User Guide

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Chapter 11: Creating Adobe PDF files
Understanding Adobe PDF
About Adobe PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, and layout of source
documents created on a wide range of applications and platforms. PDF is the standard for the secure, reliable distri-
bution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. Adobe PDF files are compact and
complete, and can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader® software. Adobe PDF
documents can solve the following problems associated with electronic documents:
Common problem Adobe PDF solution
Recipients can't open files
Anyone, anywhere can open a
because they don't have the
PDF file. All you need is the
applications used to create
free Adobe Reader software.
the files.
Combined paper and elec-
PDF files are compact and fully
tronic archives are difficult to
searchable, and can be
search, take up space, and
accessed at any time using
require the application in
Adobe Reader. Links make
which a document was cre-
PDF files easy to navigate.
ated.
Documents appear incorrect
on handheld devices.
Tagged Adobe PDF allows text
to reflow for display on mobile
platforms such as Palm OS®,
Symbian™, and Pocket PC
devices.
Documents with complex for-
Tagged PDF files contain infor-
matting are not accessible to
mation on content and struc-
visually impaired readers.
ture, which makes them acces-
sible on screen readers.
Embedding and substituting fonts
InCopy embeds a font only if it contains a setting by the font vendor that permits it to be embedded. Embedding
prevents font substitution when a reader views or prints the file, and ensures that readers see the text in its original
font. Embedding increases the file size only slightly, unless the document uses CID (multibyte) fonts, a font format
commonly used for Asian languages, where multiple characters are combined to create a single glyph.
For each font embedded, InCopy can embed the entire font or just a subset—the particular characters, called glyphs,
used in the file. Subsetting ensures that your fonts and font metrics are used at print time by creating a custom font
name. The subsetting options you choose affect disk space and your ability to do late-stage editing.
If InCopy cannot embed a font, it temporarily substitutes the font with a Multiple Master typeface: either
AdobeSerMM for a missing serif font, or AdobeSanMM for a missing sans serif font.
These typefaces can stretch or condense to fit, to ensure that line and page breaks are maintained from the original
document. The substitution cannot always match the shape of the original characters, however, especially if the
characters are unconventional ones, such as script typefaces.