About pdf/x standards, Pdf compatibility levels – Adobe Illustrator CS3 User Manual
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ILLUSTRATOR CS3
User Guide
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About PDF/X standards
PDF/X standards are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). PDF/X standards apply
to graphic content exchange. During PDF conversion, the file that is being processed is checked against the specified
standard. If the PDF will not meet the selected ISO standard, a message appears, asking you to choose between
canceling the conversion or going ahead with the creation of a non-compliant file. The most widely used standards
for a print publishing workflow are several PDF/X formats: PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4.
Note: For more information on PDF/X, see th
and the
PDF compatibility levels
When you create PDFs, you need to decide which PDF version to use. You can change the PDF version by switching
to a different preset or choosing a compatibility option when you save as PDF or edit a PDF preset.
Generally speaking, unless there’s a specific need for backward compatibility, you should use the most recent version
(in this case version 1.7). The latest version will include all the newest features and functionality. However, if you’re
creating documents that will be distributed widely, consider choosing Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) or Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5)
to ensure that all users can view and print the document.
The following table compares some of the functionality in PDFs created using the different compatibility settings.
Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)
Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4)
Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5)
Acrobat 7 (PDF 1.6) and
Acrobat 8 (PDF 1.7)
PDFs can be opened with
Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat Reader
3.0 and later.
PDFs can be opened with
Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat Reader
3.0 and later. However, features
specific to later versions may be
lost or not viewable.
Most PDFs can be opened with
Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader
4.0 and later. However, features
specific to later versions may be
lost or not viewable.
Most PDFs can be opened with
Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader
4.0 and later. However, features
specific to later versions may be
lost or not viewable.
Cannot contain artwork that
uses live transparency effects.
Any transparency must be flat-
tened prior to converting to PDF
1.3.
Supports the use of live trans-
parency in artwork. (The
Acrobat Distiller feature flattens
transparency.)
Supports the use of live trans-
parency in artwork. (The
Acrobat Distiller feature flattens
transparency.)
Supports the use of live trans-
parency in artwork. (The
Acrobat Distiller feature flattens
transparency.)
Layers are not supported.
Layers are not supported.
Preserves layers when creating
PDFs from applications that
support the generation of
layered PDF documents, such as
Illustrator CS and later or
InDesign CS and later.
Preserves layers when creating
PDFs from applications that
support the generation of
layered PDF documents, such as
Illustrator CS and later or
InDesign CS and later.
DeviceN color space with 8 colo-
rants is supported.
DeviceN color space with 8 colo-
rants is supported.
DeviceN color space with up to
31 colorants is supported.
DeviceN color space with up to
31 colorants is supported.
Multibyte fonts can be
embedded. (Distiller converts
the fonts when embedding.)
Multibyte fonts can be
embedded.
Multibyte fonts can be
embedded.
Multibyte fonts can be
embedded.
40-bit RC4 security supported.
128-bit RC4 security supported.
128-bit RC4 security supported.
128-bit RC4 and 128-bit AES
(Advanced Encryption Stan-
dard) security supported.