Does Affinity offer export to pdf/x-1a:2001?

[lghthd7]

My POD publisher Ingram Spark requires exporting to pdf/x-1a:2001, is this option available on any of the Affinity products?

Thanks

[MikeW]

No.

[Dave Harris]

However, we do support PDF/X-1a:2003. You may find your printer will accept that too.

[MikeW]

7 minutes ago, Dave Harris said:

However, we do support PDF/X-1a:2003. You may find your printer will accept that too.

Their automatic checks may well reject the file out of hand. Many/most do.

2003 never really caught on in the industry. 

[softsound]

Are you thinking of adding this soon as IngramSpark is pretty standard for producing indie hardbound books, they have registered over 7 million books and are rather well known.

It's like saying you won't be supporting Barnes & Nobles, it's pretty big. I haven't seen too many other hardbound book publishers that give me the options they do at their price.

Considering you have the other formats how hard would it be to add pdf/x-1a:2001?

 

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by softsound
Minor additional text added

[ashf]

Yeah, I would go either pdf/x-1a:2001 or pdf/x-4

pdf/x-1a:2001 is the most widely used PDF/X.
Would be nice if I cloud export this.

pdf/x-4 would be the successor but not being widely used yet.
But it's useful to send a file to Adobe users

[softsound]

Actually it appears that pdf/x-1a:2003 works fine for IngramSpark checks!

Don't use pdf/X-3:2003 just use pdf/x-1a:2003 and it clears the checks. I looked a little further into the file type and it appears it that covers PDF/X‑1a (2001 and 2003).

Since I illustrate children's books I also have to set the color profile to CMYK as well as a heads up to anyone else looking at this problem.

[lacerto]

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[SrPx]

8 hours ago, Lagarto said:

As Affinity routine also seems to flatten the transparencies

Not sure if I know what you mean... I have exported PDF/X-4 files with transparency (logos, etc) from A. Designer. Ofc, checking the pref on Acrobat Reader (or the like ) on, as that one does not have it default.

[lacerto]

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[SrPx]

Oh... I had the idea that anyway transparency is never carried in a PDF/X-1a , no matter what software.  Oki.

[lacerto]

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[SrPx]

Yep, when I need transparency in a design, In A. Designer I set the document "background" as transparent in "document properties" and export as PDF/X-4 (I believe PDF/X-3 does not support transparency, either, but am not sure, as I never really use that one). It seems most modern RIPs  do support greatly PDF/X-4 and surely is more bullet proof. My usual workflow in the arcane times needed to be ALWAYS be very sure to check in the specs in the print company (well, I still check every bit, color profiles, bleed, margins, if they provide with templates, etc) which color profile do they use. As far as I know, PDF/X-1a enforces CMYK (btw, a certain a number of Chinese print companies have required from me recently CMYK files yes or yes, while many PODs require sRGB, others CMYK, others Adobe RGB...u know, it's a varied world), and you need to work (specially when exporting as PDF/X-1a) with the profile that the print company uses or do a final conversion to that profile . When digital painting, is much better to do so, and having worked all the time in RGB, and doing a final conversion. For simple vector files, logos, etc, I personally start with the requested color profile, if I've been very assured A or B print company is going to be used. But lately, I try to work everything (raster or vector) in RGB (Adobe or sRGB) and adapt to the needed output at the end. Kind of less destructive and more flexible ( I have the screen calibrated by hardware, and is a pro-ish monitor...).

I'm trying to make the output be always PDF/X-4, since a while, with every project. It also opens quite well in some apps that some eventual (I mostly work alone, lone wolf, hehe) colleagues use, and who have issues opening certain other formats. Even while using PDFs for that I/O is less than desirable.

I'm not super expert in PDF/X and its specs, I've only learnt (like in many matters) what I needed to work....

 

Edit : It took me a while to realize that Acrobat reader does have that 'view with transparency' preference setting (by default off). It's handy for a client to check that a PDF is really transparent (otherwise they'll always see a white background). They rarely have any design tool at all, let alone know-how to handle it. If you send the pdf, they keep opening it with Acrobat or whatever, and keep asking you to send a transparent background one.  In some cases the most practical solution is to send them a transparent PNG (ONLY for their own home printer and doing screen based mockups, not for sending that to the print shop), as they handle that format with less troubles, for some reason, most likely that the basic image apps they use don't support transparent PDFs. 

[lacerto]

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[ashf]

I just noticed that DrawPlus does export PDF/X-1a:2001 using PDFlib which Affinity use.
Why Affinity does not support PDF/X-1a:2001?

[PaulEC]

2 hours ago, ashf said:

I just noticed that DrawPlus does export PDF/X-1a:2001 using PDFlib which Affinity use.
Why Affinity does not support PDF/X-1a:2001?

PagePlus supports embedded fonts in PDFs, Affinity Publisher doesn't.

I'm not sure that the fact that old Serif "legacy" products did something is particularly relevant to what the new Affinity apps do!

[Dave Harris]

On 12/31/2019 at 6:55 AM, ashf said:

I just noticed that DrawPlus does export PDF/X-1a:2001 using PDFlib which Affinity use.
Why Affinity does not support PDF/X-1a:2001?

PDFLib used to support it, but decided to stop doing so in recent versions. I've not been able to convince them that it is needed.

[ashf]

53 minutes ago, Dave Harris said:

PDFLib used to support it, but decided to stop doing so in recent versions. I've not been able to convince them that it is needed.

That's sad.
As you see many major printers still require 2001. they are living in the past.
And they may keep using 2001 till the end of the world.
 

[akira.d]

So Sad...

Here in Brazil 99% only accept a PDF/x-1a:2001, I keep using Adobe Ilustrator only for export in PDF/x-1a:2001. If Affinity add this preset, i can leave all the adobe products...

[Wayne Van]

On 11/4/2019 at 1:04 AM, softsound said:

Actually it appears that pdf/x-1a:2003 works fine for IngramSpark checks!

Don't use pdf/X-3:2003 just use pdf/x-1a:2003 and it clears the checks. I looked a little further into the file type and it appears it that covers PDF/X‑1a (2001 and 2003).

Since I illustrate children's books I also have to set the color profile to CMYK as well as a heads up to anyone else looking at this problem.

Softsound have you now actually uploaded to Ingram Spark using pdf/x-1a:2003?  I will be uploading an illustrated children's book to them in the next few weeks and am trying to confirm whether or not I can use Affinity Publisher or if I have to get my illustrator to make the document for me with In Design or something.  I'm pretty sure she would do it, but I'm on a bit of a budget.    Hopefully you get this question, I see that the above reply is over five months old.

Thank you!

[SrPx]

Has this changed for them? I'm seeing in this PDF guide that PDF/X-3:2002 seems to be supported (for covers, text, etc):  

https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/file-creation-guide.pdf

I'd find it weird that their current guideline would recommend it everywhere but the checks wouldn't work (but is not impossible).

But last time I checked (haven't yet checked it in latest Affinity versions) x-3:2003 , not 2002, is what is supported.

A thread about it here, from 2018 :

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/68623-need-pdfx-32002-13-export/

BTW, for those curious, that flyeralarm printer still requires the X-3:2002 version. 

Been recently in more than one case in which it was pdf/x-1a:2001 yes or yes.... 

[Wayne Van]

No, Ingram hasn't changed anything and still accept the same file types, none of which is an option in Publisher.  The poster here basically saying pdf/x-1a:2003 will work and Ingram software will not kick it out.  I am trying to confirm whether or not he has actually submitted such a file.

[softsound]

Well, publisher has better support now, but in the end I had to use indesign because I kept running into a weird bug. I have not tried with the newer update though. I'll have to try again in the future.

[Wayne Van]

1 hour ago, softsound said:

Well, publisher has better support now, but in the end I had to use indesign because I kept running into a weird bug. I have not tried with the newer update though. I'll have to try again in the future.

Thank you for your reply.  I'll be trying in a few weeks or so, I'll let you know what happens.

[Reggy]

Almost every printer (in the Netherlands) has automated their preflight check with pdf/x-1a:2001. If otherwise, it will return an error message.
I switch frequently from print suppliers. Most of them use pdf/x-1a:2001. It maybe an old standard, but it's foolproof.  So why not implement in Affinity suite. I still use Indesign for exporting cPDF.

I use pdf/x-1a:2001 in the last 15 year and never had an issue. So why change a winning team. Affinity should know.

 

I hope it's on their roadmap asap.