In Acrobat Pro, Save as PDF/X misaligns outlined text

Hi. Thanks for your reply.

1. Platform is Windows 11.
2. Adobe Acrobat Pro 2026.001.21789 (64-bit)
3. Yes. The original renders correctly.
4. Both on screen and when printed.

I tried “Flatten transparency” and then saving as X-4. Same problem. The original file is indeed generated, but I cannot know exactly how it was generated. Nor can I change it. The library used seems to use Skia to convert an SVG text with outline to this PDF format.

You cannot reproduce this on your end?

Hello @hd16754900,

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. Sorry for the trouble you had.

Could you please share more details about the issue?

1. Which platform are you using: A) Windows or B) macOS?

2. What exact Acrobat Pro version/build is installed?

3. Does the misalignment occur only after converting the attached outlined-text-ok.pdf to PDF/X-4 (Coated FOGRA39), while the original PDF renders correctly?

4. Does the converted outlined-text-fogra39.pdf show the same fill/outline offset both on screen and when printed, or only on screen?

Please note that in the attached PDF, the "outlined text" is built from two stacked layers: a yellow fill and a black outline, drawn as separate text so they sit exactly on top of each other. In your good file (outlined-text-ok.pdf), each glyph's fill and outline share the same placement, so they register perfectly.

Suggestions:

Outline the text to vector paths before converting. If you can go back to the source (the app that made this, it looks generated), convert the type to outlines/curves there, then export. Real vector outlines have no font metrics to drift, so PDF/X leaves them aligned.

Flatten to preserve appearance. In Acrobat Pro, use Print Production > Flatten Transparency (or Preflight's "Flatten transparency" fixup) before or instead of the PDF/X convert, so the visible artwork is locked in rather than re-encoded as interleaved fonts. Test on a copy.

Since this looks like layered/overprinted text, try producing the PDF/X from the source via Export/Save As PDF with the PDF/X preset from the originating app, or via Distiller with a PDF/X job option, rather than Acrobat's in-app Save As Other > PDF/X, and compare; the re-encoding that misaligns the layers may not happen on that path.

If the outline is only decorative, rebuild it as a single-layer effect (a stroked text style) rather than two overlaid text objects, so there is nothing to misregister.

If you could share the requested information, I can get this tested and investigated by the product team.

I hope this helps, and please reach out with the information, and if you need any assistance.

Regards,

Anand Sri.