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SimonLaughton
Participant
May 9, 2019
Answered

Print to PDF or Export to PDF

  • May 9, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 779 views

Hello everyone,

I've used indesign for a number of years, but never really understood the difference between these two when PDFing a document from InDesign.

It seems that using File>Print>Adobe PDF I can produce a smaller file size than when using the same settings and File>Export>Adobe PDF

I am guessing the process is different for both as why would you have two ways to do the same thing.  I would really appreciate an explanation if there is one - especially as to why I seem to be able to reduce file size further by Printing to PDF.

Thank you

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Dov Isaacs

    On behalf of Adobe and to be very specific …

    Producing PDF via distillation of PostScript is an antiquated, obsolete, lossy workflow for which there is no good reason to use in creating PDF from Adobe products.

    What you lose is:

    (1)     Transparency - all live transparency is flattened to some resolution in some particular color space (which might not be appropriate to the final print or display conditions).

    (2)     All ICC color management is lost depriving you of the ability to properly print or display under many conditions.

    (3)     As the result of (1) above you may end up with fuzzy-wuzzy and/or pixelated text and vector content that is not editable or searchable in the resultant PDF. You may also end up various display and/or print artifacts based on the flattening.

    For PDF print publishing workflows, we recommend the PDF/X-4 PDF export settings, possibly modified for required / desired image resolution. Do not change these settings to convert all content to CMYK.

    All reasonably modern RIPs and DFEs (from the last decade) will produce much better and more accurate results with PDF exported as PDF/X-4 than either PDF produced via distillation of PostScript and/or use of the PDF/X-1a presets during export.

              - Dov

    4 replies

    Dov Isaacs
    Dov IsaacsCorrect answer
    Legend
    May 9, 2019

    On behalf of Adobe and to be very specific …

    Producing PDF via distillation of PostScript is an antiquated, obsolete, lossy workflow for which there is no good reason to use in creating PDF from Adobe products.

    What you lose is:

    (1)     Transparency - all live transparency is flattened to some resolution in some particular color space (which might not be appropriate to the final print or display conditions).

    (2)     All ICC color management is lost depriving you of the ability to properly print or display under many conditions.

    (3)     As the result of (1) above you may end up with fuzzy-wuzzy and/or pixelated text and vector content that is not editable or searchable in the resultant PDF. You may also end up various display and/or print artifacts based on the flattening.

    For PDF print publishing workflows, we recommend the PDF/X-4 PDF export settings, possibly modified for required / desired image resolution. Do not change these settings to convert all content to CMYK.

    All reasonably modern RIPs and DFEs (from the last decade) will produce much better and more accurate results with PDF exported as PDF/X-4 than either PDF produced via distillation of PostScript and/or use of the PDF/X-1a presets during export.

              - Dov

    - Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
    Steve Werner
    Community Expert
    Steve WernerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 9, 2019

    And there's even more that gets lost in the File > Print > PDF (or Distiller) workflow:

    * The file's structure (tagging for accessibility) is stripped out

    * In Acrobat 6 (or later) compatibility, Layers can be saved to be converted into PDF layers. Those are not possible.

    • All interactive elements (hyperlinks, bookmarks) are thrown away

    See my very old article from 2006 (but still true):

    https://indesignsecrets.com/creating-pdf-export-or-use-distiller.php

    rob day
    Community Expert
    rob dayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 9, 2019

    I would really appreciate an explanation if there is one - especially as to why I seem to be able to reduce file size further by Printing to PDF.

    When you print and distill you are forced into an older postscript workflow. Whether that will create a problem with the final PDF output depends on the content. When you print everything gets flattened—transparency can’t be live. Also color management is limited, you would have to know the final print destination and convert everything to the destination CMYK space when you distill. So if there’s no transparency on the page and all color is the correct CMYK, I don’t think anything bad would happen—but exporting is certainly more convenient. Why does file size matter?

    Derek Cross
    Community Expert
    Derek CrossCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 9, 2019

    Don't print to PDF, use the export presets. Your (commercial) printer may give you a spec, otherwise select PDF/X-4, select single pages (not spreads), tick crop marks, and Use Document Bleed Settings.

    For document circulation you can use Smallest File Size, but personally I don't find that necessary. In Acrobat Pro you can use File > Save As Other > Reduced Size PDF to get a smaller PDF.

    (By the way, keep your images in RGB color mode.)

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