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Emit Flatness (Acrobat Pro DC)
allows you to use the flatness value of the PDF if the PDF already has flatness settings.
If the PDF doesn’t have any flatness settings, Acrobat controls it for the PostScript printing. The flatness value sets the
limit for how much Acrobat can approximate a curve.
Emit PS Form Objects (Acrobat Pro DC)
Emits PostScript form objects for Form XObjects within the PDF. Selecting this
option reduces the overall size of the print job, but it could increase the printer memory that is used. A form XObject
is a container of graphics objects (including path objects, text objects, and sampled images) within the PDF. Form
XObjects create a single description for complex objects that can appear many times in a single document, such as
background images or company logos.
Discolored Background Correction
Prevents printing problems like red boxes over graphics, or pages printing
mirrored or upside down. These problems can occur when Acrobat or Reader cannot use the default Color Rendering
Dictionaries (CRDs) on some PostScript printers.
Always Use Host Collation (Acrobat Pro DC)
Specifies if you want Acrobat to always use host collation for printing
without checking the printer driver. Acrobat uses printer collation by default. Printer collation sends the print jobs
separately to the printer and allows the printer to figure out how to collate the pages. For example if you send out two
copies of a two page job, the printer receives two jobs of two pages. Host collation figures out how to collate the pages
in Acrobat and then sends that job to the printer. For example if you send out two copies of a two page job, the printer
receives a single rearranged job of four pages.
Print As Image
Prints pages as bitmap images. Select this option if normal printing doesn’t produce the desired results,
and specify a resolution. This option is available only for PostScript printers.
Downloading Asian fonts to a printer
Select the Download Asian Fonts option in the Advanced Print Setup dialog box if you want to print a PDF with Asian
fonts that aren’t installed on the printer or embedded in the document. Embedded fonts are downloaded whether or
not this option is selected. You can use this option with a PostScript Level 2 or higher printer. To make Asian fonts
available for downloading to a printer, be sure you have downloaded the fonts to your computer using the Custom or
Complete installation option during installation of Acrobat.
If Download Asian Fonts is not selected, the PDF prints correctly only if the referenced fonts are installed on the printer.
If the printer has similar fonts, the printer substitutes those. If there are no suitable fonts on the printer, Courier is used
for the text.
If Download Asian Fonts does not produce the results you want, print the PDF as a bitmap image. Printing a document
as an image may take longer than using a substituted printer font.
Note: Some fonts cannot be downloaded to a printer, either because the font is a bitmap or because font embedding is
restricted in that document. In these cases, a substitute font is used for printing, and the printed output may not match the
screen display.
Output options (Acrobat Pro DC)
Use the Output panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box to set output options.
Color
Presents composite and separations options. Other options become available in the Output panel depending on
your selection in this menu. For more information about color composite and separations, see Printing color PDFs
(Acrobat Pro DC).
Flip
Specifies if the orientation of the page on the media. Flip horizontal for wrong-reading documents, flip vertical to
change vertical orientation. This option is only enabled for separations and disabled for composites.
Negative
Select this option to print the document reversed. For example, black appears as white on the resulting
output. This option is only enabled for separations and disabled for composites.
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Screening
Specifies the lines per inch (lpi) and dots per inch (dpi) combinations.
Trapping
Specifies if trapping is off. Click Trap Presets to manage trapping presets.
Transparency Flattener Preset
Flattens transparent objects according to the preset you choose.
Simulate Overprinting
Simulates the effects of overprinting spot inks in composite output and converts spot colors to
process colors for printing; the document itself is unchanged. This option is useful for printing devices that don’t
support overprinting and is available only if you choose Composite from the Color menu. If you intend to use a file for
separations on a RIP (raster image processor) or for final output, don’t select this option.
Note: When printing to a printer that supports overprinting, make sure that this option is unselected, so the native
overprinting capabilities of the printer are used.
Use Maximum Available JPEG2000 Image Resolution
Controls how resolution progression information, if present, is
used when generating PostScript. When selected, the maximum resolution data contained in the image is used. When
unselected, the resolution data is consistent with the resolution settings on the Transparency Flattening panel.
Ink Manager
Modifies the way inks are treated while the current PDF is open. See Ink Manager overview .
Specify halftone screen frequency (Acrobat Pro DC)
In commercial printing, continuous tone is simulated by dots (called halftone dots) printed in rows (called lines or line
screens). Lines are printed at different angles to make the rows less noticeable. The Screening menu in the Output
section of the Print dialog box displays the recommended sets of line screens in lines per inch (lpi), and resolution in
dots per inch (dpi), based on the currently selected PPD. As you select inks in the ink list, the values in the Frequency
and Angle boxes change, showing you the halftone screen frequency and angle for that ink.
A high line-screen ruling (for example, 150 lpi) spaces the dots closely together to create a finely rendered image on the
press; a low line-screen ruling (60 lpi to 85 lpi) spaces the dots farther apart to create a coarser image. The size of the
dots is also determined by the line screen. A high line-screen ruling uses small dots; a low line-screen ruling uses large
dots. The most important factor in choosing a line-screen ruling is the type of printing press your job will use. Ask your
service provider how fine a line screen its press can hold, and make your choices accordingly.
A 65 lpi: Coarse screen for printing newsletters and grocery coupons B 85 lpi: Average screen for printing newspapers C 133 lpi: High-quality
screen for printing four-color magazines D 177 lpi: Very fine screen for printing annual reports and images in art books
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The PPD files for high-resolution imagesetters offer a wide range of possible screen frequencies, paired with various
imagesetter resolutions. The PPD files for low-resolution printers typically have only a few choices for line screens,
usually coarser screens of between 53 lpi and 85 lpi. The coarser screens, however, give optimum results on
low-resolution printers. Using a finer screen of 100 lpi, for example, actually decreases the quality of your image when
you use a low-resolution printer for final output.
Follow these steps to specify halftone screen frequency:
In the Output panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box, do one of the following:
• To select one of the preset screen frequencies and printer resolution combinations, choose an option from the
Screening menu.
• To specify a custom halftone screen frequency, in the ink list, select the plate to be customized, and then enter
the lpi value in the Frequency box and a screen angle value in the Angle box.
Note: Before creating your own halftone screens, check with your print service provider for the preferred frequencies and
angles. Also, be aware that some output devices override the default frequencies and angles.
Specify the emulsion and image exposure (Acrobat Pro DC)
Depending on the type of printing press used and how information is transferred from the film to the printing plates,
you may need to give your service provider film negatives or positives, with emulsion side up or down. Emulsion refers
to the photosensitive layer on a piece of film or paper. Typically, print service providers require negative film in the
United States and positive film in Europe and Japan. Check with your service provider to determine which emulsion
direction they prefer.
To tell whether you are looking at the emulsion side or the nonemulsion side (also referred to as the base), examine the
final film under a good light. One side appears shinier than the other. The dull side is the emulsion side; the shiny side
is the base.
A Positive image B Negative C Negative with emulsion side down
Note: The emulsion and image exposure settings in the Print dialog box override any conflicting settings in the printer
driver. Always specify print settings using the Print dialog box.
Follow these steps to specify the emulsion and exposure:
1 Select Output on the left side of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box.
2 For Color, choose Separations.
3 For Flip, select one of the following options:
None
Makes no changes to the orientation of the imageable area. Type that is in the image is readable (that is, “right
reading”) when the photosensitive layer is facing you. This is the default.
Horizontal
Mirrors the imageable area across a vertical axis so that it is “wrong reading.”
Vertical
Mirrors the imageable area across a horizontal axis so that it is upside down.
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Horizontal And Vertical
Mirrors the imageable area across the horizontal and vertical axes so that it is wrong
reading. Type is readable when the photosensitive layer is facing away from you. Images printed on film are often
printed Horizontal And Vertical.
4 Select the Negative option for negative film; deselect it for positive film.
Note: The Negative option is also available if you choose In-RIP Separations from the Color menu.
Include marks and bleeds (Acrobat Pro DC)
You can place printer marks on the page to indicate the boundaries of document boxes supported by Adobe PDF, such
as trim boxes and bleed boxes. These marks are not added as page content; however, they are included in the PostScript
output.
The options in the Marks And Bleeds panel are unavailable under these circumstances:
• The PDF includes printer marks added using a different Acrobat feature, the Add Printer Marks tool.
• The crop, bleed, and trim boxes are all the same size. The crop box is defined in the Crop Box dialog box (choose
Tools > Print Production > Set Page Boxes). If the artwork contains a bleed, make sure that the crop box is big
enough to accommodate the bleed box and other printer marks.
A Trim marks B Registration marks C Page information D Color bars E Bleed marks
1 Select Marks And Bleeds on the left side of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box.
2 Choose the printer marks you want. The marks appear in the preview on the left side of the Advanced Print Setup
dialog box.
Marks And Bleeds options
All Marks
Creates all printer marks at once.
Style
Determines the appearance of the marks. You can choose default InDesign marks, or marks from other
applications as listed.
Line Weight
Determines the weight of the lines for trim, bleed, and registration marks.
Trim Marks
Places a mark at each corner of the trim area to indicate the PDF trim box boundaries.
Bleed Marks
Places a mark at each corner of the bleed box to indicate the PDF bleed box boundaries. A bleed box
defines the amount of extra area to image outside the defined page size.
Registration Marks
Places marks outside the crop area for aligning the different separations in a color document.
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Color Bars
Adds a small square of color for each grayscale or process color. Spot colors converted to process colors are
represented using process colors. Your service provider uses these marks to adjust ink density on the printing press.
Page Information
Places page information outside the crop area of the page. Page information includes the filename,
page number, current date and time, and color separation name.
Color management options (Acrobat Pro DC)
Use the Color Management panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box to set options for printing color. For more
information about printing color, see Printing color PDFs (Acrobat Pro DC).
Color Handling
Determines if color management is used and whether it happens in the application or at the printing
device.
Acrobat color management
Enables you to select an ICC Profile that describes the target output device.
Printer Color Management
Sends the document’s color data along with the document profile directly to the printer and
lets the printer convert the document to the printer color space. The exact results of the color conversion can vary
among printers.
Same as Source (No Color Management)
Discards all color management information and sends device color to the
printer.
Color Profile
Determines the profile used for handling colors during printing.
Output Color
Displays the output color based on the settings in the Output panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog
box.
Treat grays as K-only grays
Select this option to ensure that any grayscale as well as RGB graphical objects for which R,
G, B have equal values, are printed using only the black (K) when you enable color management and specify a CMYK
profile printing to a PostScript printer
Preserve Black
Specifies that pure K-based CMYK colors are preserved as K-based in CMYK to CMYK conversions
that may occur when you enable color management and specify a CMYK profile printing to a PostScript printer.
Preserve CMYK Primaries
Specifies that pure primary-based (C only, M only, Y only, or K only) CMYK colors are
preserved in CMYK to CMYK conversions that may occur when you enable color management and specify a CMYK
profile printing to a PostScript printer.
Apply Output Preview Settings
Simulates the print space defined by the device identified in the Simulation Profile
menu of the Output Preview dialog box. (Choose Tools >Print Production > Output Preview.) This option allows you
to simulate the appearance of one device on another.
More Help topics
Embed printer marks in a PDF
Printing color PDFs (Acrobat Pro DC)
More Help topics
Basic PDF printing tasks
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Preview how colors overprint (Acrobat Pro DC)
Overprint preview provides an onscreen simulation that approximates blending and overprinting in the color-
separated output. Overprinting effects can also be simulated when you output to a composite printing device. Both of
these methods are useful for proofing color-separated documents.
Managing color (Acrobat Pro DC)
When you print a color-managed RGB or CMYK document, you can specify additional color management options to
keep color consistent in the output. For example, suppose the document contains a profile tailored for prepress output,
but you want to proof the colors on a desktop printer. In the Color Management panel of the Advanced Print settings
dialog box, you can temporarily convert the document’s colors to the color space of the desktop printer—the printer
profile is used instead of the current document profile when printing. In addition, you can send color data as RGB
values to printers using various RGB profiles.
About composite printing (Acrobat Pro DC)
When you print a color PDF, all of the colors used in the file print on one plate. This process is called composite printing.
The options available in the Output panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box depend on the selected printer.
Artwork that will be commercially reproduced and that contains more than a single color must be printed on separate
master plates, one for each color. This process is called color separation. If you’re creating color separations, you can
print a color or grayscale composite proof to check your work.
Consider the following issues when printing composites:
• Any overprinting options that you select print correctly only on a printer that supports overprinting. Since most
desktop printers don’t support overprinting, you can simulate the effects of overprinting by selecting Simulate
Overprinting in the Output panel of the Advanced Print Setup dialog box. Be aware that selecting Simulate
Overprinting converts spot colors to process colors for printing. If you intend to use a file for final output, do not
select this option.
• When you print to a black-and-white printer, a grayscale composite version of the pages is produced (unless you
select Print Color As Black in the main Print dialog box; this option prints all nonwhite color as black). If the
document contains color, visually correct grays are used to simulate that color. For example, the gray that simulates
a 20% tint of yellow is lighter than a 20% tint of black, since yellow is visually lighter than black.
Note: Remember that, like monitors, color printers vary greatly in color reproduction quality; thus, proofs from your service
provider are the best way to verify how the finished piece will look.
Print a color composite (Acrobat Pro DC)
1 Choose File > Print, and choose a printer.
2 Specify page handling options.
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3 Choose Document And Stamps from the Comments And Forms menu to print all visible content.
4 Click Advanced, and select Output on the left side of the dialog box.
5 Choose a composite option from the Color menu.
6 Specify other color and output settings, and click OK.
7 If the document contains objects with transparency settings, select an option from the Transparency Flattening
Preset menu.
8 (PostScript printing only) In the PostScript Options panel, specify options.
About separations (Acrobat Pro DC)
To produce high-quality separations, it helps to be familiar with the basics of printing, including line screens,
resolution, process colors, and spot colors.
If you are using a print service provider to produce separations, you’ll want to work closely with its experts before
beginning each job and during the process.
To reproduce color and continuous-tone images, printers usually separate artwork into four plates—one plate for each
of the cyan (C), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and black (K) portions of the image. When inked with the appropriate color
and printed in register with one another, these colors combine to reproduce the original artwork. The process of
dividing the image into two or more colors is called color separating, and the films from which the plates are created
are called the separations.
Print color separations (Acrobat Pro DC)
Acrobat supports host-based separations and in-RIP separations. The main difference between them is where the
separations are created—at the host computer (the system using Acrobat and the printer driver) or at the output device’s
RIP.
For host-based separations, Acrobat creates PostScript information for each of the separations required for the
document and sends that information to the output device. For in-RIP separations, the work of separating a file is
performed by the RIP. This method often takes less time than creating host-based separations, but it requires a
PostScript 3 output device with in-RIP separation capability. To produce in-RIP separations, you need a PPD file that
supports in-RIP separations, and any PostScript 3 output device or a PostScript Level 2 device whose RIP supports in-
RIP separations.
Prepare to print separations
Before you print separations, do the following:
• Calibrate your monitor. See Calibrate and profile your monitor.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
