Specifying file compatibility and other general PDF options


    You can set the following options in the General section of the Adobe PDF Options dialog box:

    Compatibility

    Determines which version of Adobe Acrobat the resulting file is compatible with. For 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. If you create files with Acrobat 6.0 (PDF 1.5) compatibility, the resulting PDF files may not be compatible with earlier versions of Acrobat. Following are some of the differences between PDF files created with different levels of Acrobat compatibility:

    Acrobat 4.0 (PDF 1.3)

    Acrobat 5.0 (PDF 1.4)

    Acrobat 6.0 (PDF 1.5)

    PDF files can be opened by Acrobat viewers 3.0 and later. However, features specific to later versions may be lost or not viewable.

    PDF files can be opened by Acrobat viewers 3.0 and later. However, features specific to later versions may be lost or not viewable.

    Most PDF files can be opened by Acrobat viewers 4.0 and later. However, features specific to later versions may be lost or not viewable.

    Flattens artwork that uses, or interacts with, transparency. (See About flattening transparent artwork.)

    Preserves transparency in artwork.

    Preserves transparency in artwork.

    Does not support layers

    Does not support layers

    Preserves top-level Illustrator layers, which allows Adobe Acrobat 6 users to generate multiple versions of a document from a single file.

    Users can preserve or remove Transfer functions but cannot apply them.

    Users can preserve, remove, or apply Transfer functions.

    Users can preserve, remove, or apply Transfer functions.

    DeviceN color space with 8 colorants is supported.

    DeviceN color space with 8 colorants is supported.

    DeviceN color space with 32 colorants is supported.

    40-bit RC4 security is supported.

    128-bit RC4 security is supported.

    128-bit RC4 security is supported.

    Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities

    Saves all Illustrator data in the PDF file. Select this option if you want to be able to reopen and edit the PDF file in Adobe Illustrator.

    Important: The Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities option counteracts aggressive compression and downsampling. If file size is a concern, deselect this option.

    Embed Page Thumbnails

    Creates a thumbnail image of artwork. The thumbnail is displayed in the Illustrator Open or Place dialog boxes.

    Optimize for Fast Web View

    Optimizes the PDF file for faster viewing in a Web browser.

    View PDF after Saving

    Opens the newly-created PDF file in the default PDF viewing application.

    Create Acrobat Layers from Top-Level Layers

    Saves Illustrator's top-level layers as Acrobat layers within the PDF file. This allows Adobe Acrobat 6 users to generate multiple versions of the document from a single file. For example, if a document will be published in multiple languages, you can place the text for each language in a different layer. Your printer or prepress service provider can then show and hide the layers in Acrobat 6 to generate different versions of the document.

    Note: This option is only available when Compatibility is set to Acrobat 6 (1.5).