Denise VisuanoED 626Instructional Guide 2 (short activity)May 6, 2013

Instruction Brief: Exporting a PDF from Adobe InDesignContext: Community college setting

Students: 18+ years old

Class size: 10-15 students

Location: Mac computer lab, equipped with Adobe InDesign CS4

Individual work: Students will work individually.

Background: Students will have some background using the software.

Takeaway: Students will be able create a customized, professional workflow within InDesign to export PDF files effectively, using the appropriate standards and best settings for optimal output.

Denise VisuanoED 626Instructional Guide 2 (short activity)Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning Goals1. The learner will learn how to select appropriate standards

for the their printer’s and/or output needs.

2. The learner will learn how to choose export features within InDesign.

3. The learner will become familiar with color spaces on the monitor and in print.

4. The learner will gain understanding of the terminology.

5. The learner will learn to recognize export/PDF creation tools that can be performed with page layout software.

Learning Objectives

Work tasksExport a PDF from Adobe InDesign. Check for embedded fonts and images. Select the correct setting for output. Learn which standards are needed for final product. Make sure exported file is accurate.(10-15 minute activity.)

Performance objectivesOn completion of instruction, learners should be able to…

PerformanceThe learner will learn best practices for creating PDF files for off set printers and/or other media needs.

CriterionThe learner will learn how to choose a transparency blend space, create his/her own PDF settings, and select appro-priate PDF standards.

ConditionWhen exporting file to an Adobe PDF, the learner will be familiar with tasks that can be performed with InDesign (CS4).

Creating a PDF is a reliable way of making our content available digitally, and exporting to PDF is a good way to ensure your document can be viewed

1 Before you make your PDF, there are a few things you need to do. First, remove any unused colors from your document – the Swatches menu has a Select All Unused

command – by dragging the unused swatches into the Trash icon in the same panel. If you’ve imported anything from Microsoft Word, it’s also good practice to replace those imported Word colors with those created in InDesign.

2 Make sure the fonts in your document are available and can be embedded. If you’re using

fonts from Adobe or purchased from a reliable vendor then this shouldn’t be an issue. Missing fonts and those that can’t be embedded are picked up by the default Preflight profile – go to File>Package – so you should know if there’s a problem.

3You’ll need to determine if the resulting PDF is intended for screen or print, so you can alert InDesign about how to handle any transparency blending in your document. Go

to Edit>Transparency Blend Space. Choose Document RGB for screen or Document CMYK for print output.

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wherever it ends up. But what are the best standards? Which settings should you use? And where should you start? This tutorial will take you through the steps needed to select the correct settings check fonts and images, and export the completed file to your audience.

4 Its time start making your PDF! It’s not widely known that you don’t have to go through the Export dialog to create a PDF – the Adobe PDF Presets menu item in the File

menu gets you there with a few less steps. InDesign has a range of preset PDF settings for common types of output: Smallest File Size for the web or email, High Quality Print for output to your desktop printer, and Press Quality for prepress printing— although why this preset doesn’t have a designated bleed (a “must have” for offset printing) is odd. This is only starting point for these three options. The subset ‘PDF/X-1a:2001’ is designed for CMYK-only workflows and is widely accepted; you can typically send this kind of PDF anywhere in the world and it’ll print reliably. As with all of the PDF/X standards, font embedding is required - which is the reason for the previous font check.

6 If your print provider is using the Adobe PDF Print Engine, then you could use

PDF/X-4 files. If your files contain live transparency, it must be flat-tened at the end of the workflow, so that your printer can use the scheme that best suits them. PDF/X-4 can also contain both color-managed and unmanaged images, as well as PDF layers,

which can be useful for alternative versions.

8 You can modify any of the presets: such as adding bleed to the Press Quality

default, or setting up the specifi-cations determined by the print-er. Save that preset by clicking the button at the bottom-right corner of the dialog box. This will be available inside InDesign and (with the exception of PDF/X-4) inside Acrobat Distiller, as well.

9 When you need to reduce the file size for web or mobile devices, you’ll want to make a leaner, meaner PDF by changing the downsampling to 72ppi (or 96ppi - both

are acceptable), or if you think it won’t be viewed at over 100% magnification. Go to File>Export>Save>Compression to change the image compression size.

7 Ink coverage is defined by your output intent. Go to File>Export>Save>Output, and change the top button (Adobe PDF Preset) to the new selection. From there

you can select the final output profile name in the PDX/ prompt near the lower third of the dialog box. For informa-tion about coated versus uncoated paper stocks, there are several websites to check out, such as www.printindustry.com or paperonline.org.

5 If you’re using a color-managed workflow, the subset ‘PDF/X-3:2002’ might be the best solution (as long as it’s usable by your print service provider.) This allows you to

work with RGB images in Photoshop, yet use the same images with your InDesign project; the color conversion will take place at the end of the workflow.