PDF-base AI: Acrobat/RIP-friendly structure, but PDF/X, spots, and legacy levels still need desktop prepress
`pdf-compatible-ai-from-psd` helps vendors who reason in PDF semantics: Illustrator opens the same stream Acrobat understands for preflight. It is not automatic PDF/X certification, spot handling, or guaranteed low-PDF-version output for ancient RIPs. Label outputs as structural previews until a desktop pass matches the printer’s profile.
Comment utiliser
- Collect the printer’s PDF level, transparency policy, and embedding rules, decide RGB vs CMYK working space in PSD accordingly, and paste those requirements into the ticket.
- Run Acrobat preflight for fonts and image resolution, then Illustrator overprint preview; red lights get fixed on desktop, not by re-uploading blindly.
- Split watermarked review builds from clean production builds and avoid long-lived public links for secured art.
PSD to AI (pdfbase) FAQ
Prepress keeps asking if the handoff is “PDF-based”—what does that imply for CMYK separation and who owns soft proofing?
PDF compatibility means the container is PDF-parsable, not that CMYK, black generation, and dot gain are finalized; document the working space, whether soft proofing happened, and who signs the press proof—otherwise color arguments default to design with no paper trail.
Will live transparency from Photoshop survive every RIP unchanged?
Older or strict RIPs can split blends differently; when transparency is banned or fragile, flatten to the printer’s matte on desktop and RIP-proof—online merge only guarantees the visible pixels you uploaded, not universal RIP math.
Legal wants embeddable fonts with license proof—does online flatten satisfy font audits?
Flattening often rasterizes or outlines type, which ends embeddability proofs; for searchable text and embedded fonts, use controlled desktop PDF/AI exports with font packages attached.
Can we rely on PDF passwords to protect confidential comps?
Passwords are weak against screenshots and rarely applied by online flattening; combine DLP, encrypted storage, expiring links, and watermarked previews instead of trusting format-level locks alone.
RIP rejects “PDF version too high”—is the online file automatically wrong?
Usually you save down to the vendor’s required PDF level and disable unsupported features in Acrobat/Illustrator; collect the RIP’s exact feature complaint instead of blindly redoing the entire illustration.