Operation Manual

605
Printing
Last updated 11/30/2015
Produce a print-ready Adobe PDF file
A service provider can use Acrobat 7.0 Professional and later to perform preflight checks and color separations.
Subsequent versions of Acrobat Professional contain more advanced preflight tools, including the ability to make
certain corrections automatically. Various prepress applications and in-RIP technologies can also perform preflight
checks, do trapping and imposition, and make the color separations of the pages in the digital master.
If you choose to leave out the images when creating the Adobe PDF file, make sure that the service provider has access
to the original high-resolution images that are required for proper output. In addition, make sure that the service
provider has Acrobat 7.0 or later for accurate viewing of text and color graphics. For best viewing, use Acrobat 8
Professional or later.
If you’re using a color-managed workflow, you can use the precision of color profiles to perform an onscreen preview
(a soft proof). You can examine how your document’s colors look when reproduced on a particular output device.
Note: Unless you are using a color management system (CMS) with accurately calibrated ICC profiles and are sure that
you have properly calibrated your monitor, don’t rely on the on-screen appearance of colors.
1 Prepare the document for exporting to Adobe PDF.
2 Export using the .joboptions file provided by your service provider. If you don’t have a preferred .joboptions file, use
a PDF/X preset.
3 Preflight the PDF in Acrobat 7.0 Professional or later.
4 Proof and correct the PDF file.
5 Hand off the press-ready PDF to the prepress service provider.
More Help topics
About PDF/X standards
Define preflight profiles
Flatten transparent artwork
Preview color separations
Printer’s marks and bleeds
Specify printer’s marks
When you prepare a document for printing, a number of marks are needed to help the printer determine where to trim
the paper, align separation films when producing proofs, measure film for correct calibration and dot density, and so
on. Selecting any page-mark option expands the page boundaries to accommodate printer’s marks, bleed (the parts of
text or objects that extend past the page boundary to account for slight inaccuracy when trimming), or slug area (an
area outside the page and bleed that contains printer instructions or job sign-off information).
If you are setting crop marks and want the artwork to contain a bleed or slug area, make sure that you extend the
artwork past the crop marks to accommodate the bleed or slug. Also make sure that your media size is large enough to
contain the page and any printer’s marks, bleeds, or the slug area. If a document doesn’t fit the media, you can control
where items are clipped by using the Page Position option in the Setup area of the Print dialog box.
If you select the Crop Marks option, fold marks are printed as solid lines when spreads are printed.