No layers appear after using the preflight "fix-up"

Hi saj,

Are you closing the PDF down and then re-opening? This has to occur for the layers to be displayed. I just tried myself and it does work (creates a layer called 'text').

On the import-a-layer option, are these PDFs secured by any chance?

Let us know, keen to help,

Take care

Jon

Hi jon,

What I have discovered is that when I create a PDFx4 file from InDesign (uncertain if the this holds true for Quark, too) the option of layers is not available. It works on all the other exporting options, except for the PDFx's.

We are a printing shop and recommend our customers to use the PDFx4 settings (with our profiles, etc.). I have tried to create a pdf using the InDesign supplied PDFx4 settings and receive the same results.

I have found a work-around, but it involves a few more steps. I create a new pdf page the same size as my document, then import the pdfx file in as a layer, then the layer option is available again.

Am I missing an option or something that would make PDFx4 files have the ability to have layers? I am not as concerned about layers coming out of InDesign, as I know PDFx4 does not allow this. However, we "Version" files frequently and this option has become a valued tool.

any help greatly appreciated.

sara

Hi sara,

Acrobat has 2 ways a showing layers (or optional content, as it is called in PDF term).

1) showing layers the way you set them up in InDesign and exported the PDF as PDF 1.5 with the option to preserve layers. The technical term for these layers is OCG - Optional Content Group. But this is not the way to describe layers in PDF/X-4. Therefor when you export a PDF out of Indesign as PDF/X-4, this option to preserve layers is not available. InDesign can not yet export PDF/X-4 with layers (see. 2)

2) showing, as we at callas software call it, layer-views. The technical term for that is OCCD - Optional Content Configuration Dictionary. What that is is described further down in this thread. As soon as you have a PDF/X-4 file with such layer information (like your way of putting objects on a layer - or optional content) you will see at least an OCCD with the name "Default Configuration". This is because there is only one layer-view available in this PDF, as no other OCCDs are defined.

You can imagine an OCCD as being a defined view with certain layers activated and deactivated. Imagine a multi-language document. Having all language layers on is a mess on the screen. You have to switch layers on/off in order to get your desired view. As the X in PDF/X stands for "Blind-Xchange", every view has to be defined in an unambiguous way. How, otherwise, a system should know which layers to turn on/off for output in an automated envirenoment.
A layer view (OCCD) percisely defines which optional content (layers) have to be turn on/off in order to see the right result on screen.

As you can see the concept of layers in PDF is complete different form layers in creation applications (as of now). In PDF we are talking of optional content, therefor, as there are not really layers.

OCCDs and OCGs can reside in any PDF file (PDF 1.5). Only Acrobat will show you the visible OCGs when the PDF is not PDF/X-4 and the OCCDs when viewing a PDF/X-4 file. This can be very confusing.

The only available desktop application (as of now) that lets you create/modify such OCCD's is pdfToolbox 4 from callas software. Please have a look at www.callassoftware.com , download a test-version, export a PDF with layers and play around with the "Explore Layers" tool. When you created your own OCCDs, save the file as PDF/X-4. pdfToolbox 4 runs as a plug-in inside of Adobe Acrobat or as a standalone version. Server version is available as well.

Hope I could bring some light in this misunderstood "dark area" of PDF and optional content.