Flatten an image for printing

I have been working on my logo with Illustrator CC and I needed to print my logo. And I used the .ai file and placed into a InDesign CC document and exported it as PDF for print.
But this is the result of the printed PDF:
and I was talking to the people at the printing place and they said it wasn't flattened properly. So they flattened it on their printer and came out the way it should.
I used Package feature on InDesign and used High Quality Print preset from PDF presets and I also tried PDF/X-1a:2001 preset too with same issue.
I was wondering does this feature doesn't flatten images? Or is there other way of flattening on Illustrator or InDesign. My logo consists of lines with stroke.

marrto wrote:
I thought placing a .ai file of the logo in InDesign would be the proper way of doing it.
You are correct about that.
And the lines of my logo are actually a rectangle tool with rounded corners effect.
Okay well, at least that explains the difference between the two images in your original post. The output reported to be "not flattened properly" appears to have lost the live Round Corners effect. A logo graphic should never include a live effect. You could apply Object > Expand Appearance to those elements to make the results of the effect permanent.
The printing company didn't explain it to me very well.
That's true. The term "flattening" was misused.

Similar Messages

Upsizing Images For Print Via Aperture

Hello
What is Aperture like for upsizing an image for printing greater than 16x11"? I need to output an image for print 36x24". Has anyone done this and if so, what were the results like? Should it be done using other third party software(Photoshop)?
The image is full resolution from a 12MP camera.
Thanks

I print pretty big images (up to 60 inches by 36 inches - > 1gb) and I use Photozoom to upsize and then print in PS.
My workflow is:-
1. Import and basic wok in Ap
2. Specialist work in PS - save back to Ap
3. Export as TIF and upsize in Photozoom
4. Save big image outside Ap (smaller, origimal image - my negative - is still in Ap)
5. Open big image in PS - reduxe noise, sharpen etc amd print
6. Save back to HD or delete - I always have 'negative' in Ap
Hope it helps....
Mac Pro 2.66, 6 Gb, XT1900, 30 ACD, iMac G5 20 inch, iBook G4, iPod 60gb Mac OS X (10.4.10) Changed from PC July 2005 and have never looked back!

The best way to enlarge an image for print?

Hello
I've been designing for print for several years. Occasionally I design large display posters/banners (A0, 6-sheet, billboard etc) which use a photographic image. Assuming that the image I have is smaller at 300ppi than the final print, what is the best way to enlarge the image? Based on my experience, it seems that there are three options (to make it simple, the example here assumes that my image is exactly half the size it needs to be printed at. I'm also assuming that the file I will supply to the printer will be a high res pdf exported from Indesign):
1. Set up the Indesign file at 100% size, place the photo and have Indesign upscale the image to 200%. Export a high res pdf for print.
2. Set up the indesign file at 50% size, place the photo with no upscaling by Indesign. Export a high res pdf and have the printer blow it up to 200%.
3. Set up the Indesign file at 100% size, enlarge the photo in Photoshop to 200%, and place the photo with no upscaling in Indesign. Export a high res pdf for print.
I have been advised that having Indesign upscale the image is not a good idea, and I never do this. I guess that option 3 is probably best, with Photoshop doing the work and the resulting pdf being the correct size. However, it's not always possible to do this – some posters are huge which means that the enlarged photo and the high res pdf will both be huge files, and I think also Indesign has a maximum document set up size anyway. So sometimes I use option 2.
So firstly, why is it a bad idea for Indesign to upscale the image (as I say, I never do this, but I would like to know the technical reason)? Secondly, if the choice is between re-sizing myself in Photoshop prior to exporting the pdf, or having the printer enlarge a high res pdf, which is better? When I say 'better' I mean in terms of the quality/sharpness of the end result. Also, I assume that vector elements in my design will not be adversely affected in either scenario, is that assumption correct?
Thanks

Sorry for the added confusion. It appears, after doing some checking in my CS2 apps ( InDesign), there is no setting for DPI / Output Resolution. Only Transparency Flattener Setting. See screen shot below...
If you select Postscript File in the Print Presets, you can access resolution settings for transparency flattening there, too...
in the "Advanced" tab dialog...
But, I like having the option in Illustrator 10 File > Document Setup where I can set the output resolution to whatever is appropriate. In this case ( below ) I've got it set for 5080dpi / 300ppi. You also have Effect > Document Raster Effect Setting where you can select 300ppi ( see screen shot below )...
...and Raster Effects Resolution setting...
I may have misled you because the apps I have are not CS6; but you should be able to follow along in your CS6 apps in various settings dialogs. Mainly, resolution settings can be set in the Print dialog boxes.
The main thing to keep in mind is, because you are enlarging upon output, the base scaled down file must have enough resolution to maintain its appearance at the final size. In the case of 50% or 25% file resolution should be maximum ( for current apps it appears 300ppi is considered high resolution. Most apps now leave output resolution setting adjusted in the RIP / Print driver.
I still use Distiller because it allows me to setup custom PDF settings and save them for future use. You very well may be able to do that in CS6 apps; but I have a tried-and-true workflow that utilizes Distiller as a personal preference.

Embedding fonts and images for printing (press quality PDF)

I have a question about a document I have produced in InDesign that needs to go to the printers. They have told me to make sure it is a print ready document with all of the fonts and images embedded. When I convert an indd document for printing 'locally', I normally just use the Adobe PDF presets and select press quality. I thought ID works its magic and does everything required to make it print ready. Is there anything else I need to do regarding fonts and images to make the PDF ready for print?
Thanks
Mark

Thank you.
As to bleeds, the printers came back and said my pdf is okay but that yes, I need to set an extra bleed edge of minimum 3mm. Do I set this when converting to the print quality pdf or do I set this whilst working in the actual INDD document itself?
Is the bleed then on every page regardless of the content?
What are the steps for setting bleed and crop marks. Does that mean when I place an image for example on a page the image needs to hang slightly off the edges by 3mm or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Changing images for print version

Is there a way to change an image for a print version?
My background is dark blue and my image is white, however if
I print this nothing will show because its white on white.
I want to use a different image that is dark blue for the
print version so that you can see it.
Can this be done with CSS?

That'd be nice. But you misplaced a decimal in the amount. It
needs to
move right! 8)
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"DC_Eric" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:es7659$rhn$[email protected]..
> Based off what you said I came up with another idea.
>
> I set the current image not to display and then in the
div I set a
> background
> image, height, and width
>
> then when you go to print the page the display none is
removed and the
> foreground image shows again which is now the print
version image.
>
> I didn' set any blocks or anything but this seems to
work.
>
> Thanks so much Murray. We should all chip in $0.25 each
time you help one
> of
> us. Then you can retire and just support the forums :)
>

How to Give an Image for Print and Not Web

So, I have designed a logo for a web site and the site owner wants it for a business card and letterhead. Saving an image for web is easy and I understand all that but how do I prepare a file for a printer? I'm guessing this is just nipping in to the local print shop on the high street.
Sorry for the basic question and I'd be as happy with a link to a tutorial as with the answer!
Thanks
Martin

Saving an image for web is easy...
...Which is why your workflow is backward. Design for print first; repurpose for web. Not the other way 'round.
Proper advice on preparing the artwork for press is dependent upon specifics of the artwork and the printing parameters. You haven't provided any specifics at all. So your question amounts to asking someone to write you a manual on how to prepare artwork for presswork in an online forum post.
Do a Google search for "preparing artwork for offset printing" or some such.
JET

300 DPI images for print?

Hi All,
I'd like to create a promotional leaflet for my activity, where I want to place the picture of the discounted products I'm selling.
what is the minimum resolution I need to (professionally) print them? I understand that images found on the internet can't be used (as they are 72dpi and they would appear pixelated etc.)
I've tried to look at the websites of the companies that produce those products, but couldn't find any high resolution one.
Any suggestions (apart from asking them directly for images, that would take a lot of time?)
thanks,
Patrick

easily controllable color management
True, but in my opion spot 'colour' should not be supported as it it in fact not a colour specification in the first place. Typically, a spot 'colour' is represented as a name callout in the page description and the in separations process the CTP plane/imagesetter plate is rendered with whatever density is defined, but there is no concept of the colour as determined in a device independent colour model.
Colors may or may not be in cmyk.
You mean colourants, not colours. The colourants will be as in the file placed into Pages, or as defined the (limited) colourant controls in Pages. The colours will be as defined in the ICC source colour space embedded in files placed into Pages, and if none is embedded then as assigned by the system level service for the placed colourant model.
tests showed too much ink being laid down
The ink limiting is independent of system level services and is solely dependent on the TRCs and LUTs in the ICC destination colour space either embedded as PDF/X-3 OutputIntent or selected in the driver-level interface. The ink limiting that is part and parcel of the ICC PRTR Printer profile has asymmetric ink limiting internally (e.g. a higher ink limit for Relative Colourimetric than for Perceptual or Saturation) or if the driver is set up to use the wrong ICC PRTR Printer profile as in using a profile with a high ink limit for a coated substrate when in fact an uncoated substrate that should have a low ink limit is loaded into the printing system.
If you use the big commercial applications like Quark XPress and Adobe's Creative Suite they do not use Apple's print engine and completely bypass the issue.
Precisely the same problems with ink limiting will occur in Adobe InDesign (any version) and QuarkXPress (any version) if the user selects the incorrect ICC PRTR Printer profile for the current configuration of the printing system, or if the user selects a correct ICC PRTR Printer profile that internally has a problem such as asymmetric ink limiting even if it should have symmetric ink limiting across the internal tables.
Otherwise, it is correct that Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress have commands to control transparency flattening for PDF/X-3 such that spline illustration, spline composition, and pixel photography can be interactively processed. The system level service in Apple Mac OS X is a meat cleaver and not a surgeon's scalpel, but in the midterm and longterm transparency flattening should be transferred from the designer to the RIP operator who is the one who controls the configuration of the rasterisation rendering. However, the RIP developers will then compete as to the 'application intelligence' for transparency flattening, and since they will do it differently there will for the indefinite future always be an option to control flattening as well at the designer's desk as at the RIP, with complications consequent on either scenario.
/hh
/hh

Exporting images for print labs - colorsync question

Hi All,
This is more a generic question - not pertaining to Aperture specifically, but photo workflow in general.
When exporting pictures to print at a lab (like Costco, Ritz, Smugmug, etc), what Colorsync profile should be set in the Export Version options? sRGB is the profile Smugmug recommends, but I also have the choice of their specific ICC profiles.
Also, how does Aperture run on the 20" iMac? I've really never gotten into printing pictures, but now I have two clients that will pay me for taking pictures! They're giving me enough money to purchase my own copy of Aperture, along with an iMac. Not enough for a dual-G5 with monitor, but if it makes a big difference, I'll throw in the extra money myself.
Thanks,
Robert

When exporting pictures to print at a lab (like
Costco, Ritz, Smugmug, etc), what Colorsync profile
should be set in the Export Version options? sRGB is
the profile Smugmug recommends, but I also have the
choice of their specific ICC profiles.
IF you have the specific output profile for the device, use that. You’ll have control over the rendering intent (well if you do the conversions in Photoshop, in Aperture, you’re “stuck” with Relative Colorimetric which usually works fine). You can control Black Point Compensation (keep it on) and at least in Adobe products, use the ACE CMM which has proven over the years to be stable and bug free.
The only output device that can produce sRGB is a CRT display in a specific condition. The output devices above do not produce sRGB but instead assume/expect sRGB so a conversion can take place upon output. That can work but you have no idea of how the image will appear (soft proof), and you have no control over the conversions or post conversion editing. Assuming you have a good output profile for the device, convert using it, then send to the lab. But BE SURE they are ICC aware and are not expecting sRGB. There are some output profiles for such devices floating around the web, but you don’t know that the lab is expecting the file that way. If however, they do provide you an output profile for their device, you can be pretty sure they will know what to do with the files for output to their device.

I'm a photographer looking for a good (detailed) resource that will inform me of specifically how I should be saving my images for print/online

I've been working in photoshop for years but I've always gotten a bit lost on exactly what size I should be saving my photo's for optimal quality.
I basically need a good website that will go over all the aspects of saving images as a photographer, but if you can answer these questions that will also help.
• What size/resolution should I save if I am giving the client images on a disk for them to print?
• What size/resolution should I be saving photo's just for online viewing?
• How come when I place my image (saved at 4in x 6in) into a new document that is (682px x 459px) the picture is pixelated?

Perhaps the best resource for all things digital media related, especially when it comes to best practices in the industry is
dpbestflow.org
Specific answers to your 3 questions:
-generally, 300ppi at the final print size is good enough in most cases. If they are printing the image very large, like a poster or billboard image, then the print size at a lower resolution can be acceptable since it's being viewed from further away. Either always get the specs from the printer for what size/resolution they require, or just give them your full-sized original image, since that's all the pixels they can possibly have to work with.
-depends on every individual's monitor settings. If you supply an image that is HD-sized at 1920x1080, and they're using a monitor with a resolution at that size or greater, the whole image will fit on their screen. If their monitor resolution is smaller than that, your image will be bigger than they can display. Browsers, website coding, monitor resolution, all factor into how these will display on each individual computer. If you want the whole image to display within a browser window then you'll want your total pixel dimensions to be smaller than the average person's monitor resolution (unless you want them to be able to zoom in and see all the detail of your full-size image, then you would upload the full image and let your website do whatever it does to display smaller/thumbnail versions which can then be clicked on to open up the full-res version. Note, the actual resolution, e.g. 300ppi, doesn't factor into monitor display. PPI means it will PRINT that many pixels per inch of paper, and has nothing to do with how it will display on monitors which only concern themselves with pixel dimensions.
-682x459 is a rather small size. Of course it will lose detail. Just imagine if you scaled your image down further into a 10x10 pixel image. You'd have 100 pixels to make up all the detail in your image. Lots of detail will be lost since you've got a lot fewer pixels to make up the image.

32 bit images for print

Do you have any advise to share if:
You have several 32 bit highres low key rgb pictures with lens flare effects
- and you have to send it to print on uncoated paper in grayscale 16 bit?
All our test ends up with non acceptable posterizing in the lens flare shades.
And - if you paste images together - is it very important that the two images have the exact same resolution?
Or do they just paste/render pixel to pixel?
| Nina Storm

http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-15-ac000-notebook-pc-series/7771404/model/8428967#Z7_3054ICK0K8UDA0AQC11TA930O2 I tried to download by using above link, but its giving option for 64 bit only.

What's the best way to send uncommon sized images for printing?

One of the things I need to do occasionally is print an uncommon sized image. For example, I may crop part of an image as a 2x3 to fit in an odd picture frame, such as a Chrstimas ornament. However, most places I print (e.g. CVS) only print common sizes. In the past I've used Elements to create a blank new image in a common size and pasted my crop into it (which is a little tricky because you have to make sure the new image and the crop have the same resolution), but I'd like to be able to do this directly in Lightroom. What would be the best way to do this?

1. Crop the image to the aspect ratio you want. If you wish to retain the cropped version for future use, make a Virtual Copy of it.
2. In the Print module set the page size to the size you will be ordering from the lab.
3. Make the cell dimensions the size you want the image to be. Set the margin sizes to position the image on the page as you wish.
4. Set Print to: JPEG File, Resolution to 300 ppi, check Sharpness, set JPEG Quality and the color space to sRGB.
5. Click on Print to File.

Help: Resizing images for Printing with CS3

Hello All,
Thus far, I've done most of my printing with my Epson 3800 on paper below 8.5 x 11 which was no problem. Now I'd like to do some larger stuff like 13 x 19 and 17 x 25. Image size is 3504 x 2336 psd. @ 360ppi. (workflow is RAW to Adobe RGB 16-bit 8.2MP) I'd like to maintain the 360ppi resolution, but resize to say 12 x 18 or larger and then apply final sharpening.
My confusion is with the up-sizing steps themselves. I've heard it's best to increase image x% over target image size via Bicubic(?) and then to reduce x% to target size using Bicubic sharpener(?) or something to that effect. Can someone please walk me through the process so I can get the hang of it? Thank you!
Mike

MJCarnegie wrote:I've heard it's best to increase image x% over target image size via Bicubic(?) and then to reduce x% to target size using Bicubic sharpener(?) or something to that effect.
Sounds like one of those tales from an older technology.
Just use the resampling method as recommended in the Image size dialog

How Do I Center an Image for Printing with Elements?

Elements 9 and 11: When I select "center" in the printing que the printed image is always shifted to the left of page center.
What am I doing wrong? New computer, new printer, and Elements shifts the image to the left!!
I downloaded the Elements 11 trial version to see if that would fix the issue but it does the same thing!

My original problem:
--> 3 elements in a panel, a title image
(JLabel topImage = new JLabel(new
w ImageIcon("WelcomeTitle.jpg"));), a button,
and a bottom image. I wanted the title image at the
top, the bottom image at the bottom, and the button
in the middle. I tried this with a BorderLayout, the
top image being Border.NORTH, the bottom Border.SOUTH
and the button Border.CENTER, however the button
completely filled its panel and was really ugly.
add the button to a JPanel and add the panel to CENTER.
Cheers
DB

How can I magni9fy an image for printing?

I wish to magnify an image in an Acrobat file and save as a stand-alone file. I suppose I can crop and save it in masgnified form but I don't know how to accomplish this in Acrobat XI.

You can crop. There is no need to magnify since printing will optionally fill the page.

Need advice on "best" way to prepare book cover for printing

This newbie has created a front cover, back cover, and spline in Photoshop Elements with multiple layers consisting of a background image of a mountain, text, and on the front cover, an airplane. I've combined the three parts into a wraparound cover within a single indd file, which I've exported to PDF for upload to Amazon's CreateSpace (CS) for a print-on-demand book.
CS instructions say to "flatten" the cover. I've researched the term and found forum discussions that mention "raster" and "vector" and the pros and cons of different options for preparing a layered image for printing. I'm aware of the cautions about flattening being an irreversible process, and to never do that to a master copy. Beyond that, to say I'm confused would be an understatement.
I realize this is an InDesign forum, but I'm seeking advice on whether there are actions I should take in Elements before placing the three parts of the cover into the InDesign document for converting to PDF. For example, should I flatten them within Elements before placing them in the InDesign document, then convert to PDF? Or is it better to do that on the complete cover within InDesign?
Any assistance on clearing up this fog would be appreciated.

The print-on-demand site's instruction to flatten really has no direct relationship to InDesign, Peter. They don't say anything about what application you should use prior to creating the pdf, and that's what generated my original plea for help as to whether it would be best to flatten the individual images within PSE before placing them into InDesign, wait until they are combined and then do it, or if it is even necessary to do that at all.
I've been doing some additional reading on the CreateSpace forum and found a couple of very detailed (translation: too detailed for me) discussions on the differences in the output based on how you tell Adobe to create the pdf. I also found the following buried in the Help section:
                  Check the PDF settings that will be used to create your PDF file. If available, select "PDF/X-1a," "High-Quality Print" or "Press Quality" from the list of presets. If your system allows, make sure the following settings are chosen. Any other settings should be left to default in most cases.
                  Fonts and images are embedded.
                  Bookmarks, annotations, and comments are disabled.
                  Document security (any type) is not used.
                  PDF/X format is used. PDF/X is preferred, but if you are submitting non-PDF/X files (for example, PDF/A), any comments, forms, or other non-printing objects could be removed during our review process.
                  Transparent objects are flattened.
                  Spreads and printer's marks are disabled.
                  Downsampling, or decreasing resolution, of images is disabled.
                  Bleeds are enabled (if applicable).
                  Click "Export" or "OK" in the export dialog box.
                  Once created, make sure to open the PDF file to see that it appears as you intended. Otherwise, make the necessary adjustments in the native document and re-create the PDF file.
The mention of "High Quality Print" in the first line and the fact that it was InDesign's default setting for export left me with the impression that I didn't need to do anything other than export the cover and it would be in compliance with the requirements. Then when I read on the other forum about what each of the settings does to output, and all this discussion about which setting is best, I wasn't sure if the comment about flatttening applied to my output pdf or not.
As for bleed, yes, and I hope my math is correct in calculating the spline width for cream b&w paper, 374 total pages, trim size of 5.25x8, and a bleed of .125" all the way around, which increases the InDesign document by .25" in width and height over the trim size. I fully expect to have to do all that again, but such is life in the fast lane.

Flatten an image for printing

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