Printing Transparency Issues

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

I just posted this under the Creative Suite forum when it should be here - in Indesign. Sorry....

Using ID CS updated (3.0.1) under Windows 2000.

In the process of converting PM6 docs to Indesign, I'm changing the instances of 'fake drop shadows (putting two copies of text on top of each other and offset)' into true DropShadows within InDesign - which seems like a more efficient way of handling text.

However, when printing to a color inkjet, the bounding box of the text is printing a different color than the colored rectangle upon which it sits. It's obviously a flattening issue.

I've read the posts and have tried the solutions - my flattener space is CMYK, my spot colors have all been converted to process colors, I've tried putting a blank letter between the type layer and the art layer that holds the colored rectange upon which the type sits. Nothing helps.

I can print to PDF and then print from there and it's not an issue. But the colors are all off when I do that and it seems like an extra step I shouldn't have to take.....

[mikewitherell_at_jetsetcom_dot_net]

Can you detail about any use of color management?

[Michael_S._Flynn@adobeforums.com]

It's not a flattening issue from an ID standpoint, it's a printer driver issue.

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

How can you tell? And is there another work around if you have the newest driver installed?

In terms of color - using Adobe RGB space and Web Uncoated Web as the working spaces and Use Color Settings intent in the three select boxes

Thanks

[Bob_Levine]

Are you using all CMYK colors? Are you printing to a postscript printer
with composite CMYK set as the output in the print dialog box?

Bob

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

yes to all
all cymk
ps lexmark optra 45
yes to composite cmyk
indesign output summary below - do you see anything in there?

Oh - i also tried converting the text to outlines to see what it would do and it did the same thing - just with a smaller bounding box since the text was now outlined...

Print Preset: [Custom]
Printer: Lexmark Optra Color 45 PS
PPD: Lexmark Optra Color 45
PPD File: C:\WINNT\system32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\LOPC45.PP D

General
Copies: 1
Collate: N/A
Reverse Order: Off
Pages: 4
Sequence: All Pages
Spreads: Off
Print Master Pages: Off
Print Non-printing Objects: Off
Print Blank Pages: Off
Print Visible Guides and Baseline Grids: Off

Setup
Paper Size: Legal
Paper Width: 8.5 in
Paper Height: 14 in
Page Orientation: Portrait
Paper Offset: N/A
Paper Gap: N/A
Transverse: N/A
Scaling: 100%
Constrain Proportions: On
Page Position: Upper Left
Thumbnails: Off
Tiling: Off

Marks and Bleed
Crop Marks: Off
Bleed Marks: Off
Registration Marks: Off
Color Bars: Off
Page Information: Off
Printer Mark Type: Default
Crop Mark Weight: 0.25 pt
Mark Offset from Page: 0.0833 in
Use Document Bleed Settings: On
Bleed Top: 0 in
Bleed Bottom: 0 in
Bleed Left: 0 in
Bleed Right: 0 in
Include Slug Area: Off

Output
Color: Composite CMYK
Text As Black: Off
Trapping: N/A
Flip: None
Negative: N/A
Screening: Default
Simulate Overprint: Off

Graphics
Send Data: Optimized Subsampling
Download: Complete
Download PPD Fonts: On
PostScript®: Level 2
Data Format: ASCII

Color Management
Source Space: Document
Profile: Document CMYK - U.S. Web Uncoated v2
CRD: N/A
Intent: N/A

Advanced
OPI Image Replacement: Off
EPS: Off
PDF: Off
Bitmap Images: Off
Transparency Flattener Preset: [High Resolution]
Ignore Spread Overrides: Off

[Bob_Levine]

> Graphics

> Send Data: Optimized Subsampling

It's a long shot, but change this to all.

Bob

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

thanks but it came out the same....

[Bob_Levine]

Let's try an experiment. Export to PDF using press settings modified to
Acrobat 5 compatibility.

Then try printing the PDF.

Bob

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

Check your transparency blend space.

Also, I beleive that model Lexmark, is PS L2 Emulated. That could be causing
some issues for you.

Larry

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

Transparency blend space is CMYK, same as document.

When I exported to PDF, press settings to Acrobat 5, opened the resulting PDF in Acrobat 6 and printed - the transparency problem is still there.

In terms of the simulated bit with this printer - please explain more - is there anything I can do?

[Bob_Levine]

Make sure that all color management is turned OFF in your printer driver.

Bob

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

When you export as Acrobat 5 (PDF version 1.4) you are preserving
transparency. Have you tried exporting as Acrobat 4 (PDF version 1.3)? This
will flatten the transparency in the resulting PDF, which can then be
printed pretty much as it is.

As for as the Postscript emulation; if that indeed is your problem (don't
know for sure of course, just speculating) then there is probably not much
you can do short of using a Postscript RIP to pre-process the file, or
perhaps complain to Lexmark.

Emulated postscript means that Lexmark did not license the code from Adobe,
but rather wrote their own postscript interpreter. There is nothing wrong
with that, as PS is open code, but sometimes printer manufacturers cut
corners in writing the code, and leave out some important functionality;
vis-a-vis transparency support.

Larry

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

Well this is very interesting.

All printer color management is indeed off.

When I did as suggested and exported as Version 4 - the purple box on which the text lays is now the RIGHT purple. YEAH!!! However, the text itself just disappeared. It shows on the PDF when viewed in Acrobat but doesn't print at all. Geez.

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

This exact same file prints fine on another printer - a laser.

So it is definitely the lexmark driver, I suppose. Too bad - it printed fine from Pagemaker on the lexmark.. Guess I can't use any drop shadows or anything else using transparency on this printer.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help.

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

I suggest you take a run at Lexmark for a fix. We have a rather old Optra
S, that originally would choke on InDesign files, and many PDF's. After
complaining to Lexmark they sent us a new SIM to install, which fixed all of
the problems.

And there still should be some way for you to make a PDF that will print.
You might try some different flattener settings, and also try Postscrpt
through Distiller to make your PDF


Good luck

Larry

[JulieASmith@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the suggestion to contact Lexmark. I'll do that.

I'm weary of trying to fix it from the printing end. I've tried many, many settings (including Distilling) and nothing seems to work. So I'll just back out the transparency out of every file that needs to be printed on this color printer. The printer is going to be replaced at some point in the near future, I think.