So tell me what I'm doing wrong...

[Joey_Ponthieux@adobeforums.com]

Try this if you have both Illustrator CS and Indesign CS:

1. Open Illustrator
2. Create a new document- 8.5x11, portrait
3. Make sure that Edit>Color Settings are set to US Prepress Defaults
(Adobe RGB 1998;US Web Coated SWOP v2)
Advanced mode off
4. Make a simple shape with the shape tool. A circle will do fine
5. Select the shape. Assign R255,G0,B0 to both fill and stroke on the shape.
6. Open the Appearance Palette
7. Reselect the shape. In the Appearance pallete select fill and set the fill transparency to 20%
8. Make certian the shape is still selected, select stroke in the appearance palette, set the stroke weight to 4pt
9. Save the file as Test.ai, turning the following options ON:
on Create PDF Compatible File
on Embed ICC Profiles
on Use Compression
10. Open InDesign CS leaving Illustrator running in the Background
11. Create a new document using the default preset as a Letter page size, orientation portrait
12. Set InDesign's Color Setting(Edit>Color Settings) are set to US Prepress Defaults
(Adobe RGB 1998;US Web Coated SWOP v2)
Advanced mode off
13. Add the Illustrator by using File>Place setting show options on
14. Select and open the .ai file that was just created in Illustrator,
15. Set Crop to Bounding Box and set Transparent Background on.
16. Click Ok and place the element in the document
17. Return to Illustrator, select the shape and drag it across applications and drop it on the InDesign artboard, Return to ID
18. Move the shape element just copied from Illustrator so that lies halfway over the identical shape PLACED into the doc
19. Select the sliced stroke of this copied shape and move it away so that you can see the fill of both shape one on top of the other with no stroke separating the two fill colors.
20. Set InDesign to Preview Mode(W key)
21. The copied shape's fill color should be slightly different from the placed shape.

Just for grins.......
22. While still in ID, go File>Place, Select and open .ai file that was created in Illustrator
23. Set Crop to Art and set Transparent Background off.
24. Place the artwork anywhere in the artboard so that it does not overlap either of the existing shapes, but nearest to the other placed shape.
25. use the direct selection tool to slide the shape halway underneath the shape's frame so that the fill is fully exposed on one side.
26. Now slide this placed shape over the first placed shape so that they overlap and the fill color have no strokes separating them. Make sure this placed shape does not interfere with the copied shape.
27. Now print this page with your best printer

For me, on the monitor the two placed files are exactly the same chroma but slightly different hues, both placed files are different than the copied file. The copied shape is a little darker with a slightly more red hue. The printed version of this ID page should show the two placed shapes as being absolutely identical, but still different from the copied shape. The weirdest part of all is that for me the two placed shapes in the print are identical whereas they are different on the monitor.

Now print the lone original shape from the Illustrator page. Compare it to the print from Indesign. Note that the color of copied shape in the Indesign print is nearly identical to the shape in the Illustrator print.

So what gives? What am I doing wrong? Is this normal?

BTW, Im using a Viewsonic VA800 LCD monitor and a HP 7350 Photosmart printer.

Joey Ponthieux

[Joey_Ponthieux@adobeforums.com]

Try this if you have both Illustrator CS and Indesign CS:

1. Open Illustrator
2. Create a new document- 8.5x11, portrait
3. Make sure that Edit>Color Settings are set to US Prepress Defaults
(Adobe RGB 1998;US Web Coated SWOP v2)
Advanced mode off
4. Make a simple shape with the shape tool. A circle will do fine
5. Select the shape. Assign R255,G0,B0 to both fill and stroke on the shape.
6. Open the Appearance Palette
7. Reselect the shape. In the Appearance pallete select fill and set the fill transparency to 20%
8. Make certian the shape is still selected, select stroke in the appearance palette, set the stroke weight to 4pt
9. Save the file as Test.ai, turning the following options ON:
on Create PDF Compatible File
on Embed ICC Profiles
on Use Compression
10. Open InDesign CS leaving Illustrator running in the Background
11. Create a new document using the default preset as a Letter page size, orientation portrait
12. Set InDesign's Color Setting(Edit>Color Settings) are set to US Prepress Defaults
(Adobe RGB 1998;US Web Coated SWOP v2)
Advanced mode off
13. Add the Illustrator by using File>Place setting show options on
14. Select and open the .ai file that was just created in Illustrator,
15. Set Crop to Bounding Box and set Transparent Background on.
16. Click Ok and place the element in the document
17. Return to Illustrator, select the shape and drag it across applications and drop it on the InDesign artboard, Return to ID
18. Move the shape element just copied from Illustrator so that lies halfway over the identical shape PLACED into the doc
19. Select the sliced stroke of this copied shape and move it away so that you can see the fill of both shape one on top of the other with no stroke separating the two fill colors.
20. Set InDesign to Preview Mode(W key)
21. The copied shape's fill color should be slightly different from the placed shape.

Just for grins.......
22. While still in ID, go File>Place, Select and open .ai file that was created in Illustrator
23. Set Crop to Art and set Transparent Background off.
24. Place the artwork anywhere in the artboard so that it does not overlap either of the existing shapes, but nearest to the other placed shape.
25. use the direct selection tool to slide the shape halway underneath the shape's frame so that the fill is fully exposed on one side.
26. Now slide this placed shape over the first placed shape so that they overlap and the fill color have no strokes separating them. Make sure this placed shape does not interfere with the copied shape.
27. Now print this page with your best printer

For me, on the monitor the two placed files are exactly the same chroma but slightly different hues, both placed files are different than the copied file. The copied shape is a little darker with a slightly more red hue. The printed version of this ID page should show the two placed shapes as being absolutely identical, but still different from the copied shape. The weirdest part of all is that for me the two placed shapes in the print are identical whereas they are different on the monitor.

Now print the lone original shape from the Illustrator page. Compare it to the print from Indesign. Note that the color of copied shape in the Indesign print is nearly identical to the shape in the Illustrator print.

So what gives? What am I doing wrong? Is this normal?

BTW, Im using a Viewsonic VA800 LCD monitor and a HP 7350 Photosmart printer.

Joey Ponthieux

[LenHewitt@adobeforums.com]

Joey,

>>What am I doing wrong? Is this normal?<<

Well, you're sending CMYK data to an RGB device and RGB drivers cannot pass
CMYK data, so the application has to convert to RGB before sending the data.
The printer's firmware then converts it back to CcMmYK for the print heads.
This double conversion will usually lead to an unpredictable loss of colour
fidelity. Only PostScript printer-drivers can pass CMYK data.

[Joey_Ponthieux@adobeforums.com]

Turns out it was the Transparency Blend Space in InDesign. It needed to be set to RGB because the Document Color Mode in Illustrator was also set to RGB.
Thanks.
Joey