Image won't print clearly 2

[annconroy]

For PC:

I have a logo which was sent to me and when I print it from PhotoShop it's perfect but when placed into InDesign and printed it is fuzzy. Can anyone tell me why this is happening.

Also, I understand that there is a difference between raster and vector images but I don't know which format this logo was sent in - how can I tell which it is?

 

[jmgalvin]

It's a raster. Photoshop is a raster app. Logos are properly done in vectors (Illustrator, etc) so they maintain their clean edges no matter what size they are - from the side of a trailer truck to letterhead.

A raster should be at least 300 dpi, and higher if it contains text, for clean printing. Check the resolution in Photoshop. If you're making the thing smaller, uncheck Resample in the Size window. As you reduce the size the apparent resolution will increase. That's good. It's not a good idea to try to make it bigger because it's a raster and will lose definition.

You can also try saving as tiff and see if that works better at the print end.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[annconroy]

Thank you for your answer it helps to explain some things.

The logo I am working with is dark blue with a white background and I think the problem arises when I remove the background. Saving it as a .tiff helped but the background was white again. Is there any way around this.

In Photoshop is there a way to determine if an image is a vector or raster?

 

[jimoblak]

It may not be raster. A vector logo can become raster if opened in Photoshop. What format was the logo in when it was sent to you? If AI, EPS or PDF, it may be best to avoid opening in Photoshop.

faq818-4316

If an image appears fine in Photoshop but is fuzzy in InDesign, it seems that this topic would be better suited for the InDesign forum, where there is a FAQ that may help.

 

[apepp]

...check the logo placed in indesign isn't much bigger than 100-115% of original size...

...check your print settings are set to print with all image data and not proxy data...

...if you open the image in photoshop and it asks for raster input then it is a vector image, if it opens straight away then it is likely to be raster image...

...if it is raster image and you want to remove the background then either create a clipping path or you can try having indesign create the clipping path for you under object > clipping path > detect edges, or clip it indesign with the pen tool manually with high quality preview active...

Andrew