How To Overcome PDF Challenges

This month’s photography newsletter identifies and assists in beating the challenges faced by creatives when working with PDFs. A major, ongoing challenge is the assurance of consistent PDF file delivery. ColourProcess assists in explaining this frustrating issue and offers a comprehensive, informational solution providing links to three tutorial videos now available on the support page of the ColourProcess website. In addition, preview the latest PDF customisation software available at ColourProcess by callas software.

The Challenge of PDF Delivery

PDF delivery and integrity has long been a challenge for the creative industry with unclear messages coming out of the print industry. ColourProcess understands the plight of creatives and has thus created a comprehensive support website page which lists over fifteen informational videos to assist users in understanding the complex features of PDF integrity software. This database includes three specific videos which allow viewers to step up and manage PDF colour using Adobe Creative Suite 4/5 software. The key advantage of this software is it allows users to create, free of charge, PDF-X1a profiles for Adobe Indesign based on the Australian print standards.

Each of the three, comprehensive tutorial videos are discussed in detail below.

Video 1 : Installing ICC Profiles
The first of the three videos identifies and explains the process involved in installing ICC profiles. The first step in a successful install is to download the ICC profiles in a zip file.

Download ICC Profiles (4mb).

The next step is the installation process. Copy the download profiles onto your machines hard-drive in the necessary profile folder. This completes the ICC profile installation. Watch the video below fully understand this installation process.

Video 1 : Installing ICC Profiles

Video 2 : Colour Settings in Adobe Creative Suite 4/5
This second video tutorial discusses the process of utilising the newly downloaded ICC profiles to ensure the PDF colour space matches with the latest Australia print standards. This video explains how to implement the ISO Coated v2 basICColor profile adjusting gray scale settings and colour management settings in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat Pro. Click the link below to watch the video tutorial.

Video 2 : Colour Settings in Adobe Creative Suite 4/5

Video 3 : Exporting PDF/X1-a files from Adobe Indesign
The final step in ensuring PDF integrity is exporting the PDF/X1-a files from the Adobe Indesign application to allow for printing. The video tutorial below explains how to export PDFs with the colour settings that match the latest Australian print, colour space standards. It also identifies how to ensure your PDF includes the necessary bleed, crop and registration marks for full PDF integrity.

Video 3 : Exporting PDF/X1-a files from Adobe Indesign

How can you advance your PDF customisation?

ColourProcess is dedicated to ensuring its client achieve the most with their PDFs. The latest innovation from callas software allows creatives to do just that. Preview this latest PDF technology on the ColourProcess website and stay tuned for next month’s newsletter to learn more about the comprehensive range of PDF customisation features available with pdfToolbox 4.5 by callas software.

For more on how to advance your PDF customisation

Tip of the Month

Converting native Microsoft Office documents into print-ready PDF files with pdfToolbox 4.5 by callas software.

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How is ColourProcess Keeping Up with the Latest Industry Trends?

This months newsletter is the third in our pdfToolbox 4.5 callas software series. This newsletter highlights a key function of the latest software innovation which allows users to convert Microsoft Office documents to PDFs.  Digital print is taking over from offset as the dominate client printing choice. We further analyse what is driving this trend of digital print domination.

Convert Microsoft Office docs. to PDFs using pdfToolbox 4.5

In the third part of our pdfToolbox 4.5 newsletter series we look at the Microsoft Office to PDF converter tool. This converter tool is unique to the pdfToolbox 4.5 and a key feature that will assist printers to develop print ready PDFs quickly and easily.

Converting Microsoft Office Documents to PDFs

The new Office to PDF converter tool turns Microsoft Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents into production friendly PDFs with ease. This feature allows the end user to adjust page sizes for spread sheets, select specific colour settings on any print output and automatically create exact bleed and trim areas. This cuts the print ready time in half.

For more on the pdfToolbox 4.5 by callas software file conversion tool

What is Driving the Digital Domination?

Following last month’s newsletter, ColourProcess further explores the growing digital print domination. In this month’s newsletter we analyse the three factors which are causing this industry trend.

The first factor that is causing this digital print domination is the global financial crisis. This event instigated a drop of around 40% in print volumes being ordered and an overall loss of 30% from industry profit margins.

The second factor driving this print industry change is a shift in investment from offset printers to digital which occurred between 2008 and 2009. It is now cheaper to buy a digital engine at approximately $ 300,000 than a new offset press which is five times this price!

The third and the most important factor which has influenced this move to digital print is the capability of digital print engines to closely match the ISO 12647-2 printing standard something that most offset presses cannot offer.

ColourProcess predicts that in the next two to three years digital print engines will become the benchmark for colour reproduction. This is because of developments in new technology, increases in the speed plus ease of use of the current technology and the ability of digital options to consistently meet the ISO standards.

ColourProcess is well prepared for this progressing trend towards a digital print domination having created PSD-Check, a key software product which supports digital printers. PSD-Check allows a digital printer to ensure they are able to consistently match the ISO-12647 industry colour standards.

For more on the PSD-Check software available from ColourProcess

Tip of the Month

Converting native Microsoft Office documents into print-ready PDF files with pdfToolbox 4.5 by callas software.

HD Video