Summary

Since the end of the 1990s, PDF has spread throughout the prepress sector at what seems in retrospect an enormous speed. Today, just about every company is confronted regularly with PDF. But the way in which PDF is used is by no means always to the full satisfaction of all concerned: sometimes fonts are missing or image resolution is too low, occasionally the content or colour of the production print differs significantly from the proof print given to the customer. This frequently leads to bitter arguments about who is at fault, and more than once the desire has been expressed for a return to the good old days before PDF. The fact is that PDF cannot be ignored. The clever user will not waste his time moaning and groaning, but instead take a proactive approach, on the one hand by protecting himself against the imponderables of PDF and on the other hand utilising the undisputed advantages of PDF. However, not everyone has the time and patience, in addition to his daily work, to train to become a PDF specialist. Nevertheless many details must be clarified, e.g. which settings to use and which rules to follow for the creation, processing and output of PDF, and how the suitability of PDF for use in production can be determined. These questions were dealt with by a Working Group attached to the Technical Committee 130 of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and, with the participation of numerous international experts, a standard was developed called PDF/X, of which the most important parts were approved and published in 2001 and 2002. This standard may be considered in much the same way as a set of rules for controlling road traffic: priority for vehicles coming from the right, stop at the red light, observe speed limit, etc., but also for vehicle registration or a driving licence. The principle applies that: provided that everyone obeys the rules, they will all get ahead faster – and not to forget – arrive safely at their destination. But the comparison is not quite accurate in all aspects: there is no liability insurance or even comprehensive coverage insurance for PDF/X. Nor is there a PDF/X police, though a PDF/X-3 inspector does exist. It is in any case essential to think ahead and take care – also in the PDF data traffic. This report sets out to give an introduction to the PDF/X standard and its implementation in practice. Numerous tips regarding useful software and more detailed information offer orientation for those interested in this topic.