Lesson A: PDF

• From the downloaded folder called 8 Output open the file called Study in Scarlet.indd.

This file is a complete novel ready for output to several media. We will start by making two PDFs with commonly needed settings.

Using Presets

InDesign installs with several important presets ready-to-go. A specific recipient of a PDF may supply you with others. Both installing provided PDF presets and creating your own, as well as a thorough description of the settings involved, are covered in the “Output” chapter of the Compendium: see “PDF” (page 339).

Making a Small, Downloadable PDF

This preset serves as a good starting point for PDFs that will be shared electronically (by email or posted on a website). It usually requires a little bit of adjustment, however.

• Go to File > Adobe PDF Presets > [Smallest File Size]. You’ll be prompted to provide a name and location for the PDF you’re making. Since you may not wish to keep these PDFs after this exercise, choose the Desktop as the location and name it something like Study_small.pdf.

When you’ve committed to the location, you’ll see a second and more substantial dialog box with many sections to it.

• In the first section, General, locate the Viewing pane. Change View to Fit Page. Change Layout to Two-Up Continuous (Cover Page). Also, enable the checkbox for View PDF after Exporting.

Fit Page ensures that the recipient will see an entire page or spread when they open the PDF. The Layout choice ensures that the first page remains a single cover or title page and the rest are seen as spreads (“two-up”). The second section needs a little alteration.

• Proceed to the second section, Compression.

Note that all images will not only be downsampled, but will also be made JPEGs of Low Quality. If the PDF is truly to be viewed on a screen only, then the targeted resolution (100 ppi for color images and 150 ppi for grayscale) is likely fine. However, low quality looks like it sounds.

• Change the Quality to Medium or High. If Medium still looks poor, you can make another PDF and choose a higher setting.
• Click the Export button. The PDF will be generated and will open for inspection.

Making a Possibly Press-Ready PDF

• Go to File > Adobe PDF Presets > [PDF/X-1a:2001]. You’ll be prompted to provide a name and location for the PDF you’re making. Choose the Desktop for the location and name it Study_pressready.pdf. Commit to that dialog to proceed to the more difficult one.
• In the first section, General, change View to Fit Page. Change Layout to Two-Up Continuous (Cover Page). Enable the checkbox for View PDF after Exporting.
• Proceed to the second section, Compression.

This is rather different than a PDF made for on-screen viewing. Note that images will be downsampled to a healthy 300 ppi, and will be made JPEGs of Maximum Quality. When PDFs are going to press, file size is far less important, if at all. So even that can be improved.

• In both the Color Images pane and the Grayscale Images pane, change the Compression to ZIP. The images in the PDF will look as good as the originals.
• Go to the Marks and Bleeds section.

Let’s assume our print shop has asked us to provide crop marks. For some documents they will ask for bleed if we have content that goes to page edges, but this one has none.

• Check the box for Crop Marks.
• Go to the Output section.

To satisfy our hypothetical printer’s request that we supply the PDF configured for the specific CMYK of their equipment, we’ll change the Destination to what they request:

• Change the Destination to Coated GRACoL 2006.
• Click the Export button. The PDF will be generated and will open for inspection.

I hope you noticed how many settings are dependent on information from the printer. Communication is very helpful when creating files for print output.