Acrobat (PDF Files)

Adobe Acrobat works with PDF files, and although you do not create the files in this program, this page has suggestions for making PDFs regardless of the program you used to create the file.

The PDF file format has the ability to include all elements in one single file. Font and graphic data can be embedded and the PDF can be imposed and processed. This makes PDF files the most potentially trouble-free format for a pre-press workflow. However, because the elements are embedded and not individually accessible, extra care must be taken to insure that the PDF file is written with all elements and options in the correct configuration.

If you have ink running to the edge of your piece, make sure bleed is built into your PDF document. The page size of the PDF should be the trim size plus 1/8" on each size. Therefore, the page size should equal the trim size plus 1/4" on both the width and the height. See the Working Files section of these instructions for more information about bleed.

Make sure all pictures, graphics, text, and objects are CMYK. RGB colors produce unpredictable, usually undesirable, color.

Compatability should be Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) or better.

Set your downsampling options in accordance with the resolution requirements outlined in the Raster Images section in the Linked Grahpics section of these instructions. You will not usually downsample for press output, although if you have excessive resolution, you will have larger-than-necessary file sizes, and you may want to. As a rule of thumb, your images should be no less than 260 dpi (260 is the suggested minimum for 175 lpi printing). See the above links for more detailed information.

Use compression settings that reflect your preferred quality. The lower the quality settings, the lower the quality of the final piece. When preparing files for offset printing, it is a good idea to not compress raster data at all, but if you have to, use the highest quality possible.

Compressing text and line art should be OK.

You may subset fonts, but please include them all. All fonts must be in the PDF document. Please do not assume that any font is so common that it may safely be left out. Missing fonts will halt the output of a file, cause delays in your project, and possibly incur charges. Open your PDF file and check the font information in the File menu before you send it to us.

You should leave the color unchanged when you build your file. Make sure you have the CMYK values you want in your files and that everything is converted to CMYK. See the Color Management section for more information about color at Sunset Printing.

Preserve overprint settings. Preserve UCR and black generation. Preserve transfer functions. And preserve halftone information. If you require custom halftone settings, including frequency, size, or angle, you will need to specifically request that we use your embedded data. If you do not alert us to the presence of this data, it will be ignored.

Uncheck "Use Prologue.ps..." Check "Allow PostScript...", "Preserve Level 2...", "Save Portable Job Ticket...", and "Illustrator Overprint..." Uncheck "Convert Gradients..." and "ASCII Format."

Process DSC comments. All the boxes in the Document Structuring Conventions field should be checked EXCEPT for "Log DSC Warnings."

You may download a jobsettings file which you can use with Acrobat Distiller from our FTP site. This contains all the above mentioned settings we require for PDF assembly. To access the settings after downloading the jobsettings file, place the file in the Settings folder in the Distiller folder in the Acrobat folder. Then select Press(sunset) from the job settings menu in the main Distiller window. Contact us to find out how to log on and download this file.