I need to convert a book into PDF/X-1a:2001 for on-demand publishing. In the past I've used Acrobat for that but this time I'd like to go all-Linux.
I started by importing the first chapter of my book and exporting it as PDF/X-1a in Scribus 1.5.1.svn.
Somewhere I read that I could validate this in Adobe Reader. I determined that a PDF exported by Scribus as PDF/1.4 checks out in Reader. I can invoke the File Properties dialog and it verifies it as 1.4.
However, when I try to validate my test PDF/X-1a file, the reader hangs in File Properties and does not bring up a dialog at all.
I also tried one of those free online validator sites, and it returned an email that simply said, "file is not compliant." How helpful! Since this site (validatepdfa.com) offers conversion services, I suspect it may be a scam.
I suppose I could submit it to Lightning Source (the vendor I used last time for POD) but I'd hate to spend a lot of time formatting the whole book and have it be wrong. Can anyone point me to a better method for file validation?
Thanks!