February Meeting Recap
Ready or Not -- the PDF/X-1a Revolution
We were honored to have Kin Wah Lam, Director of Digital Development,
and Erik Cullins, Associate Director of Digital Development, of Time
Inc. in New York present some of the industry's latest developments
at our recent APALA meeting.
Time, Inc., one of the world's most prominent magazine
publishers, is currently sending all 56 of its magazines (editorial
and advertising) to press as PDF/x-1a files. That's 56 magazines that
carry 25% of all magazine ads that will soon require every ad to be
received in PDF/X-1a.
PDF/X-1a, a subset of plain PDF, is an ISO foolproof
vector-based file format. Although for many years TIFF/IT-p1 has served
the ad community, PDF/X-1a has advantages that are making it the preferred
format in the publishing world. It is easier to make and edit and creates
smaller files. The advantages over the plain PDF format are:
•It embeds all fonts and images meaning no
font substitution or missing elements
•All color must be defined as CMYK or spot, meaning no unexpected
color shifts due to change in color space
•Media, Trim and/or Art Boxes must be defined, meaning the mechanical
specs are effectively communicated
•Trap must be defined as on or off, meaning the recipient will
know how to handle the file properly
The benefit of this workflow is cost savings to
the publisher and the advertiser. The publisher no longer has to evaluate
every file they receive and the advertiser can easily create this foolproof
file themselves. There are currently tools for under $200 that let users
write, pre-flight and process vector PDF/X-1a files. This file format
also allows soft proofing without the native application. For Time,
it also provides consistency between the 27 printers used throughout
the country.
This new format not only takes the complexity out
of creating a print-ready PDF file but it also lends itself well to
cross-media publishing, such as on the internet or for E-magazines.
Zinio is one of the leaders already creating E-magazines. They've created
an easy interface that mimics how we currently read magazines. The PDF/X-1a
file that is used for print is then re-purposed to create the E-magazine.
The same file can also be used for archiving and multi-media purposes.
Since the leaders of the industry are charging towards
PDF/X-1a workflow, this is probably a good indication of the beginning
of a domino effect throughout the magazine publishing industry.
Special thanks goes to Joseph Zidarevich of Creo
for coordinating this month's presentation. There's only two programs
left in this season and they both will prove to be ones you shouldn't
miss!
