Creating PDF Files
PDF (Portable Document Format): PDF format is a standard for electronic document distribution worldwide and is our preferred file format. If saved properly, a PDF document preserves all of the fonts, formatting, graphics and color of any source document, regardless of application and platform used to create it.

In order to create a high-quality PDF with consistent results when separating for print, we recommend that you use Adobe Acrobat Distiller and follow the steps listed below:

1. Preflight your document making sure that all fonts that are used in your document are loaded and that all images are linked and updated.

2. Print a PostScript file from your page layout application (Quark, InDesign, etc.). You can find instructions on how to print PostScript files under Supported Software on the left-hand side of this page.

3. Distill the PostScript file following the Distiller settings listed in the PDF instruction files below.

Macintosh
  Distiller3_Mac.pdf
  Distiller4_Mac.pdf
  Distiller5_Mac.pdf
  Distiller6_Mac.pdf
  Distiller7_Mac.pdf
  Distiller8_Mac.pdf

Windows
  Distiller3_PC.pdf
  Distiller4_PC.pdf
  Distiller5_PC.pdf
If working in Windows with Distiller versions 6, 7 or 8, follow instructions for Mac platform listed above (settings are similar).



- We do not recommend using Distiller version 3. Several features have been added in later versions.

- If you are using any transparency functions in later versions of software such as InDesign 2 and Quark 6, you must upgrade to Acrobat Distiller version 5 or later. This creates a PDF version 1.4 or higher, which allows transparencies to print correctly. (Just because a transparency prints correctly from a desktop printer does not ensure that it will separate properly when sending to plate).