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appropriate way to deal with images w/many layers, very complex

Forum Index > Printing & Prepress > appropriate way to deal with images w/many layers, very complex
2010-01-08 23:10:47
oompa_l
Registered: Jan 8 2010
Posts: 4

Hi

I have a pdf that was produced out of indesign which referenced in illustrator work but it is composed of many layers and a tone of vector linework and my printer says the file is so heavy it is crashin their machine. I'm able to print the document in my office, though it is quite clunky. I'm wondering what optimizations I should take to make it more manageable.

It seems, that flattening is only an option if I were to downsave to an older ps dependent version of the pdf format. Is there a more current version that will preserve appearance but cimplify layers - Specifically, there is alot of information that is simply covered by other objects which could easily be removed without being visible. I can do this manually, but it would be more ideal if an optimization process could sort out which information can actually be discarded....any tips are very much appreciated

thanks

My Product Information:
Acrobat Pro Extended 9.0, Windows
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2010-01-09 02:30:40
#1
UVSAR
Expert
Registered: Oct 29 2008
Posts: 1357
Print from InDesign into PDF/X-1a:2001 - this will flatten the document, convert it to CMYK, and embed fonts; basically everything that your printer needs. It's what that preset is there for.

There's no point in trying to preserve any of the "new" features - if what you're looking at can't exist on a sheet of paper, it has no business being in the document sent to the printer.
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2010-01-09 10:05:15
#2
oompa_l
Registered: Jan 8 2010
Posts: 4
no other options huh? and what will happen to my gradients, ink modes etc etc?

i dont know if I said it before or not, but the document can indeed exist on a piece of paper - I was able to print on a really old laser printer, for some reason, though, the external printers had problems with the file.
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2010-01-09 15:56:47
#3
UVSAR
Expert
Registered: Oct 29 2008
Posts: 1357
PDF/X-1 converts every object into CMYK, so any spot colors in your document will become process. If you're sending a document with spots and your printer needs them intact, use PDF/X-4 but be sure your printer can accept an X-4 file, as it has a whole lot of other stuff in it their RIP can choke on (such as layer trees and transparency).

Gradients in ID will stay as gradients in PDF/X, fonts stay as fonts and vector art stays vector, though any transparent effects (drop shadows etc.) will be flattened in /X-1, so if you have transparent objects over vector objects, that bit of the page will be flattened to a bitmap. You can soft-proof in Acrobat to see what happens to both your original PDF and an /X version, as sent to different printers.

Unless the printer is working with a particularly advanced RIP, they'll usually flatten it anyway (so they can pull separations or print to CMYK-composite digital). Provided you don't need spots, you're just doing the work your end so you know it'll print exactly the same as your soft-proof looks.
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