resolution problems when exporting pdf using InDesign

[jwvonline]

Hello,

I've been creating black and white ads with a logo for my wife's yoga studio. Every once and a while I find that one of my file doesn't print right (fuzzy text) either for Kinko's or one of the small local papers that we advertise in. Are there some resolution guidelines out there for exporting InDesign files as pdfs for print (as black and white ads with a logo and text in a newspaper?)

Thanks,

Jared

 

[jimoblak]

Are the PDF files fine when you export them? The printer may be messing with them to print. Some low-end printers will rasterize a newer PDF so that it will place in their old version of Quark. They might also print the PDF to a printer and use that as camera art. Talk to the printers to see what they have done with your files.

If you are using InDesign CS, export with the PDF/X-1a profile. If you are using InDesign 2, export with the 'Press' profile. This will create press-ready PDF files. If the final output still looks bad, it is the printer's fault.



- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[jmgalvin]

You should be exporting pdfs at Press quality for professional printing or for ads in publications. The Print quality is for printing on your own printer.

If you have been using Press, open an ID doc and go to PDF Presets - selecting Press as the quality. It should show Downsampling of color & Grayscale images to 300 and monochrome as 1200.

You also might go to the ID Edit menu/Transparency Flatteners presets and make sure it's set to High quality. That effects text resolution.

It will also help if you use Postscript fonts instead of Truetype.

 

[texasjoe]

I'm confused with the use of the term "export" in this thread.

Won't you get better results "printing" your PDFs via Acrobat rather than "exporting" PDFs from InDesign?

Joe

 

[jimoblak]

The only reason why you might want to print via Acrobat is when you are working with a RIP that cannot handle CID fonts.

InDesign exports PDF files with CID fonts. You do not have these when printing to 'Adobe PDF'. If you can get by with the cheaper PDF export, go for it. If your print service provider cannot handle your CID fonts, purchase Acrobat so that you can print to PDF with a more backward-compatible PDF format.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[texasjoe]

We've had problems getting files to print correctly when exporting to PDF from InDesign. Transparency issues, various other issues.

Granted, we are using 2.0, not CS. I would imagine many of the export to PDF issues have been resolved with the new version.

That said, we've never had a problem when printing to Adobe PDF using Acrobat with the "press" quality settings.

 

[texasjoe]

Need help applying gradient to photo

I'm trying to apply a gradient to a photo, but am getting nowhere.

When I put a gradient on a black box, for instance, I just draw the box, grab the gradient tool, click and drag across the box, ans Voila! I have a box with a gradient fill!

But this process does not work with photos. What I want is a photo that gradually fades out toward the bottom.

Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Joe

 

[texasjoe]

Disregard previous post -- I accidentally posted it in the wrong place. Sorry!

Joe