Exporting a layout in PDF format

To export the active layout in PDF format:

  1. Choose File > Export > Layout as PDF. The Export as PDF dialog box displays.
  2. Enter a page range in the Pages field.
  3. To use an existing output style, choose an option from the PDF Style drop-down menu.
  4. To modify output settings, click Options. Use the panes in the resulting dialog box to control the format of the exported file.
    • To use a PDF output style, choose an option from the PDF Style drop-down menu. To create a PDF output style using the current settings, choose New PDF Output Style.
    • To use PDF/X verification, choose an option from the Verification drop-down menu. Available options include PDF/X 1a and PDF/X 3. Note that PDF/X 1a verification permits only CMYK and spot colors, while PDF/X 3 verification allows you to include colors and pictures that use other color spaces, along with ICC color profiles (which are defined in the source and output setups for color management).
    • Use the Color pane to specify whether to create composite output or separations, to choose an output setup for the PDF file, and to select which plates should be included in the output.
    • Use the Compression pane to specify compression options for different image types in the PDF file.
    • Use the Pages pane to specify whether to export spreads, whether to export each page as a separate PDF file, whether to include blank pages, and whether to embed a thumbnail of the PDF file.
    • Use the Marks pane to specify the positioning, width, and length of registration marks in the PDF file.
    • Use the Hyperlink pane to specify how links and lists from the layout export and how hyperlinks should appear in the PDF. You can also use this pane to specify the default zoom of the PDF file.
    • Use the Meta Data pane to provide the details that display in the Description tab of the Document Properties dialog box in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
    • Use the Fonts pane to specify which fonts are embedded within the exported PDF file.
    • Use the Bleed pane to specify how bleeds are handled in the PDF file.
    • Use the Layers pane to specify which layers to include in the PDF file, and to create PDF layers from the layers in the QuarkXPress layout.
    • Use the Transparency pane to control how transparent items are flattened. To disable flattening and maintain transparency relationships in the exported PDF, click Export Transparency Natively. To output items without taking their opacity values into account, click Ignore Transparency. To turn on flattening, click Flatten Transparency.

    When flattening is turned on, you can specify a resolution for rasterizing pictures that include vector data in a transparency relationship. To do so, click the Vector Images drop-down menu and choose or enter a dpi value. This control applies only when flattening is turned on.

    To specify a resolution for blends (regardless of whether flattening is turned on), click the Blends drop-down menu and choose or enter a dpi value. To specify a resolution for rasterizing drop shadows (regardless of whether flattening is turned on), click the Drop Shadows drop-down menu and choose or enter a dpi value.

    To specify resolution for rotated and skewed objects when flattening is turned on, check Upsample Rotations and then enter a value in the To field. The To field value should be at least equal to the highest resolution value among the Vector Images, Blends, and Drop Shadows fields.

    To control the resolution of flattened transparency in imported PDF and Adobe Illustrator files, enter a value in the Flattening Resolution field.

    Note: Export Transparency Natively is unavailable if you choose PDF/X–1a: 2001 or PDF/X–3: 2002 from the Verification drop-down menu. This feature is also unavailable if you choose Separations from the Mode drop-down menu in the Color pane.

    • Use the OPI pane to specify options for including high-resolution original images in the PDF file (not available when you choose PDF/X 1a or PDF/X 3 from the Verification drop-down menu).
    • Use the JDF pane to indicate whether a Job Definition Format (JDF) file should be created at the same time as the PDF file. You might choose to do this if you’re using Job Jackets in a JDF workflow.
    • Use the Summary pane to view a summary of the selected PDF export options.
  5. Click OK. (To capture the current settings without creating a PDF file, click Capture Settings.)
  6. Click Save.
Note: If you are using a third-party distiller program and you want to create a PostScript file, change your settings in the PDF pane of the Preferences dialog box (QuarkXPress/Edit menu). For more information, see “Preferences — Application — PDF.”
Parent topic: Exporting layouts

Exporting a layout in PDF format