Problems using Acrobat 9 with InDesign CS2

[B***@adobeforums.com]

We have just upgraded from Acrobat 7 to version 9 but are still using CS2 for everything else(don't ask!!!). However, when we use the Adobe pdf presets, they still seem to be using the version 7 job options. I've tried to load up the new job options (from C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe PDF\Settings) but it says 'cannot import presets from this file'.

IT are not being very helpful with this, so I need help please! Microsoft office seems to be using version 9, and I can make a postscript file using version 9 in the print window of InDesign, but for some reason I can't get the programme to recognise the new presets.

Thanks v much

[P***@adobeforums.com]

How are you trying to load them?

[B***@adobeforums.com]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[P***@adobeforums.com]

OK.

I see the same thing when I try to move some of them into the folder, too, and when I try to browse to them to "load" the problem settings don't show up, nor can I open all of them by double-clicking (though most will).

I don't know for sure, but I suspect there must be some code used that is not recognized by the PDF 7 library (which is ID CS2's internal PDF export engine).

Is there a particular joboption you need to use? Can you create a custom file that uses the same settings within CS2? (I tried making a copy of the PDF/X-4:2008 file in ID CS4, for example, which didn't work, but I can create a similar file from scratch which does work as long as I don't try to use a compliance standard setting).

Peter

[B***@adobeforums.com]

Hi Peter

Thanks for looking at this for me.

We were advised to get the latest version of Acrobat by our web team, in order to create pdfs with the most up to date accessibility features. (Not sure what extra features it has compared to version 7 though!)

If the pdfs that are created in InDesign say they have used PDF Library 7, does does this mean there was no point in us upgrading? I'm not sure what happens - does it use distiller 9, but with the settings from version 7??

Ideally we want to set up all the accessibility in the InDesign doc (tags, etc) and then use Acrobat 9 to make the pdf, so that we don't need to go back into the pdf and add all this sort of stuff retrospectively. Do you think it will make a difference whether it uses 7 or 9?

Sorry, I'm getting myself a bit confused!

[P***@adobeforums.com]

Hi Beth,

When you use InDesign to EXPORT a PDF you don't use Acrobat at all in the "making" process. InDesign has an internal PDF engine, or library, that it uses, and in the case of CS2 that's the PDF Library version 7.

You "could" PRINT to PDF using Distiller 9, but distilled PDF doesn't support any of those "Advanced" features like interactive elements or transparency, so that isn't going to be a solution either. The only way you are going to get more advanced features out of InDesign directly is to upgrade InDesign.

Are you unable to set up the tags you want now? I'm not sure how much you will gain by upgrading (I make PDFs for print, so I don't use a lot of the other features) if you don't need to embed video or Flash or use page transitions.

Peter

[D***@adobeforums.com]

Peter,

May I ask for clarification on your statement...

You "could" PRINT to PDF using Distiller 9, but distilled PDF doesn't
support any of those "Advanced" features like interactive elements or
transparency, so that isn't going to be a solution either.




I understand that by Printing (as opposed to Exporting) to PDF I lose the interactivity of, say, a clickable logo, but Printing has actually enhanced my use of transparency--by eliminating the dreaded darker text that occurs when there is any transparency on a page. But such things as drop shadows and various blending modes work out just fine.

Were you referring to something else in your statement?

Dave

[P***@adobeforums.com]

David,

When you print to PDF (or Distill in two steps), your transparency gets flattened BEFORE the PDF is made, so the transparency is not really there, just the "appearance" of the transparency. Exporting to PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5) or later keeps the transparency "Live" in the PDF so that flattening can be handled in the RIP, as well as eliminating flattening artifacts (referred to as stitching, which appear as thin white lines along the borders of transparent regions in front of a colored background) during on-screen viewing.

Although Illustrator is not a general purpose PDF editing tool, it can be instructive to do a little demonstration of the difference in the structure of the same file exported and printed to PDF. Start by placing a photograph as a background, then use one of InDesign's shape tools to put a filled shape in front of the photo, and apply a drop shadow to the shape. Export and print using the Press Quality preset (which will keep the transparency live in the export, but the printed PDF will be flattened, despite its PDF 1.4 compatibility).

First, you'll probably see stitching in Acrobat on the printed version, and it may be lighter in appearance overall than the exported version. Now open the two version in Illustrator. Open the layers panel and keep expanding the groups until you are able to isolate the shape and drop shadow elements (in the exported version the shadow will probably be grouped with a clipping mask, while in the printed version the shadow may be in several pieces and has been burned into a copy of the background photo). Try to select the shape and shadow and move them relative to the background.

Mostly, though, I was referring to the fact that you can't use bookmarks, buttons, or other interactive elements in Printed PDF.