Generating PDF files: using PostScript or direct export?

Started by Laurens, January 02, 2008, 01:00:44 PM

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Laurens

I have added a poll to the prepressure site asking everyone what their favorite way of creating PDF files is. I appreciate your vote and hope it leads to an interesting discussion in this thread.

Personally I still prefer to generate a PostScript file and Normalize it to a PDF. For InDesign however I am using the export to PDF function more and more. Discussions with others have lead me to believe that the Export to PDF function in InDesign has been very reliable since CS2 so why not go that way?
Having fun writing about prepress & printing for my Prepressure site

jimking

I export to pdf out of CS2 Indy. I always print to ps from Quark and distill.

Joe

I voted for "By preference export PDF, else the PostScript route".

Any problems with a PDF though I generally save PS out of Acrobat and then distill that to a new PDF.
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frailer

Same as jimking, but have started using the "Create Postscript for later Distilling", in the Export to PDF in Quark. Whether this makes a diff I don't know, but have seen references to this route more lately.
Also, may have had some problems with Export to PDF from Indy CS3, into our RIP, [which is NOT old]. To do with its Print Engine friendliness, apparently...or maybe.  ::)
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doubting_thomas

It depends on the job here. Some of our rips require flattened files because of their
age. For these I'll Export using PDF 1.3 compatability. Publisher and Quark files
print to PS, then Distill. All other instances are an Export from ID, or printing from
ID layouts with imposed live placed pdf files.

David

what jimking said (we also export out of CS3 as well)
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almaink

Export to PDF from every app I use. I haven't opened Distiller in almost a year now. Since my rip supports transparency why flatten?
I even use print to PDF when in word or any other application that doesn't support direct export to PDF with no issues. Of course I do have Pit Stop, and it gets used extensively on those print to PDF files when needed.
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frailer

almaink, is your JVX the "Print Engine" version? Just curious.   :D
Forgotten good guys: Dennis Ritchie, Burrell Smith, Bill Atkinson, Richard Stallman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now just an honorary member.

almaink

Yes Frailer it is. Although it not foolproof. I've had a few issues with art and text dropping out on complex transparency jobs. A few I never did get to work using the RAMpage PDF engine and had to flatten in Acrobat. Keep in mind that these "problem" jobs were constructed in InDesign CS by a person with no clue what they were doing.
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Windows 10
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Oce TDS 860
Kodak Digimaster 9110
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tapdn

Quote from: almaink on January 03, 2008, 08:21:14 AMYes Frailer it is. Although it not foolproof. I've had a few issues with art and text dropping out on complex transparency jobs. A few I never did get to work using the RAMpage PDF engine and had to flatten in Acrobat. Keep in mind that these "problem" jobs were constructed in InDesign CS by a person with no clue what they were doing.
That's the point- we get quite a few jobs from "a person with no clue what they were doing" and most of our commercial work has such a quick turnaround that fighting with just one transparency issue can put a job way off track. I still recommend our clients print to postscript and distill. 99% of the time that is the solution for trouble files also.
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almaink

" I still recommend our clients print to postscript and distill. 99% of the time that is the solution for trouble files also."
Unfortunately those who can't make files properly also can't be expected to know what settings are needed to flatten a file correctly or how to even do it. RGB and CMYK for instance, used in conjunction with transparency, can lead to some odd PDF's if you just distill to PDF.
For the one or two jobs where this evil is a necessity I prefer to flatten myself or get native files and create the PDF myself.
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Windows 10
Cannon C6000
Oce TDS 860
Kodak Digimaster 9110
Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers

tapdn

Different workflows for different operations- pardon the pun, but different strokes for... :-)
We have distiller settings that we supply to clients- that helps, but you are right, there is no one solution that solves all problems and that keeps us busy and in a job. Plus I am a lazy bastard and do not care to deal with native files, apps, fonts, missing graphics, etc etc etc and the faster we can turn a job over the more money we make.
usually fried mate - sometimes pickled - often scrambled - never beaten
~ Sir B. Monsteaure
No, he's well within his rights to diss cake. Pie, on the other hand, is waaaayyyy off limits.
~Youston
I'm just a stupid printer WTF do I know
~Farabomb

Joe

Quote from: almaink on January 03, 2008, 09:31:40 AMUnfortunately those who can't make files properly also can't be expected to know what settings are needed to flatten a file correctly or how to even do it. RGB and CMYK for instance, used in conjunction with transparency, can lead to some odd PDF's if you just distill to PDF.
For the one or two jobs where this evil is a necessity I prefer to flatten myself or get native files and create the PDF myself.

Exactly...I had one of them last night. Loaded with transparency and everything was RGB with a smattering of spots and CMYK. Fixed the color issues with Pitstop but no matter what I tried it got all wonked up when flattened. Print to PS and distill: bad. Save to PS and distill:bad. Place in InDesign and export a flattened PDF: bad. Flatten in Acrobat: bad. Finally sent it through Nexus and flattened and exported a new PDF. Fixed! Job security.
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gnubler

We export PDFs directly from InDesign - works perfectly for our workflow. Of course, we deal with very few client files - we build almost everything from scratch in Indy and my department is beyond competent, so we don't have problem files.
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Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

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Joe

Quote from: gnubler on January 03, 2008, 12:56:04 PMWe export PDFs directly from InDesign - works perfectly for our workflow. Of course, we deal with very few client files - we build almost everything from scratch in Indy and my department is beyond competent, so we don't have problem files.

You are one very lucky squirrel...

 ;D
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The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.