The introduction of the PDF file almost 10 years ago solved a bundle of very pesky file problems for printers and publishers, and since then, improvements in PDF have solved a bundle more. PDF has become today's standard file format for print work, and that is just as it should be. However, you should be aware that not all PDFs are created equal. Some are better than others, and some are no good at all.

Many of us in this industry, in our attempts to promote the general use of PDF, may have overstated its powers a bit. You may be under the impression that you will always get a print-ready PDF file if you create a PostScript file from Quark, run it through Acrobat Distiller, and check it with PitStop. Well, that's not exactly so. The problem is that there are over 30 million ways to create a less than perfect PDF file! (40 Quark settings X 53 Distiller options X 103 preflight possibilities X 145 PitStop actions = 31,662,200 different files, only one of which is just right.) With so many variables, it's really a long shot to get it perfect.

So what's the solution? It's to properly set all the critical settings in all the applications while you make the PDF. Fortunately our partners at CreoScitex have developed a very clever application called Synapse that does just that. At Courier, we use the Synapse Creative Suite to create and maintain "directives" that define all the critical settings and that reflect our particular workflow and equipment. Our publishing customers and their compositors use the less expensive Synapse Prepare to select a Courier "directive" and to prepare print-ready PDFs with just one click according to that "directive". Synapse Prepare also generates a preflight report and brands the PDF file with a stamp of approval.

At Courier, we are very impressed with Synapse, and we recommend it to all our customers. The product goes a long way toward eliminating costly file rework and the resulting schedule delays — and the savings from just one avoided problem job are likely to exceed the cost of the software.