Hi! I have been using Quark 4 and Acrobat Pro 7 to create pdfx1a files (via Distiller in Quark) for several years now, and just upgraded to Acrobat Standard 8. Of course now the process is different and I'm having trouble figuring out how to do it.
In Quark, I'm choosing Acrobat PDF as my default printer, and have the settings for Press chosen. In Quark, I have chosen 3600 dpi and full resolution TIFF output. I've adjusted the paper size to accomodate my bleeds, and the resulting PDF file LOOKS correct on screen. The bleeds, registration marks, etc are all there. However, the file size is the exact same size I get when I use the settings for web file output!
I'm worried that this won't print correctly. Is there a step by step tutorial somewhere on how to do this? The confusion is coming in with having to adjust settings in both the Acrobat menus, AND the Quark menus. In the old version, Quark would output a postscript file, which I'd open in Distiller and create the pdfx1a from there. (And using Distiller here is not helping - it doesn't have a pdfx1a choice so I'm totally lost!).
Thank you for any advice.
The first issue is Acrobat Standard. You really should have Professional for print applications. It has Preflighting and offers PDF/X and a vareity of other standards.
However, you can (and should) get a set of PDF Creation settings from your print vendor. When you install them, Distiller will allow you to create a PDF using those settings. This is generally better than PDF/X, because it accounts for all of the requirements your specific print vendor may have--some of which may not be in the PDF/X specification (for example, PDF/x allows for a low-resolution graphics in a PDF).
As for the Quark settings, I'll need to refer you to Quark for that. I use InDesign in part because it offers an export with one group of settings.* I don't know what print settings are appropriate for creating PostScript for PDF creation out of XPress.
*Yes, I am an Adobe employee now, but I made this same statement as a digital print shop owner.
I am a long-time Acrobat user, an employee of Adobe Systems, and Maine native. I have created training videos for Total Training, consulted with people to help them better use Acrobat, and developed new business for Adobe as a Business Development Manager