X3 pdf Affinity Designer

[tapodi]

Hello, how can i create X3 pdf in Affinity Designer (1.5.5)?

When I've choosen the option X3 the result was an 1.4 version PDF.

What do you suggest?

Thanks, Robert

[Alfred]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, Robert. :)

 

PDF/X-3:2003 files are PDF 1.4 files, but with the restriction that they do not contain any transparency (and JBIG2 compression is not used to compress any images in the file).

[tapodi]

Thank you for reply!

One of my clients requires X3 1.3 version PDF.

How can I create it?

Thanks, Robert

[MikeW]

PDFX-3:2002 (which is what you are asking for) isn't possible via AD. Only PDF/X-3:2003.

 

PDF/X-3:2002 was superseded by PDF/X-3:2003 and some applications dropped support for PDF/X-3:2002. In the case of Affinity products, I have no idea if it was ever possible to produce a PDF/X-3:2002 PDF. I use Windows so I suppose it was possible prior to the Windows version of AD.

 

A PDF/X-3:2003 PDF can be converted to a PDF/X-3:2002 version via Acrobat and Callas PDF Toolbox. So any decent print establishment can do so using either of those or other RIP software if you do not have either of the two listed applications.

 

I would begin asking your client why they need that revision explicitly. It is possible that their print service provider requires it (they shouldn't) unless it is a POD service that has tight submission requirements. A PDF/X-3:2003 PDF is otherwise exactly the same as a PDF/X-3:2003 file other than the PDF revision from 1.3 to 1.4 of the PDF standard.

[Alfred]

I can't find an option for downgrading to PDF/X-3:2002 (which would be version 1.3). If your client requires a version 1.3 PDF, I think you'll need to export to PDF/X-1a. The main difference between X-3 and X-1a is that a PDF/X-3 file can contain colour-managed data.

 

As Mike suggests, you should ask your client why they have a specific requirement for the older PDF/X-3 standard.

[Steps]

@tapodi

I also just stumbled into this problem.

In another thread devs said that there will be no support for this, because Affinity uses a 3rd party lib for PDF export which just does not support this.

After receiving a bad print from the PDFs I will send my printer PNGs instead now. :-/

Saal Digital as well as meinspiel.de both want PDF 1.3 formats. So it's not an uncommon format these days and the age is not a real reason to deprecate support if it's still used in production. My 2ct.

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, Steps said:

Saal Digital as well as meinspiel.de both want PDF 1.3 formats.

In that case, can’t you use PDF/X-1a?

[Steps]

14 minutes ago, Alfred said:

In that case, can’t you use PDF/X-1a?

Nope. This results in PDF 1.4.

Affinity is just not capable of exporting PDF 1.3 format because the used 3rd party lib does not support it.

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, Steps said:

Nope. This results in PDF 1.4.

Affinity is just not capable of exporting PDF 1.3 format because the used 3rd party lib does not support it.

I see. I knew that PDF/X-3:2002 had been superseded by PDF/X-3:2003, but I wasn’t aware that there were two versions of PDF/X-1a. On looking into this further, I’ve learned that PDF/X-1a:2001 is PDF 1.3 and PDF/X-1a:2003 is PDF 1.4, but PDFlib only covers PDF 1.4 — PDF 1.7.