Previous Next

                                                  970
         CHAPTER 10                                                       Document Interchange



KEY             TYPE        VALUE

ColorSpace      array       (Optional) An array defining a Separation or DeviceN color space (see “Separa-
                            tion Color Spaces” on page 264 and “DeviceN Color Spaces” on page 268). It
                            provides additional information about the color specified by DeviceColorant—in
                            particular, the alternate color space and tint transformation function that would
                            be used to represent the colorant as a process color. This information enables a
                            viewer application to preview the separation in a color that approximates the de-
                            vice colorant.
                            The value of DeviceColorant must match the space’s colorant name (if it is a
                            Separation space) or be one of the space’s colorant names (if it is a DeviceN
                            space).


10.10.4 Output Intents

         Output intents (PDF 1.4) provide a means for matching the color characteristics
         of a PDF document with those of a target output device or production environ-
         ment in which the document will be printed. The optional OutputIntents entry in
         the document catalog (see Section 3.6.1, “Document Catalog”) holds an array of
         output intent dictionaries, each describing the color reproduction characteristics
         of a possible output device or production condition. The contents of these dictio-
         naries can vary for different devices and conditions. The dictionary’s S entry
         specifies an output intent subtype that determines the format and meaning of the
         remaining entries.

         This use of multiple output intents allows the production process to be custom-
         ized to the expected workflow and the specific tools available. For example, one
         production facility might process files conforming to a recognized format stan-
         dard such as PDF/X-1, while another uses custom Acrobat plug-in extensions to
         produce RGB output for document distribution on the Web. Each of these work-
         flows would require different sets of output intent information. Multiple output
         intents also allow the same PDF file to be distributed unmodified to multiple pro-
         duction facilities. The choice of which output intent to use in a given production
         environment is a matter for agreement between the purchaser and provider of
         production services. PDF intentionally does not include a selector for choosing a
         particular output intent from within the PDF file.

         At the time of publication, only one output intent subtype, GTS_PDFX, has been
         defined, corresponding to the PDF/X format standard specified in ISO 15930-
         1:2001 (see the Bibliography). Table 10.51 shows the contents of this type of output

Previous Next