Pittsburgh, Pa., September 12, 2001 —To help printers incorporate Portable Document Format (PDF) files into their prepress workflow and train their customers to construct correct PDF files, the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) has developed a two-day customized program. To be presented at local plants, the PDF Boot Camp: Structuring Your Workflow for PDF shows how to create, manipulate, and preflight PDF files. The development of the PDF specifications has rapidly advanced in recent years and is fast becoming the de facto standard for digital document exchange in print production environments. They are cross-platform, cross-application, OS independent, compressed, and self-contained such that a single PDF file can contain all the components of a typical print project: fonts, illustrations, scans, text, and layout elements. But much has changed with the release of Acrobat 5 and the new PDF version 1.4 (transparency, JBIG2 compression, RTF, 128-bit encryption, tagged PDFs). The plug-ins required for preflight, color separations, imposition, and trapping have also been subject to change. Not only must printers keep abreast of this revolutionizing software, but they should also lead the way to proper PDF use and adoption by their customers. Proper implementation by customers will be very important to a printer’s future profitability. If files are constructed properly, time spent on preflighting will be minimized and production throughput maximized. Turnaround time could also be improved by teaching customers to preflight files before submission. The GATF PDF Boot Camp can help printers train their customers to build the proper PDF file structure for their specific workflow, separating their facility from the competition. On the first day of this two-day program, the presenter will meet with the facility’s staff, answer questions, and review production. Recommendations for improvement are made and the information gathered is used to customize the presentation to the facility’s customers with the appropriate staff names, specific workflow instructions, and equipment names. On the second day, GATF experts will make two presentations. The first presentation focuses on proper file preparation and is appropriate for new customers, clients with habitual file problems, and new staff (sales, CSRs). The second presentation focuses on PDF creation, preflight, and correction and is more geared for production staff and sophisticated customers interested in sending PDF files. The group will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PDF and PostScript. A review of the evolution of PDF will help printers determine which versions they have received and which versions are acceptable. GATF experts will show how a PDF workflow can streamline production and, coupled with soft proofing, can help cut costs. Tips for application-specific problems (XPress, Illustrator, PowerPoint, etc.), PDF problems, and how to overcome them will be shared. Additionally, thorough instructions on how to create a print-ready PDF file and output four-color, spot color, and even Hi-Fi color will be demonstrated, and much more. GATF is offering this two-day customized program for $2,800 in October, November, and December only. For more information, contact, Gerri Peluso, GATF technical services/seminars administrator, by phoning 412-741-6860 extension 610 or emailing [email protected].