InDesign CS3 translucent white box.

mandatorycannibalism
26.Oct.2007 1.18pm
mandatorycannibalism's picture

Hi.

Some years back before i knew anything about design software i had created a logo in photoshop. The logo is on a transparent background. I recently found this and wanted to use it in indesign. if i imported in to indesign the transperancy looks fine on scree.. but when i print it.. its a translucent white box.. ive gotten solid white boxes before due to transperancy but never a translucent white box.

any ideas and how to resolve this problem?



Ralf Herrmann
26.Oct.2007 1.28pm
Ralf Herrmann's picture

How do you place it in ID? As a PSD?


David Sudweeks
26.Oct.2007 1.50pm
David Sudweeks's picture

For now try PNG. I’ve had success with transparent backgrounds in print before converting PSDs to PNGs and placing them. For later, try making logos in a program more suited to making logos.


Quincunx
26.Oct.2007 3.24pm
Quincunx's picture

I’ve had trouble with transparency in Adobe software all the time. Well, actually it’s the transparency flattening that causes the strange boxes. Always check the Transparency Flattener Preview in InDesign if you are working with transparency, to see any problems. Also I think RIPs find it very difficult to handle transparency flattening properly.

Usually when I use transparency in a document, I tell the prepress/printers that I use it and where, and that they need to pay attention when outputting my file because of it.

Somehow I remember reading somewhere that it might also be somewhat buggy handling of transparency of the Adobe Suite?


mandatorycannibalism
26.Oct.2007 5.45pm
mandatorycannibalism's picture

yes it is as a psd.

if i try tif.. i get an all white box.

thanks for all your help.. im a student and im barely learning how to use all of these programs.. thanks for all the help.


mandatorycannibalism
26.Oct.2007 6.17pm
mandatorycannibalism's picture

converting to png did not work


Quincunx
26.Oct.2007 8.03pm
Quincunx's picture

I suggest you watch the InDesignSecrets podcast Episode 23: Practicing Safe Output (or: direct link to the video]]. It gives several tips on how to safely use transparency in InDesign, how to check the flattening, etc.


Ralf Herrmann
27.Oct.2007 12.49am
Ralf Herrmann's picture

For now try PNG.

For print? No!
PNG is for the web, not for prepress.
PSD and TIFF are the best choice for prepress documents.

Make sure to use a consistent color space. Is your PSD converted to CMYK? Is your InDesign workspace CMYK? Do you export the PDF in CMYK?


I’ve had trouble with transparency in Adobe software all the time. Well, actually it’s the transparency flattening that causes the strange boxes.

The white lines in Acrobat are just a problem of screen resolution.
If you see color changes around a transparent image, you have most likely mixed different color spaces.

Also I think RIPs find it very difficult to handle transparency flattening properly.

That’s why you should flatten the PDF in InDesign by choosing PDF 1.3.


Somehow I remember reading somewhere that it might also be somewhat buggy handling of transparency of the Adobe Suite?

No, if you know what you are doing it works just great with all the Adobe apps.

Ralf


Quincunx
27.Oct.2007 5.03am
Quincunx's picture

Well, on screen I don’t really have any problems with transparency. I used to have some trouble when printing, but I have used some of the tips from the video I posted above your post, and that helps a lot. I’ve noticed that checking the Flattener Preview in InDesign and then use proper layering of your document eliminates a lot of the white-box problems.

Jose could also try to make a clipping path in photoshop around the logo, instead of a transparent background, and then place it in InDesign and let it clip the image with the embedded clipping path.


mandatorycannibalism
27.Oct.2007 6.36pm
mandatorycannibalism's picture

i used the tips on the video.. and it printed without the white box.

what i had to do was export to pdf.. “pdf/x1a-2001”

great help guys!! thank you