PDF Production

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Comprehensive PDF production suite

  • Create PDF Server (see introduction »)
  • PDF preflight
  • PDF proofing
  • PDF flattening
  • PDF printing
  • PDF ICC color management
  • PDF-native OPI and repurposing
  • PDF as Image
  • Create PDF from HTML
  • Script Server automation

 

The PDF format was introduced to make it easier to accurately view and print documents. For casual users, PDFs have been a real boon. For professional designers and printers, PDFs have solved some problems, simply migrated others into a new format, and introduced new problems. With a well thought-out production process, together with the proper tools, PDF production can be a great boon for designers and printers as well, leading to faster, more reliable, and more efficient ad and document production.

 

As PDFs have evolved into prepress-ready files, much responsibility for ensuring printability has migrated upstream to designers, who must now shoulder many traditional prepress responsibilities. Resolution, ICC color management, spot colors, transparencies, overprints, and many more factors must be handled properly. The HELIOS server-based PDF production suite helps ensure that PDFs are properly created, inspected, and printed.

 

Create PDF Server enforces correct job settings by using server-based print queues or hot folders, with job and security options assigned by administrators. No user fiddling with the settings. It can automatically encrypt and apply passwords to PDFs to restrict viewing, printing, and modifications. Create PDF Server can automatically utilize and load balance multiple PDF creation servers to scale to any needs. It is a great solution for high-volume PDF production in office, government, enterprise, and education, for both day-to-day use, and archiving needs. And of course, Create PDF Server is used extensively in ad agencies and prepress environments.

 

PDF preflight uses the built-in pdfInspektor to automatically verify whether PDFs meet production or archiving requirements. It can also validate and create PDFs according to these standards: PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4, PDF/A-1a, PDF/A-1b. Preflight reports are available as HTML, XML, text, and PDF with annotations. Script Server can route qualifying PDFs to the next stage, e.g. proofing or printing, while non-conforming PDFs can be flagged, and the proper person notified.

 

HELIOS makes proofing of PDFs easy at every stage of the design and print production process. HELIOS proofing options include proofing locally or remotely, via monitor or printer. Web-based proofing via WebShare, and printer queue based PrintPreview, enable the proofing of separations, spot colors, and an ICC color-matched composite, as well as knockouts, transparencies, DeviceN colors, and overprints.

 

Automated flattening of PDF transparencies, if needed, is performed using HELIOS Tool Server, with automatic load balancing and fail safety. PDF printing to PostScript can be accomplished via Acrobat (the HELIOS printing plug-in offers advanced options), or Script Server hot folders, or via CLI tools. Printing options include an extensive range of professional printing settings for ICC color management, composite, in-RIP or host-based separations, size and orientation, marks, and more. HELIOS PDF printing support also automatically recognizes and takes care of possible problems with TrueType fonts, hairlines, CID fonts, etc.

 

Color management for all PDF content can be automatically performed when printing to PostScript. Black Point Compensation (BPC), default source profiles, and printer, proofer, and DeviceLink profiles can be specified. In addition, raster and vector black, gray, white, and pure CMY colors can be detected and preserved. Alternatively, images in a PDF can be repurposed for a different output by means of PDF-native OPI image replacement. PDF-native OPI also enables 16-bit per channel images to be saved into a PDF.

 

Remote InDesign and QuarkXPress page layout workflows are also made practical by means of PDF-native OPI. Remote users can download and place low-res proxy images, export to PDF with the "omit images" option enabled, and upload the PDF to a PDF-native OPI hot folder on the server, where the high-res original images are placed into the PDF. No other changes occur, so transparencies, XMP meta data, and ICC profiles are preserved.

 

HELIOS solutions also include full support for PDF as an image file format. This facilitates transitioning from the obsolete EPS format, and is excellent for archiving.

 

All of these capabilities can be used as point solutions, where needed, or tied together into an automated workflow. Script Server provides the integration and automation framework, and user interface, so automating a process or procedure is straightforward. Tool Server adds support for automating features such as creating PDFs from web pages. WebShare provides remote access to files and to hot folders for remote support for proofing, preflighting, PDF-native OPI, and any other hot folder automated process.

 

HELIOS server solutions offer a comprehensive range of PDF production capabilities, all dedicated to ensuring the most reliable, highest-quality, and fastest PDF production available.