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• • May 31, 2010 at 5:46 am #55862
    Raphael Freeman

    Member

    I am having a problem that is driving me mad. We designed a catalog with lots of images and some of the text came out pixelated. I immediately assumed it was a problem of transparency but there are no transparencies in the text.

    However, when I called up the printers to ask them the problem, they explained that the text had to appear ON TOP of the images for this problem not to happen.

    Okay, I have read this before but how do I check to make sure that I haven't done it wrong? The only solution the printers are giving me is to send them the files and then they will run it through their RIP and then send me a new pdf back. If the pdf has the pixelation then I should reclose. <groan>

    Is there no way that I can check before sending the pdf if I have made an error?

    I am using InDesign CS4/5.

  • May 31, 2010 at 5:57 am #55863
    Eugene Tyson

    Member

    Put your text on a layer above everything else. It should be fine then.

  • May 31, 2010 at 5:59 am #55864
    Raphael Freeman

    Member

    okay, but how do I test that I've actually done that? If I accidentally delete a word on the screen, I have feedback: the word is gone. If I accidentally colour a word in purple, again, I have feedback, the word is purple. This is the case in the pdf too. The word gets deleted or the word turns purple. But if I have the text on the wrong layer for whatever reason, how do I know?

  • May 31, 2010 at 6:35 am #55865
    Eugene Tyson

    Member

    I'm not sure what you're asking ?

    But I'll give you an answer that think you were asking

    You put the text – all the text – on a single layer. And you move that layer to the top of the pile.

    Only insert text frames on this layer, you can colour layers different colours, so if you have all your text layers on a blue coloured layer and you make a text frame on a red coloured layer, you can see instantly that the text frame needs to be moved to the text layer.

    Hope that helps?

  • May 31, 2010 at 6:57 am #55866
    Raphael Freeman

    Member

    I understand your method of avoiding the problem to start with. But that isn't my question. My question is, if the file hasn't been built “correctly” or with layers as you suggest, how do I see if I'm going to have a problem without first ripping my files and getting feedback from the printers?

    I can just as easily make sure to bring all the text to the front. But again, I'm not getting feedback.

    Think of it like this. The printers don't want any files to be RGB. I can make sure that this happens by either using the preflight panel in ID or preflighting in Acrobat. This is a feedback that I've made a mistake. Your solution to this is, “don't put any RGB images into ID and convert first in Photoshop”. Do you see my problem?

  • May 31, 2010 at 7:11 am #55867
    Eugene Tyson

    Member

    Ah yes I see what you mean now.

    One method is to have a Flattening Preset set really low

    So in Edit>Transparency Flattener, select Low and choose New (this bases a new preset on Low)

    Call it Really Low or something.

    for the Raster/Vector Balance type in “1”

    Line art and text resolution: 72 ppi

    Gradient Mesh Resolution: 60 ppi

    Tick Convert All Text to Outlines (not sure if this is necessary, but didn't do me any harm)

    Then Export you PDF

    Choose Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)

    Go to Output

    And change the Transparency flattener to the one you created.

    Export the PDF and you should get a really visual PDF that shows where the interaction of the transparency is

    I have uploaded PDF sample here

    https://www.yousendit.com/trans&#8230;..MUJFQlE9PQ

    You can clearly see where the interaction occurs.

    Now you can go back to your PDF and make it better.

    Another test file for you to download (all I did was bring the text to the front)

    https://www.yousendit.com/trans&#8230;..a1UwTVE9PQ

    And then you have that fixed.

    Once you've fixed everything you can go back to your regularly scheduled PDF output settings.

  • May 31, 2010 at 9:38 am #55868
    Raphael Freeman

    Member

    okay, so I was really suprised by your post because this was my solution but it didn't work. Then I went back to CS4 and tried and lo and behold it works great. Except that I'm using CS5….

    I wonder if this perhaps isn't a problem in CS5 any more….

    hmmm…

    anybody out there?

  • May 31, 2010 at 12:42 pm #55869
    Eugene Tyson

    Member

    Not sure why it's not working CS5? Weird. I'll have to test.

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