Can anyone recommend an acrobat pro alternative?

[jweitzel]

Here, I do not know, what to reply: As to my knowledge, in the specifications of PDF/X-4 are transparency also allowed as layers, and they are transported up to the raster image processor. If I use transparency in connection with (pixel-) pictures, they can't be "flattened to vector objects", or?
    What do you mean with: Transpacies are not allowed, but needn't rasterized" ??? This seems to me contradictory.

But, I think that discussion ist not neccessary at that point.

Thanks, Lagarto, for your input to that theme!
Johannes

[Fixx]

9 minutes ago, jweitzel said:

    What do you mean with: Transpacies are not allowed, but needn't rasterized" ??? This seems to me contradictory.

Means, transparency effects can be rendered to rasterized pixel image below vector objects (like shadows) or rendered within vector shapes (like see through objects).

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[Dazmondo77]

11 hours ago, leob said:

There are many plans for further development of PDF Checkpoint, with separations preview and ink coverage being considered as well.

Great news Leob

Thanks for the pointer to PACKZVIEW I'm awaiting a download link 👍

[Lorox]

13 hours ago, loukash said:

I just realized a much bigger issue: Affinity will rasterize any vector objects with transparencies on PDF/X-3 output.
Unlike e.g. AICS5 with exactly the same vector content.

Is this related to the behaviour I've observed previously that everything(!) on the Publisher page gets rasterized in the PDF when an object with transparency (e.g. a drop shadows) happens to be somewhere(!) (on) the topmost layer? (meaning that this object doesn't necessarily have to overlap vector objects, especially type, on lower layers which got rasterized no less...)

In InDesign flattening/rasterization always seemed to happen limited to the area where it was needed but with my first Publisher PDFs I was absolutely surprised that this happened actually pagewide to all objects on layers below an object with transparency no matter where the latter was positioned on the page or how much space it actually took.

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[loukash]

4 hours ago, jweitzel said:

PDF/X-3 must not contain transparencies per ISO norm.

I know that, and that's not the point.

1 hour ago, Fixx said:

rendered within vector shapes (like see through objects)

Or in other words:
Trasparencies being flattened to solid colors on vector objects whenever possible.

This appears to be the app's job to do before it sends the page to the X-3 filter.
Heck, Freehand 9 could do that with its fake "transparency" effect more than two decades ago. (Note to self: install Freehand 9 in Sheep Shaver!)

As a side note, inspecting the MacOS El Capitan (for now) built-in PDF/X-3 filter Applications/Utilities/ColorSync Utility > Filters that can be used for Print To PDF, it can only rasterize. And it's pretty bad at it, which is likely why hardly anyone would use it for serious work.

6 minutes ago, Lorox said:

everything(!) on the Publisher page gets rasterized in the PDF when an object with transparency (e.g. a drop shadows) happens to be somewhere(!) (on) the topmost layer? (meaning that this object doesn't necessarily have to overlap vector objects, especially type, on lower layers which got rasterized no less...)

A while ago, I've noticed that too, and it's a Bad Thing™.
Luckily I'm not really much into these gimmicks, prefering "flat" design, so I might be able to work around that.

1 hour ago, Lagarto said:

It is wrong thread

Yes, we're getting off topic. My apologies.

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[Dazmondo77]

4 hours ago, loukash said:

(Note to self: install Freehand 9 in Sheep Shaver!)

I have Freehand 8 (1998) working in sheep shaver - thought I'd have a go at using it for vector distortions / perspective warping - sadly its not very stable running in Mac os9 - still great for the odd throwback to the 90's

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[MikeW]

42 minutes ago, Lagarto said:

Version 1.0.0.6 ...

At this rate of progress, you'll get to version 2.x before Serif does...

[loukash]

13 hours ago, Lagarto said:

Version 1.0.0.6

What's the requirements? Can it run in Crossover = Wine emulation? My Crossover license is outdated, but it can definitely run an XP emulation which I'm using from time to time for a few obsolte Win-only audio converters. I think Crossover can also make use of .NET, at least I vaguely recall having installed it (or tried to?) in the past on my old Mountain Lion hard drive, but it was somehow quite a p.i.t.a.

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[loukash]

21 minutes ago, Lagarto said:

I am not sure if it is truly a free tool

Well, for the fun of it, I have requested a "product key", and this is what I've got:

Quote

Dear [loukash],
Thank you for requesting PACKZVIEW. However, we cannot approve this request.
This is an invalid website. The website URL and e-mail address should be from an existing labels/packaging company.
For more information, please contact the Hybrid Support Team

Not being "an existing labels/packaging company", obviously I don't apply.

That said, I haven't tested the app yet.

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[loukash]

Also, this version doesn't run on El Capitan or Sierra, as it's apparently dependant on system frameworks that came with High Sierra. Which would be a non-issue for me as I have Acrobat X. I'll try to install on Catalina then, as that's my primary target for this whole "exercise" anyway.

[Dazmondo77]

1 hour ago, loukash said:

Not being "an existing labels/packaging company", obviously I don't apply.

That said, I haven't tested the app yet.

Thats odd I registered and got the download link and product key, although it took a while to get the go-ahead email, they prob checked my website first, although I only have a handful of packaging jobs on my site portfolio ---- the app loads up and looks really promising and all goes well until you actually try to open a pdf (tried seven including a couple of downloaded product brochures that appeared to have been created in InDesign cc) all bomb the app even tried a couple of old .ai files which it supports - all bomb - sent them crash logs - I'll let you know how it goes

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[Dazmondo77]

7 minutes ago, Lagarto said:

In what kinds of situations does it crash

To start with I thought it could be just drag and dropping a PDF onto the PACKZVIEW icon in the doc causing the bomb, but going through PACKZVIEW menu / open and selecting the PDF, as soon as you click on open, it bombs - I'll try rebooting my mac as soon as it's finished backing up 

[Lorox]

35 minutes ago, Dazmondo77 said:

To start with I thought it could be just drag and dropping a PDF onto the PACKZVIEW icon in the doc causing the bomb, but going through PACKZVIEW menu / open and selecting the PDF, as soon as you click on open, it bombs

That's strange! I just tried PACKZVIEW with two of my recent PDFs meant for printing services (both exported from Publisher) and I had no problems whatsoever (10.14.6 Mojave on a mid 2019 iMac).

What this viewer obviously offers is basically just what I was primarily looking for (and which so far had to be done on my older machine still having Acrobat Pro): a quick check on colour separations, ink coverage and overprinting. Nothing too fancy, really, but actually very useful!
One might wonder why an app just providing these basic features hasn't been offered by Affinity/Serif – say: as a free giveaway on any purchase of Designer and Publisher – to give their users that little bit more peace of mind once they're going to actually send their PDFs to some printing service.

[v_kyr]

4 hours ago, loukash said:

Also, this version doesn't run on El Capitan or Sierra, as it's apparently dependant on system frameworks that came with High Sierra. Which would be a non-issue for me as I have Acrobat X. I'll try to install on Catalina then, as that's my primary target for this whole "exercise" anyway.

System Requirements

Mac OS X	PACKZ version
10.6.x	-
10.7.5	-
10.8.5	-
10.9.x	3.1, 3.2, 4.0
10.10.x	3.1, 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 5.0
10.11.x	3.1, 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 5.0
10.12.x	3.1, 3.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2
10.13.x	4.1, 4.2, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2
10.14.x	5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 6.0
10.15.x	5.1, 5.2, 6.0
11.1.x Intel	6.0

[Dazmondo77]

23 hours ago, Lorox said:

That's strange! I just tried PACKZVIEW with two of my recent PDFs meant for printing services (both exported from Publisher) and I had no problems whatsoever (10.14.6 Mojave on a mid 2019 iMac).

I tried a reboot - still bombs as soon as it tries to open a pdf?

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[v_kyr]

If you would have used Java instead of C# (?) then the whole would be portable among OS systems.