PDF/X-1a:2001 Compliance

[AdobeAce]

Hi All,

I'm working on an ad in InDesign CS2. According to the publication, the ad should be supplied as a PDF/X-1a Acrobat. The magazine's directions say that the layout should be printed to a Postscript file using a PPD that they supply. And then, Distilled as a PDF/X-1a Acrobat.

The look of this ad campaign uses Transparency. And I know that Acrobat 4 (which a PDF/X-1a is) does NOT support Transparency.

My question to the production pros out there -- does this work? Does the act of "PRINTING" to a Postscript file automatically flatten the Transparency, so that there will not be issues with the Acrobat 4 file? I won't get strange dark areas around soft drop shadows because Acrobat 4 doesn't understand the Transparency involved?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

:)

[DCurry]

Yes, printing to a PS file will flatten transparency. Just make sure that you choose the High Res setting in the Print dialog.

You'll also want to take advantage of the Flattener Preview in ID to make sure that items that are to remain vector will not being rasterized by the flattening process (they must be above nearby transparent objects in the stacking order.)

I take PS files from ID all the time into my RIP and it's fine - nothing weird goes on.

[AdobeAce]

Thanks Dan!

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear.

Ace

:)