Transparency Problems with exported pdf file

[kmaddox]

Please help. I'm new to InDesign, and I need to get a project done tomorrow.

I have created a booklet in InDesign and used transparency in several areas. I have used the high preset to flatten the transparency. When I export the .pdf file it appears fine on the screen, but when I try to print from the .pdf file, (since this is what my client will do), the colors look horrible, and where the transparency is applied the color looks lighter, so there appears to be boxes around objects effecting the colors.

Is is going to print like this once I send it to the printer? What am I missing?

Thanks!!

 

[jimoblak]

Are you printing to a PostScript printer? Will your client print to a PostScript printer?

Are you mixing layers of objects with different color modes? For example, you should not use a transparency effect with a RGB image over a CMYK image. Likewise, A spot color should not be tranparently positioned over a CMYK object.

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

 

[kmaddox]

thanks for the quick response.

I'm not printing to a postscript printer just an inkjet for my own proofing. I don't think that my client has a postscript printer.

I've made sure that my entire document is CMYK. I did a preflight and everything checked out okay, but I'm just VERY nervous since this is my first job with InDesign to go to a printer.

Anything else, I've missed? Is it normal for an inkjet printer to print pdf files this way?

 

[jmgalvin]

When you export to pdf - using the Press setting - make sure that the compatability is set for Acrobat 5 or higher. The default in the presets is for Acrobat 4, which is lousy for transparency.

When you get the PDF Export window, click Advanced and make sure that High Rosolution is selected in transparency flattener.

If the colors look horrible, it could be because you have some color mismatchs. If you used process, cmyk colors and you're printing to a reguilar inkjet which only recognizes rgb values, you can get some odd results.

If the colors look horrible, you might want to check your printer settings. Does the thing print ok out of Indesign, or is it just as bad?

 

[kmaddox]

I had been using the Print setting instead of Press, so I tried Press, and Acrobat 5, but I didn't make any difference.

When I print from InDesign it looks fine.

Thanks for helping me with this!

 

[jmgalvin]

Desktop inkets can be VERY problematical. Also they will NOT recognize your cmyk properly. Generally things will look sort of "washed out".

Where is your doc going. If it's going to a pro printer, can he handle ID? If so you could package the thing up and send him a cd, or email if it's small. That printer will be printing postscript. If it's going to a client for in house printing, it would be very important to know what type of printer they'd be using.

What type of transparency did you use? The reson I mention that is that, sometimes a thing like a transparent eps will work in place of transparency in ID. Sort of a safety net.

Also, preflight the ID doc (File menu.preflight) to see if anything bad gets picked up.

 

[kmaddox]

thanks. I'm trying to find out from client their printer's contact information so I can ask them if are compfortable working in ID, and if they ever have any problems with transparency in it.

I did the preflight and nothing came up as a problem.

I placed photoshop documents that used transparency, and in some cases I had a cmyk color swatch selected and then clicked on the color palette to the side and slid the arrow to the left so it was a percentage of the color. In some cases I actually used the transparency in InDesign.

If nothing gets picked up in the preflight, is it usually pretty safe, or do unexpected things happen? do you have any advise on what I ask the printer to make sure that we will get the desired results?

 

[jmgalvin]

Very bad tings can happen that are not picked up in preflight. It checks for missing things, and bad colors etc.

If you're using PS docs that use transparency you could ahve some difficulties. If nothing has to show through from the actual ID page, You might try saving as tiff and palcing. If stuff from the ID page has to show through, you might try agani tiffing, but preserving trransparency. Also, are the PS docs in cmyk

Personally, I always add layers in PS and use the layer transparency for the control.

When you print from ID to your non-postscript inkjet, ID outputs RGB. It can be seen in the output part of the print dialog. When you PDF at press quality, cmyk is used as long as the doc has all cmyk stuff. This should effct your colors but NOT transparency. Try setting your printer to it's absolute highest quality and see what happens.

 

[kmaddox]

thank-you for your advice on using .tif files instead of the psd files. I'll go through and change all of the images to do that. All of my images were cmyk. Before I did the preflight I did have some rgb, but I went back into photoshop and changed them to cmyk.

I'll let you know how it goes when I have time to change the images.

thanks.

 

[kmaddox]

okay, I've changed some of my images, and I think I'm seeing the pattern now anyway. When I print the .pdf file on my inkjet printer all of the colors look washed out, (which I guess is what I should expect), but the areas where there is a placed image that has some transparent effect to it, the area below that actaully seem to print out at a more accurate color - not washed out.

Do you think that I see this problem just because I'm not using a post-script printer, or do you believe that I have a problem that going to show up at the printer?

 

[jimoblak]

Yes - you are bound to have these color differences with a non-PostScript printer.

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