PDF-Workflow / Basics (English)

01
Basics – Contents
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prepress Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From Office to Prepress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PDF Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PDF – Simply Universal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Industry Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PDF Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PS and PDF – Differences... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...and Similarities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Portable Job Ticket Format . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automated Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adobe Extreme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prinergy System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B01
B02
B03
B04
B05
B06
B07
B08
B09
B10
B11
B12
B13
B14
Process Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prinergy Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Output Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PDF + PJTF = CIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Remote Proofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Further Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Instructions for Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Imprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B15
B16
B17
B18
B19
B20
B21
B22
B23
B24
FC2
BC1
BC2
digital
B
PDF-Workflow / Basics
To coincide with the introduction of their
new PDF workflow system »Prinergy«
Heidelberg and Creo have asked me to
write on the subject of PDF workflows in
the printing industry for Heidelberg’s
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02
Editorial
new range of specialist material,
»vision+work«.
The result is a series of four brochures
directed at different target groups:
• Basics: An introduction to PDF technology – intended for all readers.
• Management: Economic and organizational aspects of PDF – for managers.
• Creation: The creation of PDF documents – for data suppliers (advertising agencies, graphic artists, customers).
• Production: Processing and outputting
PDF files – for prepress technicians.
The »Basics« brochure is available in
printed form. All four publications are
available in digital form on CD-ROM and
on the Internet (see below for Internet
address). The digital versions contain a
number of hypertext links that lead to
related topics in the other brochures.
Each page deals with a separate topic, making it easy for the user to read individual pages and locate a particular topic at any time.
My aim in writing these brochures was
to provide practical guidance for the use
of PDF in the print production process.
The brochures are not intended to replace
technical manuals, but rather to explain
the concept of PDF technology, share my
practical experience, and give tips to the
reader.
These publications describe the manual
PDF workflow using »Adobe Acrobat«
and standard plug-ins. They also describe
the new potential offered by automatic
PDF workflow systems such as »Prinergy«.
I would like to thank Heidelberg and
Creo for giving me the opportunity to
publish these brochures.
For a long time, I have wanted to take
the knowledge that I share in my seminars and lectures and write it down to
make it available to a broader audience.
Particular thanks go to my friend,
Bernd Zipper, who has provided great
support to me on this project.
I hope you will enjoy reading these
brochures, and that PDF will be a success
for you.
Binningen, Switzerland
August 1999
Stephan Jaeggi
All four brochures can be downloaded as PDF documents
from the Internet at http://www.visionwork.net
The move from proprietary typesetting
and image processing systems to DTP
technology has brought the prepress
industry not only simpler and cheaper
workstations, but also a new role in the
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03
P r e p r e s s Tr e n d s
production of print originals. Graphic
designers, advertising agencies and even
customers now often produce their pages
using a range of programs and data formats themselves. Employing this data for
printing purposes has its problems. A new
type of service provider – imaging service bureaus – has grown up that specializes in resolving these problems and
images data from a whole range of programs onto film. This film are then transferred to the print shop where they are
stripped manually into print signatures.
Print shops are looking to go digital
this step since it is both expensive and
prone to error. Some are also planning
to buy computer-to-film (CtF) or computer-to-plate systems (CtP). In order to
benefit from these solutions print shops
need to be supplied with digital files. Film
as the universal medium of exchange
between businesses involved in producing printed materials, has had its day.
The industry now requires a digital
replacement for film!
The PDF data format is the ideal solution
in this regard. It can be generated by all
programs, is platform-independent and
is perfect for incorporating all necessary
data elements.
PDF replaces film as the universal
medium of exchange.
Digital print originals are
required for computer-toplate systems. Scanning
films is only a temporary
solution.
The »Portable Document Format« (PDF)
was originally developed by Adobe Systems for office communication. It was
intended as a means of exchanging documents effortlessly between various com-
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04
The PDF data format is developing into
a universal standard for exchanging
pages in print production. PDF is therefore the ideal basis for using modern
workflow systems for automated output.
From Office to Prepress
puter systems without the recipient having to install all the software and fonts
used to generate the original document.
The initial version of the PDF format
was optimized for output on monitors
and laser printers. However, it lacked
much of the information needed for
imaging color separations on imagesetters or plate recorders.
Constantly urged by the printing industry, Adobe has continued to extend its
PDF specifications. PDF version 1.3 that
was introduced with »Adobe Acrobat
4.0« contains all the information that the
author believes is important for prepress
production. [Production P04]
PDF 1.3 contains all the information
needed for film or plate imaging.
PDF was originally intended for use in office communication. It is now also
being used for imaging in
prepress production.
There are various methods of generating
PDF files, but not all of them are suitable
for producing high-end PDF files for output on a high-resolution imagesetter or
platesetter.
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05
ing system (QuickDraw or GDI) into PDF.
However, since the operating systems do
not support PostScript, it is not recommended to use »PDFWriter«. Other meth-
ods of PDF generation, such as »PaperCapture« and »WebCapture«, also do not
generate PDF documents that are suitable for imaging either.
PDF Generation
Today the most reliable method of
converting PostScript files is using the
»Acrobat Distiller« that permits optimum
setting of the size and quality of the PDF
file.
Because Distiller not only generates
high-end PDF but also creates PDF for
online applications, it is very important
to set the Distiller options correctly.
[Creation C19, Production P06]
In the future, most publishing applications will be able to export PDF directly. Adobe is giving software developers
access to its »PDF Library« so all applications will be able to generate PDF.
»PDFWriter« is a printer driver for
Apple Macintosh and Windows that converts graphic instructions of the operat-
Local data
WWW
Paper Original
PD
F
PDFExport
PDFWriter
Acrobat
Distiller
Web-Capture
Plug-in
PDF file
»PDFWriter« is not suitable for the generation
of PDF files for imaging purposes.
Capture
Plug-in
Acrobat
Capture
PDF files can be generated
using various methods.
Only Distiller and possibly
the direct export of PDF
from an application are
suitable methods for generating high-end PDF.
Once created, PDF files are completely
independent of the original application
and of the computer platform on which
the pages were originally created. Correctly generated PDF documents contain
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06
minute corrections are required just
before imaging. [Production P12]
Thanks to object-oriented data storage,
editing individual objects on a PDF page
is a simple task, and corrections do not
PDF – Simply Universal
all the data required for screen display
and for output on a printer, imagesetter,
or platesetter.
In addition to text, graphics, and
images, fonts can also be embedded in
PDF. However, this requires that the
options in the PDF creation process are
set correctly [Creation C19]. Otherwise,
Acrobat simulates the fonts, that sometimes can lead to undesirable effects .
[Creation C23]
Each PDF page is in itself complete.
Consequently, it is very simple to divide
a PDF document into individual pages.
This is particularly important when going
to imposition [Production P22]. PDF pages
can also be easily replaced, something
that is particularly advantageous if last-
affect the rest of the PDF document.
[Production P13]
Output reliability of PDF documents is
very high, as the data has already been
processed by a PostScript interpreter.
Unpleasant surprises caused by unexplained PostScript errors, a problem with
which any prepress operator is certainly
familiar, are more or less eliminated.
In most cases, output speed is also considerably higher with PDF than with the
output of a PostScript file, since Distiller,
as its name suggests, distills out all the
important data during PostScript interpretation and eliminates unnecessary
commands. A PostScript file that has been
exported from Acrobat will therefore be
smaller and will always be ripped faster
PDF files are complete
and compact.
than the original PS file, as it has already
been through a pre-interpretation process. [Production P20]
All types of data (color images, grayscale images, monochrome images or
text/vector graphics) can be compressed
individually using different methods. This
means that PDF files are usually somewhat smaller than the original layout files
and corresponding images.
[Management M13]
Font
Artwork
Images
Text
Job data
PDF
A PDF document is a data
container that holds all
the data for a job.
The use of PDF enables standardization
of page transfer. Regardless of the program and computer system used to create the layout, the result is always the same
– a PDF containing all the necessary data.
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07
Industry Standard
In the future, print shops (or prepress
service providers) shall only receive PDF
files for processing. No longer will anyone have to struggle with files from different programs and program versions or
search for missing illustrations or logos.
Even the necessary fonts can be embedded in the PDF file.
This obviously depends on an additional step being performed during the
page creation process – the generation
of the PDF file. Today Distiller is usually
used to do this, and is very simple to automate [Creation C27]. Version 4.0 includes
a new feature that enables the Distiller
settings to be customized by a prepress
provider or print shop and passed on to
all their data suppliers. [Production P07]
This makes generating a PDF file a simple operation, even for non-experts.
In the future, publishing applications
will be able to generate PDF directly with
the aid of the »Adobe PDF Library« .
PDF is recommended by the American
standards committee »CGATS« (Committee for Graphic Arts Technologies Stand-
ards) as the standard for transferring
advertisements and pages for printing.
The »ISO« (International Standards
Organization) is currently working on an
appropriate ISO standard based on the
PDF file format.
Page creation
Prepress
EPS
PHOT
O
PDF is the standard interface for transferring pages from company to company. This standardization creates greater reliability
and flexibility.
PDF is becoming the international standard for
exchanging advertisements and pages for printing.
There are various ways of outputting PDF
documents on an imagesetter or platesetter. The simplest method is direct output via a »Adobe PostScript 3« RIP. This
RIP can read PDF files directly via a hot
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08
PDF Output
folder and convert them to PostScript.
Color PDF documents are color-separated using the in-RIP separation facility. RGB
and Lab colors are also converted into
CMYK.
With older RIPs, the PDF files first need
to be converted into PostScript before
being ripped. This can be done quite simply using the print command in Acrobat.
If an in-RIP separation feature is not available, the pages also need to be color separated. [Production P15]
What should be done if several advertisements, that have been delivered as
PDF pages need to be placed on a newspaper or magazine page? Most modern
layout programs offer two options for
doing this:
• Direct placement of the PDF pages in
the layout document using the ”Placed
PDF” function. However, a conversion
to PostScript also takes place in the
background with this method.
[Production P18]
• Exporting the PDF pages into an EPS
(Encapsulated PostScript) file in Post-
Script level 1 format and placing them
into the layout. [Production P17]
Since separation of the CMYK colors is
performed by the layout program, the
EPS files have to be imported as PostScript
level 1. This procedure can be used to color-separate complete pages as well as for
advertisements!
Composite
PDF
PDF output can be performed on
any PostScript imagesetter.
PS L2-RIP
Composite PS
Acrobat
Hot Folder
Acrobat
Composite EPS
Layout
Sep. PS
PS 3-RIP
PS L1-RIP
Color-separated output of
PDF pages requires different workflows depending
on the PostScript RIP used.
PDF is to a certain extent the younger
brother of PostScript. The page description language PostScript was developed
during the early 80s to enable personal
computers – then lacking in power – to
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09
PDF, on the other hand, is a pure data
format that only contains the information required to output the pages. It is no
longer necessary to perform calculations
or carry out other procedures prior to out-
PS and PDF – Differences…
output complex pages containing text,
graphics, and images on a laser printer or
imagesetter. To do this, as much processing power as possible was transferred to
the computer driving the output device,
the Raster Image Processor (RIP).
PostScript is a full-grown programming
language, and every PostScript document
is a program that has to be interpreted
by the RIP. Of course, errors can occur during this process, and it is difficult to predict how long the RIP process will take.
Moreover, PostScript files often contain
device-specific commands that are not
understood by every output device. PostScript is therefore not particularly well
suited to rapid, reliable display of pages
on computer screens.
put. The output reliability of PDF is therefore considerably higher than that of
PostScript.
The greatest difference between PostScript and PDF is the fact that PDF is an
object-oriented data format, while PostScript programs have to run sequentially from beginning to end. It is very difficult to extract individual pages from a
PostScript file, since it is hard to know
whether a resource (e.g. a font) defined
on a previous page is required again on
the current page. This is also one of the
main problems for imposition programs,
whose task it is to arrange the individual
pages of a PostScript job in a different
order on different print signatures.
Object-oriented storage in the PDF data
format simplifies this task considerably.
A PDF file can be considered as a kind of
database in which the user has direct
access to all the elements placed on the
pages of a document are in direct access.
Individual pages can therefore be extracted from a PDF file and imported into
another PDF file without any problems.
All the resources including fonts required
to display the page are copied along with
the file. Acrobat 4.0 allows the user to
directly move, copy or delete individual
objects on a PDF page. These objects can
even be edited using suitable utilities.
[Production P13]
Rendering
Interpretation
Screening
Imaging
PS
PostScript is a programming language.
PDF is an object-oriented data format.
The RIP interprets, renders,
and screens a PostScript
file in one step.
The PostScript page description language and the PDF file format are based on the same graphic model. As a result, PostScript pages can be converted into PDF pages very easily using
»Acrobat Distiller«, and it is even simpler to convert them
back into PostScript again. [Production P20]
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preted, this process is usually much faster and more reliable
than ripping the original PS file. With PDF, the interpreter and
the renderer do not have to be in the same place at the same
time.
…and Similarities
The origin of the PDF data format lies in the display list that
is created as an interim format in a PostScript RIP. It is in the
display list that the PostScript interpreter stores all the calculated objects for a page in a uniform format.
In the second phase of PDF generation, the objects in the
display list are converted by the renderer into individual pixels (bytemap) in the resolution required for the targeted output device. Afterwards the contone pixels are screened.
The »Acrobat Distiller« contains a complete PostScript interpreter from Adobe. It interprets the commands of a PostScript
file and uses those to generate an object-oriented PDF document. Because Distiller does not have to generate bitmaps, it
does not need as many system resources (e.g. storage capacity, processing power) as a complete PostScript software RIP.
The bitmaps required to print a PDF page are generated
just before output in the Renderer of the printer, imagesetter,
or platesetter. Because the PDF file has already been inter-
Interpretation
Rendering
Screening
Imaging
PS
Display list
Interpretation
PS
PD
Bytemap
(contone)
Rendering
Bitmap
(screen dots)
Screening
Imaging
F
PDF file
(objects)
Bytemap
(contone)
Bitmap
(screen dots)
The display list is the precursor to the PDF
data format. In the PDF file, all page elements
are stored in an object-oriented format.
In a PDF workflow, the interpretation process, that is prone to
errors, can be performed much earlier than in a PostScript workflow.
Unlike a PostScript file, a PDF document cannot contain any
device control operators. This functionality is not provided for
in the PDF specification.
For this reason, Adobe had to develop a new method for
PDF to permit storage of control information that is unrelat-
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Portable Job Ticket Format
ed to the actual page content. For this purpose, they created
a new data format called »Portable Job Ticket Format« (PJTF)
that is very similar in structure to the PDF format. As with PDF,
PJTF stores information as hierarchical objects that can be
accessed directly with a program.
The separation of page content and processing instructions
increases flexibility during production. If changes are made
(e.g. paper quality) during the process, the individual data
elements no longer have to be opened in the original application in order to accommodate the changes (e.g. new values
for dot gain, screen frequency, trapping). Instead, the parameters are changed in the job ticket.
The following information can be stored in a portable job
ticket:
• Instructions for page processing (e.g. imposition layout, trapping rules)
• Output parameters (e.g. screen frequencies/angles, resolution)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Media (e.g. name, size, weight, chrominance)
Finishing (instructions for folding, cutting, binding, etc.)
CIP3 information (inksetting defaults for printing presses)
Delivery information (addresses, number of copies)
Scheduling (e.g. deadlines)
Administration (e.g. customer, customer or order number,
person in charge)
A portable job ticket contains information
about the job and can be embedded in a PDF
file, or stored as an independent file.
The Portable Job Ticket Format (PJTF) is possibly even more important to
the digital workflow than the Portable Document Format (PDF).
It is often not sufficient to simply output individual PDF pages.
Instead, the pages need to go through various processes, that
may include some or all of the following steps:
• Including high-resolution images (OPI),
• Checking data (preflight),
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12
Automated Output
• Optimizing images (downsampling the resolution, cropping
the images),
• Generating trapping,
• Converting colors (Color Management),
• Outputting page proofs,
• Imposing pages to create print signatures,
• Outputting form proofs,
• Imaging.
Refining
Page proof
Imposition
Modern workflow systems are based
on PDF and the portable job ticket.
These repetitive processes can be automated. Various manufacturers have been offering output workflow systems for
this purpose for a number of years. Most of them are closed
systems that work with proprietary data formats and sometimes with PostScript.
Thanks to PDF and the »Portable Job Ticket Format« [Basics
B11], a new generation of PDF workflow systems is now coming onto the market. These give the user the openness that he
has come to expect from front-end systems.
Adobe has developed a new workflow architecture for this
purpose. It is called »Adobe Extreme« [Basics B13], and is being
used by leading manufacturers as the basis for their PDF workflow systems. Although they have the same basis, these systems differ in the additional modules that they offer.
Form proof
Renderer
Imagesetter
Archive
In workflow systems all the processing steps
from the individual page through to the imaging of imposed print sheets are automated.
13
Adobe Extreme
This architecture was originally developed for digital printing, as Extreme permits a job to be prepared in parallel on
several Renderers. This technique is necessary for fast digital printing systems
capable of producing several hundred different pages per minute. Attaining this
speed is difficult with PostScript because
PS files must be processed in sequence.
PDF documents, on the other hand, can
be split up and processed on several Renderers. In Extreme, PS data is converted
to PDF using the »Normalizer«.
Manufacturers of CtP systems were
looking for a way to automate and speed
up the workflow steps involved in outputting pages. However, it was not so
much the parallel operation of process-
»Adobe Extreme« is the basis
for modern output workflow systems.
ation on the »Extreme« architecture especially for use in the prepress production.
[Production P33]
This »Extreme for Graphic Arts and Production Printing« is the basis of the workflow systems such as »Prinergy« by
Heidelberg/Creo. [Basics B14]
Coordinator
Normalizer
Sequencer
Other JTPs
Other JTPs
Other JTPs
Printer JTP
B
es that was of primary importance, but
rather the automated sequence of various processes (such as trapping and imposition).
They also wanted to apply the advantages of PDF to these tasks. Therefore, in
1998, Adobe Systems developed a vari-
Job Submission
Client
Some years ago, Adobe developed a new
architecture, code-named »Supra« designed
to automate workflows when outputting
pages. Once released commercially, the
system was named »Adobe Extreme«.
P PD
PDDF F
PD
F F
Page
Store
The data format used by
»Adobe Extreme« is PDF.
PostScript files are converted
to PDF by the »Normalizer«
and stored in the »Page Store«.
Within their joint venture, Heidelberg
and Creo have developed an output
workflow system based on »Adobe
Extreme«, the Portable Job Ticket format,
and the PDF data format. The product
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14
the background. ”Process plans” are used
to control the workflows and set to the
parameters for the various processes. The
process plans are defined in the Portable
Job Ticket format and then executed by
the »Job Ticket Processors« (JTP) in the
»Extreme« system. The instructions they
contain are then executed.
Prinergy System
was pre-sented for the first time in September 1999 at the Seybold Conference
in San Francisco, and is called »Prinergy«.
In addition to the modules licensed
from Adobe, Prinergy also incorporates
some exclusive components developed
by Heidelberg and Creo. These include
Color Management, the trapping functions (incl. an interactive Trap Editor), the
»Virtual Proof System« and a database
for managing job tickets.
Prinergy is a client/server system. Page
processing is performed on one or more
NT servers, and Java applications on any
Macintosh or Windows computer in the
network can be used for operation.
The objective of the system is to let as
many processing steps as possible run in
Mac/NT Client
Iris Proof
Signastation
Form Proof
Prinergy
Render Station
Trendsetter
Prinergy
Primary Server
Prinergy
Secondary Server
»Prinergy« is the first complete
PDF workflow system.
Delta
Workstation
Herkules Elite
The »Prinergy« system is scaleable. Additional servers can be used to match performance to the needs of the user.
Every company has its own way of doing
things. Even within a company, different
jobs may require a number of specific
workflows. That's why the »Prinergy« system allows the user to set up their own
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15
Process Plans
customized workflows in the form of
”process plans”. These process plans control the job ticket processors (JTP) in
»Prinergy«.
They determine the sequence in which
a job goes through the processes, and
they also contain the parameters for the
control of the individual processes. The
process plans are stored in the Portable
Job Ticket format.
The process plans are defined by the
system administrator using the process
plan editor [Production P34], independently of the individual jobs. The process
plans are available to each operator
(depending on his access status) and are
activated by dragging the job onto the
required process plan (see illustration).
Splitting the definition of the workflows in the process plans (a one-off operation) from the actual production of the
jobs greatly simplifies and standardizes
the production process. It reduces errors
and makes output a routine operation
that can be performed by any team member. It is therefore quite conceivable that
a printer on the late shift, without any
special system training, might re-image
a plate that has been damaged while
being clamped onto the press.
In a »Prinergy« system, several clients
can access the system simultaneously and
process their jobs directly.
Process plans contribute greatly to the
automation and standardization of workflows.
Process plans are user defined and can be shared
amongst the team.
When a new job is set up in the »Prinergy« database, the pages are loaded into
the system. The data can be imported in
various formats and are converted into
PDF when necessary (see illustration).
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16
been made, an imposition plan is assigned
to the job. Now a form proof can be printed on a plotter for final checking. If everything is as it should be, the job is sent to
the ”Hi-Res renderer” of the output
process. The data for the CIP3/PPF file is
also generated during this step [Production P42]. Finally, the job data (PDF pages,
job tickets, imposition plan) are archived
on DLT tapes. [Production P43]
Prinergy Workflow
The system also works with hot folders, that allow local users to print their
data directly. Each hot folder is connected to a process plan.
The pages are first put through the
»refining« process to prepare them for
final output. This step also involves checking the data for completeness. The result
is a ”digital master” containing all the
data required for imaging.
[Production P35]
The next step is to output the pages on
a page proofer for checking purposes.
The integrated Color Management system is used to simulate the color space
of the printing press. Once the proof
prints have been approved by the customer and any necessary corrections have
PS
CEPSLink
PS
TIFF-I
T
PS
DCS
DCS
DCS
DCS
Most prepress processes can be
automated using »Prinergy«.
Copydot Toolkit
Normalizer
In addition to PDF pages,
Prinergy also processes
PostScript data. TIFF-IT
and DCS files are first converted into composite
PostScript using »CEPSLink« or the »Copydot
Toolkit« from Creo.
By separating interpretation and rendering [Basics B10], the »Prinergy« PDF
workflow system has enabled a whole
new approach to output. The refining
process creates a ”digital master”, that
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17
dpi). The rendering process converts the
PDF data respecting the abilities of the
output device (resolution, color, screen).
The quality of text and graphics is therefore much better than in systems that,
New Output Philosophy
is already interpreted and contains all
the elements required for high-resolution imaging. To output the PDF pages,
all that is requires is to render them.
[Production P41]
In an output workflow system, the
same page usually has to be output on
different devices – first on a page proofing device, and then on a plotter to create the form proof, and finally imaged
on film or plate. The basis for all these
outputs in »Prinergy« is the “digital master“ in PDF format. Before each output
the page is rendered for the particular
output device. In »Prinergy« this task is
performed by a ”low-res renderer” (for
resolutions of up to 1000 dpi) and a ”hires renderer”(for resolutions above 1000
separated data that is often already
screened for the imagesetter. It is obviously important in this new procedure
that the same software is used in the renderer for all output processes so that the
same results can be achieved on different output devices. »Prinergy« uses an
original Adobe Renderer for this purpose.
prior to print-out on a proofing device,
have to downsample high-resolution, pre-
The new slogan is:
Interpret once – render many.
Refining
Renderer
The pages are only interpreted once and then
optimally rendered for
each output process.
The use of the two standard formats
»Portable Document Format« (PDF) for
the definition of page contents and
»Portable Job Ticket Format« (PJTF) for
job parameters permits considerable
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PDF + PJTF = CIM
automation of the output process. Nowadays the job ticket is created in workflow systems such as »Prinergy« and used
primarily for system control and data storage.
But there is a lot more to the portable
job ticket than that. It also allows job
information to be collected far earlier in
the workflow and exchanged between
all those involved in the print production
process. This information can also be utilized in the steps following plate imaging, and can be used for automation.
It is therefore essential that the
portable job ticket will be used far more
widely in future. Job tickets could be setup and partially filled in already by the
customer or an MIS software (e.g. for job
estimation). A considerable amount of
information about the job that will be
needed later on is already available at
this stage (e.g. customer, number of
copies, paper format, etc.).
In future, all programs used in the production of print originals will need to be
able to process job tickets.
The objective is to store the job ticket
information in the relevant data formats
and pass it on with the page contents.
Digital job information is transferred
alongside the digital pages.
With PDF this is already possible today.
This is the only way that the printing
industry can depart from its currently
rather craftsman-like style of working and
progress to industrial production. Thanks
to the portable job ticket and PDF, »Computer-Integrated Manufacturing« (CIM)
is no longer very far away.
PDF and the portable job
ticket permit industrialstyle production in the
prepress stage.
PDF files facilitate communication
between all those involved in the production of print originals.
For example, a layout technician or
designer can send the results of his work
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Corrections
strikethrough, underlining, marker pen,
note, stamp, pencil, rectangle and line.
It is even possible to attach complete
files to a PDF document or to record verbal comments and store them in the PDF
document.
The recipient can add his comments
directly on an ”electronic layer” laid over
the PDF page (see illustration). He can
send back the whole corrected PDF file
or just the exported layer with his comments to the creator of the page.
It is even possible to import several of
such exported layers with comments from
different people into a single PDF file (see
illustration).
electronically to his customers as a PDF
document for assessment.
[Management M10]
Since PDF files are relatively small, they
can be sent as part of a regular e-mail
without any problems, even with large
projects. [Management M14]
The recipient does not need to have
the same software used to create the
pages, he simply opens the PDF file in
Acrobat. The Reader, supplied free of
charge with Acrobat, is sufficient to allow
him to view and print out the pages.
However, the Reader does lack a few of the
interesting functions of the full program.
»Acrobat 4.0« contains special functions for adding notes and corrections.
A range of tools is available, and includes
With PDF, corrections can
be exchanged electronically.
»Acrobat 4.0« offers a
range of tools for making
annotations. A comment
can be entered for each
annotation.
Remote proofing is certain to be one of
the most interesting applications of PDF
in prepress production.
Remote proofing allows prepress service providers, advertising agencies and
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Remote Proofing
printer also has to be characterized in a
color profile. The quality of the inkjet
printers available on the market has
improved dramatically over the last few
months. At the same time the prices of
A3+ models are coming down. It will
therefore not be long before these print-
ers are within reach of anyone dealing
with printed matter. Many print shops are
even planning to make a printer available to their best customers free of
charge. The savings made in proofs, transport costs and valuable time will more
than compensate for this investment.
graphic artists to transmit their layouts
as PDF files via ISDN or over the Internet
to a customer, who can output the pages
a few minutes later on an inkjet printer
that can now be purchased for just a few
thousand dollars. True-color output is
ensured by a Color Management system.
In PDF 1.3, input profiles – that characterize the colors in the PDF file – can be
embedded in accordance with the ICC
standard (International Color Consortium) [Creation C25]. When printed on
an inkjet printer, the ICC output profile
for the printing press will be used with
the correct paper, thereby harmonizing
the color space of the inkjet printer with
that of the planned printed product.
Obviously, the color behavior of the inkjet
Remote proofing is an interesting
new application of PDF.
»PressReady« from Adobe
is a cost-effective remote
proofing application for
PDF files.
PDF is not just restricted to use in prepress production. It was originally
intended as a data format for digital publications. With the use of PDF for digital
publications the pages are created in var-
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The »Acrobat Catalog« program can
be used to generate a full-text index, that
allows words or combinations of words
to be searched and located in a few seconds in large PDF collections.
Further Applications of PDF
ious publishing programs and printed to
a PostScript file. Converting PostScript
into PDF using »Acrobat Distiller« is a
simple process that can even be automated. [Creation C27]
The next step is to prepare the PDF
documents for interactive use on the
monitor. The Acrobat program is used for
this purpose. This software allows users
to define ”hypertext links” to other pages
or documents.
In order to allow larger amounts of text
to be read comfortably on the monitor,
bookmarks and article threads can be
added. The form tool can be used to add
fillable fields and buttons that perform
various actions, such as sending a completed PDF form to a web sever.
PDF documents prepared in such ways
can be used for a whole range of interesting applications (see box).
PDF is the universal data format
for print and new media.
Possible applications
for PDF
• CD-ROM with annual editions of
magazines or technical manuals
(with full-text search function).
• Electronic catalogs with ordering
feature.
• Publication of printed matter on
the Internet (e.g. annual reports,
sales brochures, magazine articles).
• Interactive publications with
video and sound (e.g. product
presentations).
• Full-page archives of newspapers,
magazines, product information
(with full-text search function).
• Electronic order forms
In addition to page transfer,
PDF can also be used for a wide
range of other applications in
prepress like CD-ROM or the
Internet.
PDF technology is of vast importance to
the graphic arts industry for a number of
reasons. PDF is the direct digital replacement for film as an exchange medium
and archiving. PDF will improve and sim-
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Summary
plify cooperation between all partners
involved in the production of printed
matter. It will also promote standardization and automation in production. In the
future, the portable job ticket will extend
this automation beyond output workflow
systems. PDF also provides traditional
prepress service providers with an ideal
interface to new media such as CD-ROM
and the Internet, opening up new areas
of activity for these companies.
The changeover to PDF is set to occur
more quickly than the transition to PostScript ten years ago. There are several reasons for this. This time, manufacturers
and users agree that PDF is the right way.
With PostScript and desktop publishing,
on the other hand, there were a lot of
initial disagreement. This time, the transition can take place smoothly, because
PDF and PostScript workflows can be
operated in parallel to each other.
Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that PDF is still in the early stages of
development. Many publishing applications do not yet support PDF properly.
Layout and graphic software need to
improve the way they support composite workflow [Production P30]. Prepress
applications (imposition, OPI, trapping)
need to be able to process PDF directly
without conversion into other data formats. Adobe needs to incorporate the
major prepress functions directly into
Acrobat (first of all color separations).
op innovative products aimed at restricted groups of users at a reasonable cost,
and to bring them to market rapidly.
PDF has a bright future in the graphic
arts industry. It really is worthwhile getting a handle on this new technology!
Acrobat is set to become the basic
application for professional prepress
tools. In the future, software manufacturers will no longer have to develop complete applications, but will instead be able
to program special functions as plug-ins
for Acrobat. This makes it possible for
small independent developers to devel-
PDF is set to change the graphic arts industry
just as radically as PostScript did ten years ago.
PDF is not a remedy for all
current prepress problems.
But PDF is able to solve
quite a number of known
problems.
The author, Stephan Jaeggi, is a wellknown PDF expert in Europe. He has
already introduced thousands of professionals to the secrets of PDF in over one
hundred seminars and numerous lectures.
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About the Author
He also receives regular invitations to the
Seybold conferences in the USA to speak
on the subject of PDF. Stephan Jaeggi is
co-author of the white paper »PDF for
prepress« presented in New York in March
1998.
This white paper and a great deal more
information about PDF can be found on
Stephan Jaeggi's web server (Internet
address as below).
The German-language newsletter
»PDF-Aktuell« is also published on this
server, and provides a summary of the latest news on PDF. Everybody can subscribe
to this newsletter free of charge at
www.prepress.ch/pdf-aktuell.html.
Our author has been working on PDF
technology since 1991, when he first
heard about PDF and »Carousel« (the
code name for »Acrobat«) at the Seybold
conference.
Shortly after, he set up his own business and founded the company PrePressConsulting, based in Binningen near Basel
in Switzerland. During its early years, the
company offered a wide range of consultancy and support services for prepress
companies and printshops. Since 1996,
PrePress-Consulting has been concentrating exclusively on PDF.
After leaving college in 1978, Stephan
Jaeggi did a practical course in a printshop and went on to study at the Swiss
School of Engineering for Printing and
Packaging. He graduated with an
HTL/ESIG qualification in print engineering.
He then worked as a systems manager in a large print shop, where he was
responsible for the evaluation, installation and operation of a large mainframe
typesetting system (using HELL Digiset
imagesetters).
He was then appointed Secretary for
IT at the Swiss Association of Graphic
Further information on PDF and the »PDF-Aktuell«
newsletter is available at http://www.prepress.ch
Arts Companies (now VISCOM), a position that enabled him to assist the 1200
member companies with the introduction of PostScript and DTP technologies.
Stephan Jaeggi has been
an enthusiastic advocate
of PDF technology for
some years. He is also
well-known as an
informed critic of vendors.
The electronic version of the
"vision+work" brochures is very simple.
The buttons on the right-hand side of the
page are used to navigate between the
pages.
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24
in the basic settings ”File>Preferences>General... CMD+K”. These settings
are only important for the off-line version. They have no impact in the Internet.
Instructions for Use
The pages have an article thread.
Clicking on a column enlarges the text
to full screen width. Clicking again calls
up the next screen fill.
Hypertext links are built into the text.
These lead to pages containing related
topics [Basics B02]. Clicking on one of
these links opens the relevant page. The
top button ”Previous View” takes you
back to your previous page.
The links not only take you to pages
in the same brochure, but also to pages
in the other files. Unfortunately, with its
standard settings, Acrobat closes the first
file when you jump to another one. It is
therefore important to disable the ”Open
Cross-Doc Links in Same Window” option
The ”Find” button can be used to
search for words in the brochures. A fulltext index is also supplied on the CD-ROM.
This allows you to search through all the
brochures. Unfortunately, this does not
work on the Internet, so the normal
search function of the Reader is called up
in the Internet version of the brochures.
You will find further information about
how to use the Reader under ”Help>
Reader Guide”.
The program is closed using the command ”File>Quit”.
Previous view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Next page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Previous page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of content . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bookmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Find again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Imprint
Author:
Stephan Jaeggi, PrePress-Consulting
Greatest care has been taken in compiling the information in this publication and, whenever possible,
Co-author:
Bernd Zipper, ZIPCON Consulting GmbH
checks were made to see that the information was correct. Despite this, errors cannot be fully excluded.
Editor:
Gabriele Butzke, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Some information came directly from the manufacturers and could not be verified. Neither author nor
Kimberly Lawrence, Creo Products Inc.
publisher assume any warranty or liability for damages that may occur through the application of the
Derek Robinson, Linguatext
information contained in this brochure. Please also note that software is the object of this application
Carolyn Healy
and as such is prone to errors and that problems in application of software can never be excluded.
Layout and Design:
Lemon Design GmbH
These pages were written in August 1999 and are based on Acrobat version 4.01, PDF version 1.3 and
Illustrations:
Uwe Faerber, Designwerk
the preliminary version of Prinergy 1.0. Improvements in later versions could not be included. This
Production:
ZIPCON Consulting GmbH
brochure reflects the opinion of the author and must not coincide with that of the publisher. This
Pictures:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG,
brochure was originally written in German. Errors in translation cannot be excluded.
Translation:
PhotoDisc Deutschland,
Uwe Faerber, Designwerk,
Prepress:
Copyright:
Adobe Systems,
Special thanks to Photodisc Germany GmbH for providing the images for
ZIPCON Consulting GmbH
this brochure series. Photodisc in the Internet: www.photodisc.com
Prinergy, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Siemenswall
D-24107 Kiel
Trademarks
Subject to changes and modifications without notice. Quickmaster-DI, Signasetter, Heidelberg, Herkules,
Signastation are registered trademarks; Delta is a trademark of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
Creo, Prinergy, Virtual Proof System, Copy Dot Toolkit, Trendsetter and other products are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Creo Products Incorporated.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, the Acrobat logo, Acrobat Capture, Distiller, Adobe Type Manager,
ATM, Illustrator, PageMaker, Photoshop and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of MicrosoftCorporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Apple, Macintosh, Mac, Power Macintosh and TrueType
are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Aktiengesellschaft
Siemenswall
D-24107 Kiel
Germany
www.heidelberg.com
CREO PRODUCTS INC.
3700 Gilmore Way
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5G 4M1
www.creo.com
vision+work is a series of
practical support tools
from Heidelberg. It serves
as a platform for experts in
new technologies and
applications to offer useful
advice and production tips.
www.visionwork.net
vision+work is available
either on CD-ROM for PC
and Mac, online on the
Internet, or as a printed
brochure.