Transparency issues with In Design

[edgework]

Actually, the issues are with our Fiery Rip but In Design is what we use (CS3, but it's shown up in earlier versions).

Imaged placed from Photoshop with transparent background, color background in In Design. Export to PDFX-1a format.
The Fiery proof shows color distortion within all areas of transparency. High-end rips have no problem.
The problem is art directors think the Fiery's are gospel. They can't cope. Rather than try to re-educate them (not possible with an art director) I'd love to create low-end proofs that will get the job done, without going through the extra step of rasterizing the file in Photoshop and printing that.

Any suggestions?

 

[GinSu]

Re: Transparency issues with In Design

Can you use X-4 instead of X-1a? I'm quessing the fiery is color managing the rsater area like it would a scan, non-raster areas don't get the same management.

PDF X-4 is still a draft so unless your equipment is very modern, it may not support it. The idea behind X-4 is to accept and maintain transparency until the very last stage.

 

[disbellj]

Re: Transparency issues with In Design

Do you have an ICC profile of the Fiery? If not, that's the first step - calibrate (using a spectro, not a densitometer) the proofer, and then profile it. Then place your profile in /Library/Colorsync and in InDesign, choose Proof in Print dialog, your press profile first, then your proofer profile second, simulate paper if you want. Your proof should look like your press sheet because you have converted your press numbers to your proofer numbers (so file going to proofer has different numbers than what is in InDesign - on purpose, so that the appearance looks like press sheet).

If you have done all this, and you still don't get a color match to your press sheet, then it is going to be limitations of your proofer that is causing it (such as when I proof PANTONE Reflex Blue or PANTONE Orange 021, I can get close, but not exact, because the proofer is not capable of producing those colors)

Don

 

[Shawn]

Re: Transparency issues with In Design

When printing from Acrobat you could try clicking on the Advanced tab and then choosing to print as image at 300 or 600 dpi. That would rasterize everything on the fly without requiring a trip to Photoshop.

Shawn

 

[edgework]

Re: Transparency issues with In Design

Wow, fast responses. Thanks for the input. I think, for my purposes, Shawn's approach is the best I can hope for. I think the problem is with the RIP, since the PDF files are fine when sent to a high-end proofer. The only setting I could find that seemed to relate to what you were talking about was the PDF optimization dialogue, which gives the option of setting the ratio between vector and rastor. I know that's supposed to be for type and vector art, but the resulting PDF printed nearly correctly, certainly much better than previously. Where do I find the specific option related to printing that you mentioned, Shawn?

 

[mosprott]

Re: Transparency issues with In Design

The Advanced tab he's referring to is at the bottom of the print dialog box. Click on that, and all of the Print as Image settings are there.

Edited by: mosprott on Feb 19, 2008 3:20 PM