Skip to main content
ORIGINDESIGN
Participating Frequently
Jan 19, 2025 1:49 PM UTC
Question

Illustrator - export to PDF warning

I have created a Custom Preset to output an Illustrator file for print based on the PDF X4 2008 already created by Adobe. When I try to use this Preset I get a warning as follows- 

The preset specifies Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) compatibility.
This will be reset to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) to ensure compliance
with the PDF/X (2003) standard with regard to transparency.

 

Despite the fact the preset uses PDF 1.6 this message appears and no amount of adjusting the settings seems to change it. If I use the same Preset in Indesign there are no warnings.

 

Using the Adobe Preset for PDF 1.6 (in Illustrator) seems OK, so not sure why when resaved with only a couple of modifications (bleed and compression) it gives this warning. 

13 replies

ORIGINDESIGNAuthor
Participating Frequently
Jan 23, 2025 5:42 PM UTC

Hi, yes, the pdf created does seem to be 1.6 so "should" be OK, but pretty lame that this happens on such expensive software. The real test is when a file is commercially printed, but this isn't an ideal way to test if I am paying for the reprint. Having a warning message but ignoring it is always slightly concerning, just in case it is occasionally genuine.

 

 

Translate
Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
Jan 19, 2025 2:23 PM UTC

Could you perhaps post a screenshot of the warning and when does this appear?

Translate
ORIGINDESIGNAuthor
Participating Frequently
Jan 19, 2025 2:55 PM UTC

Hi, yes, of course. The warning appears in the Summary section when I am exporting a pdf. The atatched shows the settings and the warning.

Translate
ORIGINDESIGNAuthor
Participating Frequently
Jan 19, 2025 10:17 PM UTC

This is the summary...

The issue arises when the Preset is saved and then used when saving/exporting a pdf. If the settings are changed first the only warning is about colour profiles, which also looks spurious as the colour settings for the document match the output, so not sure why they are being flagged. Maybe the 2 are linked?

I tried making the same preset in Illustrator CS6 and everything works as expected.

 

Translate
Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices