transparency issues with placed PSD files -workarounds?

[Touchsigna]

I'm trying to print an InDesign file that has placed PSD files that have transparency on a gradation of 10% black. When the files RIP, I'm getting a box around the transparent images, rather than an overprinted transparent file. The PDF looks fine after creation, but after RIP you can see the outline of the image box.

I've tried a number of workarounds (setting transparency to multiply/darken, creating a silo on top of the shadowed file, flattening the pdf during export and after creation in Acrobat) but i still get the box or a circle area between the shadow.

The only solution so far is to open the PDF in Photoshop and flatten it, then save as a Tif file. It works, but i was wondering if there are any other workarounds out there.

Using a Fiery RIP 5.0.1.12 with a Konica 6501, printing from Mac 10.6.8 or PC Windows 7 Vista, makes no difference where I print from.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Try setting your transparency flattener slider settings to 100 for the raster/vector mix if it is not at 100.

Stephen Marsh

 

[WharfRat]

Do you see the psd file in:
a White box
or
in a bounding box that does not match the background color
or
in a transparent box with
white hairlines around the edges of the bounding box?

MSD

 

[CHM]

Is it a black box or white?

 

[DCurry]

Also, make sure there are no spot colors involved. Spots+transparency=weirdness, sometimes.

 

[CHM]

Also, make sure there are no spot colors involved. Spots+transparency=weirdness, sometimes.

This is a strange remark, we are working daily with spot colours in Illustrator without any problems.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

This is a strange remark, we are working daily with spot colours in Illustrator without any problems.

I have a CiPress 500 Digital Web. I have completely given up on spots and transparency. In fact, I am now using all of my skills garnered between 1990 and 2007 (the advent of APPE) and am applying those long forgotten skills to "dummying" files to rip on a digital web.

 

[DCurry]

This is a strange remark, we are working daily with spot colours in Illustrator without any problems.

Actually, it's not strange at all. On many occasions I've seen files print improperly when there are spot colors that interact with transparency of other elements. Generally, the file is built incorrectly, meaning the designer used a spot color but really intended the piece to print as process. This is especially true when sending the file to a digital press.

 

[MacTwidget]

Actually, it's not strange at all. On many occasions I've seen files print improperly when there are spot colors that interact with transparency of other elements. Generally, the file is built incorrectly, meaning the designer used a spot color but really intended the piece to print as process. This is especially true when sending the file to a digital press.

I too have seen artifacts and unwanted elements show up at our HP Indigo RIPs when transparency is used in combination with spot colors.
As it's RIP is not APPE-based it does poorly at flattening and gets even worse when it has to do that AND convert spot colors.

 

[buckeye]

We have a KM C8000 with Command Workstation 5 that has a "Composite overprint" setting in the "Color" tab and if left unchecked, we will get the white box you speak of. Any settings like this that you can check for?

Erik

 

[Colorblind]

From InDesign, print as composite and make sure you check the "simulate overprint" checkbox. That should help for complex files.

 

[MacDaddy]

In my experience this happens win you mix transparencies with spot color. In inDesign I'll change spot colors to cymk process. And that will fix it