What settings should I use when saving a PDF?

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PDFs have changed a lot over the years, so it is very important you use the correct settings. As standard (or profile) we recommend you to use PDF/X1a:2001 and as compatibility Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3).

Note: do not forget to convert your text to outlines

Below, you see the "save" screen of Adobe Illustrator. On the image we marked the fields that relate to these settings.

PDF settings when saving in Adobe Illustrator
Figure 1: PDF settings when saving in Adobe Illustrator

 

In Figure 2 we see the "export" screen of Adobe InDesign. On the image we marked the fields that relate to these settings.

PDF settings when saving in Adobe InDesign
Figure 2: PDF settings when saving in Adobe InDesign