Transparency layers in illustrator not transparent in pdf?

[corysmith@adobeforums.com]

I have some simple, 2 layer files in illustrator. There are logos on the top layer at a 21% transparency (like a ghosted logo). Once I pull this eps file into quark and lay my type over it, I save it as a ps file to then run through distiller for my pdf. However, once I do this, the transparency is not read...that is, the 21% goes to (what I'm assuming) is 100%, so that I have solid white logos...which don't work so well with white type. Any ideas how to get that transparency to maintain in pdf form?

Thanks for any help.

[Jon_Bessant@adobeforums.com]

Are you flattening the transparency prior to making the EPS ?

If so then what settings?

Jon

[Aandi_Inston@adobeforums.com]

Are you expecting to be able to see THROUGH the Illustrator graphic to
the XPress document behind it? That cannot work.

Aandi Inston

[corysmith@adobeforums.com]

I'm not intentionally flattening it, however it's probably being flattened. I have to save a copy of it as an eps to pull in quark. The weird thing is, if I do this exact build in photoshop, the transparency of the layers remains. For some reason, it works out of photoshop, but not out of illustrator...illustrator is not maintaining the transparency, and I have to have vector graphics for scalability. Any ideas?

thanks.

[Social Blogsite]

EPS is an OLD format.
Ages ago, when transparency didn't even existed in Illustrator, EPS format already existed, and what we called "transparency" then was just "around the always-opaque elements". I just meant your logo wouldn't bring a white square delimiting the end of the artwork.

When InDesign started interpreting Illustrator Graphics (only because since AI9, all the files come with both AI and PDF versin inside, except when you un-check the option) the transparency was supported because of the native PDF data being shared between two Adobe applications.

End of story, EPS is as old as a MacPlus, and older : Illustrator 1988 already used it!

When you need transparency, you just need to use some format your application uses natively. Any application that correctly handles all the PDF attributes, is probably from Adobe or pays Adobe for the rights to use the proprietary language (PDF, PostScript)

Now, about flattening… You need to setup the transparency flattening settings when exporting, and only higher versions of PDF (6 and up, I think) support full transparency, reason why most applications only handle lower versions: because they are flattened.

I'll explore why, but using PDF versions which support layers should export with transparent background.

A solution is, to build the whole thing in Illustrator, or merging your background image in prezi with the bjects first, in AI. Or may be exporting the transparent objects to PDF, and using the full version of Acrobat, copy/paste the objects on the mackground image. (another way to merge everything on a single PDF, but without using AI)