PDF output

Overview

All new titles at DK are produced from InDesign using customised PDF export settings which are available through Fuse. If pages are designed in another application, we recommend they are imported into InDesign at page size with bleed and checked for changes.

• Not using our settings, could result in PDFs being rejected by our print suppliers.
• Paper stock chosen for printing determines InDesign’s Colour Management and PDF export setting. (see colour settings).
• DK will not supply ‘open files’ unless previously agreed, due to software and font licensing issues. Please advise production or your techncial support contact of any exceptions.
• New print suppliers are asked to produce test proofs to demonstrate they can correctly print our test files.
• We use custom Preflight checks on PDFs to confirm they conform to our repro and print supplier standards.

Requirements

Our custom export settings set bleed, slug, trim marks, colour management and PDF compatibility automatically.

• Single page per PDF with bleed, trim marks (trim box), and document file information
• Generic [DK] naming convention to start with the page number containing a leading zero (i.e. 012_xxx_cmyk.pdf) and only legal characters
• Fonts are embedded
• Images are hi-resolution and under TAC limits
• Pantone inks and print finishes are named correctly
• Colour PDFs are Acrobat compatibility 1.6, PDF standard PDF/X-4(2010) with correct Output Intent and containing process inks plus Pantones
• Translation PDFs to Acrobat compatibility 1.4 with transparency and only containing process Black ink set to overprint (OR multiply for InDesign drop shadows) on all text and objects
• Covers, jackets and inside pages may additionally have separate PDFs for print finishes

Why do we supply single page PDFs rather than double page PDFs when printing, and why do we require one PDF file per page?

• For imposition reasons. The printers don’t impose Spreads as they’re not actually printed side by side.
• Singles pages are arranged on a sheet and then this is folded into a signature and bound to make a book.

• Format of the product: The size of the finished page determines how many pages can be printed on a single sheet.
• Number of pages of the printed product: The compositor must determine how many sheets are to be printed to create a finished book.
• Stitching/binding method: The compositor must understand how the sheets are placed to form the signatures that compose the finished book.
• Paper fibre direction: Many papers have a “grain,” reflecting the alignment of the paper fibres. These fibres must run lengthwise along the fold, which influences the alignment, hence the position of the pages on the printed sheet.
• Finishing and binding.

PDF/x-4

As of end of November 2022, DK moved from PDF/x-1a to PDF/x-4, a more up to date standard, to reduce transparency flattening issue and speed up the PDF output process.