PDF files

[LoriPrepress08]

Print to a ps file out of InDesign or Quark and then distill to a pdf.
Do not export pdfs from page layout programs. We have minimal
problems on our iGen4 when we print to ps and then distill to high res pdf.

[Lukas Engqvist]

@LoriPrepress08 are you trying to use spot colours that you map in your RIP? The PS and distiller route is not encouraged as a workflow by Adobe, and it will not circumvent the spot colour vs transparency issues that are causing the problem. (By all means try but it would be good to get the feedback if it does, it did not solve the issues when I was finding routine to handle them some years ago, and as far as I know the technology hasn't changed in that respect)

[bruceprint]

We have Rampage. All our PDF's run through the rip. If we are going to the Xerox we save the file as 600dpi PDF out of Rampage. The quality is same as sending the PDF direct, but we see non of the problems by ripping the file first in Rampage.

[Mark Flanders]

PhilM,

To recap what others have said:

It sounds to me like your RIP doesn't support newer versions of Acrobat, and this occasionally causes troubles, especially with transparency. Suggestions above all seem good to me. We always used to "save back" to version 1.3, or output from InDesign to 1.3 PDFs. You can also use 1x-A or flatten, (normalize also works, I gather). There should, of course, be a newer RIP that doesn't have these issues. Do keep an eye out for INDD dropshadows turning to boxes.

all the best,

Mark

[Mark Flanders]

Ah, indeed.

Lori is correct. Outputting PS and then distilling is rock solid. If you have an error, it will tell you.

Mark

[charles09]

Maybe I missed it in the other threads, but this issue sounds like exactly what Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) is for. You should be able to use a queue / Virtual Printer with this setting turned ON and not have these issues.

Flattening certainly works, but APPE seems more simple to me.