Prior to the ISO meetings on PDF, the PDF Association organized a Symposium on Advancing the PDF Imaging Model as part of PDF Week in San Francisco in mid-October, at which proposals for possible extensions to the PDF standard were discussed.
Association
PDF/X-3 is 20 years old!
In September 2002, ISO standard 15930-3:2002 (better known as PDF/X-3) was published. Unlike PDF/X-1a, which appeared in 2001, PDF/X-3 also allowed ICC-based colors and Lab.
The initiative for this variant originally came from me, as I felt that the way for workflows with color management should not be blocked. For the 1998 ISO meeting in St. Gallen, where this topic was discussed for the first time, I had organized the support of the ECI and the Bundesverband Druck in the form of two identical resolutions.
This was successful. It was decided to work out the new variant in addition to the American proposal PDF/X-1. The German-speaking ISO delegations undertook this task and commissioned Olaf Drümmer (Callas Software) and me to prepare a draft for PDF/X-3.
PDF/X-6 Applications Notes published
The PDF/X-6 Application Notes, entitled A Practical Guide to Implementing and Using the PDF/X-6 Standard, written by two members of ISO Commission TC130/TF2/WG2, which is responsible for the PDF/X specifications. The Application Notes are intended for users and implementers of PDF/X-6, PDF/X-6p, and PDF/X-6n.
Since this document is not an official ISO document, it has been published by the American APTech (Association for PRINT Technologies) and can be downloaded free of charge.
Recommendations for creating PDF files
for variable data printing
The PDF Association has published two guides with recommendations for creating PDF files for variable data printing:
There are different editions for designers and developers (about 60 pages each):
- Best Practice in creating PDF files for variable data printing – Designer Edition
- Best Practice in Creating Print Files for Variable Data Printing – Developer Edition
The documents were created by the PDF Association’s Print Product Metadata Liaison Working Group (LWG) and PDF/VT Technical Working Group (TWG). Their member, Martin Bailey, explains the background for these two brochures in a blog article at Global Graphics.
Four Pees Café:
Callas pdfToolbox 13.1, what’s new?
David van Driessche (Four Pees), with the support of Dietrich von Seggern (Callas), conducted an extensive webinar (YouTube 85’37”) on the new features of Callas pdfToolbox 13.1:
The focus was on the implementation of the new GWG 2002 specifications of the Ghent Workgroup.