User manual

General options
The General options enable you to specify the version of Acrobat to use for file
compatibility and other file and device settings.
Adobe PDF Settings dialog box with the General panel displayed
Compatibility
Sets the compatibility level of the Adobe PDF file. When you create PDF files, you need to
decide which PDF version to use. Generally speaking, you should use the most recent
version (in this case version 1.6) unless there's a specific need for backward compatibility,
because the latest version will include all the latest features and functionality. However, if
you're creating documents that will be distributed widely, consider choosing Acrobat 4.0
(PDF 1.3) or Acrobat 5.0 (PDF 1.4) to ensure that all users can view and print the
document. The following table compares some of the functionality in Adobe PDF files
created using the different compatibility settings.
Acrobat 4.0 (PDF
1.3)
Acrobat 5.0 (PDF
1.4)
Acrobat 6.0 (PDF
1.5)
Acrobat 7.0 (PDF 1.6)
PDF files can be
opened with
Acrobat 3.0 and
Acrobat Reader 3.0
and later.
PDF files can be
opened with
Acrobat 3.0 and
Acrobat Reader 3.0
and later. However,
features specific to
later versions may
be lost or not
viewable.
Most PDF files can
be opened with
Acrobat 4.0 and
Acrobat Reader 4.0
and later. However,
features specific to
later versions may
be lost or not
viewable.
Most PDF files can be
opened with Acrobat 4.0
and Acrobat Reader 4.0
and later. However,
features specific to later
versions may be lost or
not viewable.
ICC color
management is not
supported.
ICC color
management is
supported.
ICC color
management is
supported.
ICC color management
is supported.
Cannot contain
artwork that uses
live transparency
effects. Any
transparency must
be flattened prior to
converting to PDF
1.3.
Supports the use of
live transparency in
artwork.
Supports the use of
live transparency in
artwork.
Supports the use of live
transparency in artwork.
Layers are not
supported.
Layers are not
supported.
Preserves layers
when creating PDF
files from
applications that
support the
generation of
layered PDF
documents, such as
Illustrator CS or
InDesign CS.
Preserves layers when
creating PDF files from
applications that support
the generation of layered
PDF documents, such as
Illustrator CS or
InDesign CS.
DeviceN color
space with 8
colorants is
supported.
DeviceN color
space with 8
colorants is
supported.
DeviceN color
space with up to 31
colorants is
supported.
DeviceN color space
with up to 31 colorants is
supported.
Smooth-shaded
objects are
converted to images.
Smooth shading is
supported.
Smooth shading is
supported.
Smooth shading is
supported.
Masked images do
not display or print
correctly.
Masked images
display and print
correctly.
Masked images
display and print
correctly.
Masked images display
and print correctly.
Pages can be up to
45 inches
(114.3cm) in either
dimension.
Pages can be up to
200 inches (508cm)
in either dimension.
Pages can be up to
200 inches (508cm)
in either dimension.
Pages can be up to
15,000,000 inches
(31,800,000cm) in either
dimension.
Double-byte fonts
can be embedded.
(Distiller converts
the fonts when
embedding.)
Double-byte fonts
can be embedded.
Double-byte fonts
can be embedded.
Double-byte fonts can be
embedded.
TrueType fonts are
not searchable.
TrueType fonts are
searchable.
TrueType fonts are
searchable.
TrueType fonts are
searchable.
40-bit RC4 security
supported.
128-bit RC4
security supported.
128-bit RC4
security supported.
128-bit RC4 and 128-bit
AES (Advanced
Encryption Standard)
security supported.
Object Level Compression
Consolidates small objects (each of which isn't compressible itself) into streams that can
then be efficiently compressed. Off does not compress any structural information in the
PDF document. Select this option if you want users to view, navigate, and interact with
bookmarks and other structural information using Acrobat 5.0 and later. Tags Only
compresses structural information in the PDF document. Using this setting results in a PDF
file that can be opened and printed with Acrobat 5.0, but any accessibility, structure, or
tagged PDF information will not be visible by Acrobat 5.0 or Acrobat Reader 5.0; Acrobat
6.0 and later and Adobe Reader 6.0 and later are able to view this information.
Auto-Rotate Pages
Automatically rotates pages based on the orientation of the text or DSC comments. For
example, some pages (such as those containing tables) may require the document to be
turned sideways to be read. With Auto-Rotate Pages selected, choose Individually to rotate
each page based on the direction of the text on that page. Choose Collectively by File to
rotate all pages in the document based on the orientation of the majority of text.
Note: If Process DSC Comments is selected in the Advanced panel and if %%Viewing
Orientation comments are included, these comments take precedence in determining page
orientation.
Binding
Specifies whether to display a PDF file with left-side or right-side binding. This affects the
display of pages in the Facing Page - Continuous layout and the display of thumbnails side
by side.
Resolution
Emulates the resolution of a printer for PostScript files that adjust their behavior according
to the resolution of the printer they are printing to. For most PostScript files, a higher
resolution setting results in larger but higher quality PDF files, while a lower setting results
in smaller but lower quality PDF files. Most commonly, resolution determines the number
of steps in a gradient or blend. You can enter a value from 72 to 4000. Generally, however,
you should leave this at the default setting unless you plan to print the PDF file on a
specific printer and you want to emulate the resolution defined in the original PostScript
file.
Note: Increasing the resolution setting increases file size and may slightly increase the time
required to process some files.
Pages
Specifies which pages to convert to Adobe PDF. Leave the To box empty to create a range
from the page number you enter in the From box to the end of the file.
Embed Thumbnails
Embeds a thumbnail preview for each page in the PDF file. Embedding thumbnails
increases the PDF file size. Versions of Acrobat 5.0 and later (including Adobe Reader)
automatically generate thumbnails dynamically whenever you click the Pages tab of a PDF
file. Therefore, you can deselect this setting when users of Acrobat 5.0 and later will view
and print the document.
Optimize For Fast Web View
Restructures the file for page-at-a-time downloading (byte serving) from web servers. This
option compresses text and line art, regardless of what you have selected as compression
settings on the Images panel. This makes for faster access and viewing when downloading
the file from the web or a network.
Default Page Size
Specifies the page size to use when one is not specified in the original file. Typically,
PostScript files include this information, except for EPS files, which give a bounding box
size, but not a page size. The maximum page size allowed is 15,000,000 inches
(31,800,000cm) in either direction.