Converting a document to PDF/X-3

Report · Jul 01, 2022

I'm trying to convert a document to PDF/X-3 in Acrobat. I can use the Preflight option or Save As Other > Print Ready PDF.

But there are things that I don't understand.

1. Acrobat offers presets such as: Convert to PDF/X-3 (FOGRA 39), Japan Color Coated, SWOP and so on, but what to do if the color profile you need is not in the list? For example Euroscale Coated or PSO Uncoated or something like that.

2. What if you have both color and grayscale content in your document? The document will be tagged for let's say US SWOP or FOGRA39, so will this affect the grayscale content? How to avoid unwanted color/shade changes?

Or maybe I should leave the color images as DeviceCMYK (they will be controled by the general ICC profile at document level) and I should tag only the grayscale images with ICC profiles?

3. But then, a forum user told me that the PDF/X parameters such as: Output Intent Profile Name, Output Condition Name, Output Condition Identifier and Registry Name are just metadata which will not affect the colors in the document in any way. Is this correct?

I'm sorry that I'm confused. I have never used PDF/X before (not that I remember). I make non-standard PDFs, where each image is tagged with an ICC profile, for example: FOGRA for color images and Dot Gain % for grayscale images, so things are much more clear.

Thank you

Report · Jul 01, 2022

1. In Acrobat DC, when I go to the Standards tab in preflight, and go through the next screens, I find myself at this dialog

where I can choose an output profile from those installed on my system.

2. If you convert to a CMYK profile and start with DeviceCMYK, that may be the safest representation for greyscale. However, it's likely that DeviceGray will convert to 0-0-0-grayscale.

3. They are indeed a kind of metadata. But that doesn't mean they have no effect. Indeed, for recent PDF/X flavours at least a PDF/X compliant workflow MUST make use of the metadata in the correct way, and they MUST have an effect. The best approach is to find the CMYK space used by your print shop, design in that, and then tag with that profile. You now have colours coming out directly. You can use any other CMYK profile but the print shop is REQUIRED to convert profile to profile, changing the CMYK values for everything. This is CERTAIN to produce rich blacks and destroy greyscale.