Generational loss when placing and then exporting PDF?

[OsakaWebbie]

If I receive a high quality PDF (intended for print) from someone else, place each page in an InDesign document in order to make minor changes like page size and printer marks, and then export as PDF again, will the quality stay the same, or will there be quality degradation?

[Steve Werner · Accepted solution]

PDF can contain both vector objects and raster (bit-mapped) images. If you were to make major scaling changes, the vector parts would not be affected, but the raster parts would be degraded (lose resolution). If your scaling changes are minor, then the vector parts would not be affected, and the raster parts would only be slightly degraded.

[OsakaWebbie]

Okay, thanks for the reassurance. I would not be rescaling at all - the page size change would only move where the edge is, using the bleed as part of the actual page on the inside edges (we learned that the booklet will be perfect-bound instead of saddle-stitch).