PDFs are the preferred file for many print providers. A PDF can be set up to give your printing company all the information they need to eliminate problems, avoid delays, and print your project exactly as you intend it.
Imagine this, you’ve just finished designing your print project. On your screen it looks fantastic and you are eagerly looking forward to all the compliments and praise you will receive from friends and colleagues. You send off the completed file to the printer and await the return of your masterpiece.
But then the printer calls. “I’m sorry,” they say, “but your fonts are missing. And the transparencies aren’t flattened.” Or maybe they flat out tell you they cannot print your file.
What is happening here? What is wrong with the design you worked so hard on?
In simple terms, some files one uses to print at home or in the office aren’t designed to include all the information a professional print provider needs. An application like Microsoft Word prints by using the information in the file you are working with, and also information stored on your computer such as fonts and color settings. But when you take that file to a print provider, it doesn’t bring all that information on your computer with it.
This is where a PDF solves a lot of potential problems. Here are 3 reasons why:
1. Everything your print provider needs is there.
When you save a PDF on your computer you are creating a complete little package with all the components your file needs. All the fonts you used, all the color information, and many other settings are stored in the file itself. This means when you hand it off to your printer, they now have all that information too. This helps ensure what the print provider sees on her screen will match what you see on your screen at home or the office.
This explains the PDF’s name – Portable Document Format. The PDF is packed and ready to travel.
2. Embedded fonts mean fewer issues
One of the most frequent issues we encounter with customer files are font issues. Corrupted fonts, incompatible versions, or just plain missing fonts are all unfortunately very familiar.
But why does this even happen?
When you are using a program like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, the software you use creates a reference to the fonts, but doesn’t store them in the file. When the software needs font information, it knows where the font is on your computer and grabs the information it needs. But when you bring that file to your printer, if you don’t have the fonts included, the software won’t know where to look for the font. Often it will replace the font with another one that will totally change your design. And that’s not good.
Instead, when you create a PDF for your design, a copy of each necessary font is added into the PDF file itself. This is a process known as embedding. When the PDF opens on your computer, your print provider’s computer, or anyone’s computer, all the fonts are there and correct and looking the way you want them. This way the print provider doesn’t have to keep going back and forth to make sure that the fonts are included, in the correct versions, and without any corruption issues.
3. PDFs remain editable for printing
A main advantage of the PDF is that it stores your design in a way that isn’t changing. As we said, its the same on any computer you open it on. It can also prevent someone or some computer mistakenly changing something in the file.
Yet from a printer’s perspective many elements can still be modified within a PDF. We can make adjustments to match our equipment settings, and prepare a file to print in cost-effective ways. Most printers have software that will allow them to open up a PDF and make the changes they need for printing. One can do this without worrying that they will alter the rest of the design or unintentionally change something.
This can save time, money, and headaches for everyone involved
PDFs are an industry standard. From one print provider to the next, whether for print or digital display, they allow a consistent and unchanging view of what the file should look like. And they also include enough information that if something does go wrong, the issue can usually be quickly and easily found and addressed.
Of course we have to mention that all jobs are different and the requirements for those jobs may require something other than a PDF. But 9 times out of 10 the PDF is the perfect format.
For more information on PDFs and all the various formats of them, check here at Adobe’s site.
If you have questions about your files, feel free to ask below, or give us a call, we would be happy to help you.
cutpasteandprint Printing, graphic design, binding, and promotional product specialists in Huntingdon Valley, PA. We proudly serve the Bucks and Montgomery County areas with superior quality, great customer service, and a commitment to getting you and your the best possible printed materials. Our services include: Digital Printing, Offset Printing, Graphic Design, Promotional Items, Bindery, and Copying.
estimating@cutpasteandprint.com • 215.364.3898
