted to Prisma. Had to do it, so am feelings some pains.

 

[namelessentity]

I share my PDF export profile with my customers. PDF/X-4 seems to work for most anything. Since converting all my machines to Canon presses with Prisma Prepare I have seen some issues with transparency blend and Internal PDF conversion errors processing a few files, which has me playing with the export settings. Been fixing these PDF's with Preflight with an additional PDF/X-4 cleanup. I have been finding these issues with Quark and Mac ID exported documents. Driving me batty! 30 years of Fiery, shifted to Prisma. Had to do it, so am feelings some pains.

https://gwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PRISMAsync-Print-Server-Set-up-the-print-server-for-PDFX-4-compliance-20....pdf

There's a few settings you have to change when you log into the printer through the ip address. It should get you sorted out.

 

[OUPrint872]

https://gwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PRISMAsync-Print-Server-Set-up-the-print-server-for-PDFX-4-compliance-20....pdf

There's a few settings you have to change when you log into the printer through the ip address. It should get you sorted out.

Thank you, I will do some tests.