Help with Transparency Flattener!

I'm working with an Indesign file that has Illustrator links, which contain gradient meshes that use transparency. When I export my Indesign file, the transparency flattener does something very strange to the gradient mesh: it displays the vector lines of the mesh as dark grey lines.
I've found a way around this problem, but it is not ideal. If I export the file as Acrobat 4, I can change the transparancy flattener settings, and eliminate the issue. However, if I use Acrobat 4, I also lose the ability to add hyperlinks in the document (of which I have a number) Why is that that if you use a higher version of acrobat (5 or above) you suddenly lose the ability to manage the transparancy flattener? Why would older versions of the product allow more freedom and control?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Below are screeshots of what it looks like in illustrator, and then flattened but the default flatteners of acrobat 5 and above. Really, I just want to be able to achieve a customized flattener that doesn't contain those dark lines, but not have to use actobat 4 to do it.
Thanks!
jason

Hi Steve—
Your questions have half solved my problem for me!
I'm using the latest version of Indesign (7.5) and Illustrator (15.1.0)
I'm exporting using the High Quality Print setting (I know, a bit strange to use this setting AND want hyperlinks, but the PDF is intended for web distribution to people who might decide to print it) and when I choose anything above acrobat 4 in the compatibility drop down (5, 6, 7...) then the transparency flattener is greyed out in the advanced tab, with medium set as the default. If i want to choose my own flattener settings, I have to go with PDF 4, at which point I lose hyperlinks. I've also tried exporting choosing Adobe PDF (Interactive) from the initial menu, but that results in the same lines in the gradient mesh.
However, it turns out this issue is only happening when viewing the pdf in apple's preview app. It actually looks fine in acrobat. However, seeing as how Preview is the default app for viewing PDFs on a mac, I'm concerned that a bulk of our audience will be seeing it this way.
I know this likely puts things out of the realm of adobe, but if you have any wisdom to impart, I'd appreciate it. Attached is what the file looks like viewed acrobat (above) and preview (below).
thanks!
jason

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This is really starting to bug me now as I have searched the forums and the web for hours and still cannot get this to work.
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My post on a PDF - more clear with images (english):
http://www.logicontrol.be/gallery/documents/help-eng.pdf
Deze post in nederlandstalige versie:
http://www.logicontrol.be/gallery/documents/help-nl.pdf
Scope?
I'dd like to export an Indesign-file (.indd) to a PDF-file that has to be:
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- which displays images and text sharp on the screen
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- that is flattened for easy print
The problem?
▪ How and with which of settings can I export such a file from InDesign 5.0?
▪ If necessary in combination with some settings (after exporting) in our Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro?
Further explanation
The export file contains lots of text, graphics, photographs and drawings. Many of these items are .psd-files that contain transparent areas. The intention is that this transparent parts actually remain transparent even after exporting/flattening /decreasing the PDF.
▪ With InDesign 5.0?
→ In the window Export Adobe PDF: (images see: http://www.logicontrol.be/gallery/documents/help-eng.pdf )
Should I start from a default PDF preset   (if yes > which one??)
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Compatibility > PDF-version?
Compression > If artwork should be compressed and downsampled, and if so,
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Ouput > How can I control colors and PDF/X output intent profiles in the PDF-file?
Advanced > How can I control fonts, OPI specifications, transparency flattening, and JDF instructions are
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▪ With Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro?
→ How can I reduce the file size extra, so more reducing after exporting into PDF ?
→ How can I flatten the exported file (if not done during the export) ?
!! Important, when I export/reduce/flatten the file, I ‘dd like that the parts of images who were transparent before, stays also transparent after !!
WHAT CAN I DO ??

Hello,
I'm sorry you're having trouble. Unfortunately, this forum is for the ExportPDF service of Acrobat.com. The ExportPDF service functions as a PDF to *.docx file convertion and we can't help with problems specific to the desktop version of Acrobat or InDesign. I'm happy to point you in the right direction.
Acrobat Users moderated forums:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/acrobat
InDesign forums:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/indesign/indesign_general
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Flattening PDF with transparency becomes large PDF

Hi,
I have an issue with a PDF file created from Photoshop. The PDF file contains transparency settings.
When I create the PDF from Photoshop with a setting that flattens transparency (such as PDFX1a2001), the resulting PDF is flat and fairly small in size.
If I create the PDF from Photoshop with a setting that preserves transparency (such as High Quality Print), the file is also small in size. However, if I use this same PDF and flatten it, by printing it once more as a PDF with a setting such as PDFX1a2001 (PDF to PDF), the file becomes enormous. And Acrobat even rasterises embedded fonts which I don't understand!
I believe the problem has nothing to do with Photoshop, but Acrobat is the culprit (the same thing happened with Illustrator instead of Photoshop).
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Thanks.
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But the problem can be isolated to the operation of flattening the PDF containing transparency, as described above.
Update:
The problem described occurred with Acrobat Distiller 9.0.0.
I tried using Acrobat Distiller 8.1.0, and that worked! The watermark with transparency got embedded in the pdf, and the resulting pdf had a standard file size. I do see a very thin border around the watermark however which appears and disappears depending on the zoom.
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hi, I've just come across this looking for an answer to a related issue. You may have already found your answers, 1 year later, but in case you're still curious:
the small hairlines around the flattened watermark are what Adobe calls "atomic regions." For transparent type, or any vector shape with a transparency effect (e.g. drop shadow) to be flattened into the artwork behind it, it needs to be rastered into a bitmap to burn it into a single object. The atomic regions are small slices of image where that vector-bitmap rastering happened. In virtually all cases you will not see that in print. (If you zoom in and it gets larger, then you may. It typically stays the same size or disappears.)
There's a host of settings in both versions of Acrobat (more in 9) wherein you can determine how much "extra" information gets carried into your file. Even after flattening within Acrobat, you can still optimize the file size by tossing all of that extra info. (go to Help menu and enter Reduce File Size)
What I suspect is happening is, when outputting a flattened X-1a from Photoshop, it's taking care of rastering the watermark into the image, creating a flattened file. (this is assuming you're not applying the watermark in Acrobat.) This is a single bitmap image.
If you're flattening say, an X-4 (unflattened) PDF with live transparency, or burning in an Acrobat watermark, Acrobat is creating more than a couple atomic regions (likely very many). These are several bitmap images, probably along with some other vector type—even if the glyphs stay vector (no transparency affecting them) they are no longer type, but vector objects, if any other part of the copy was rasterized. Acrobat may even be doing you the favor of keeping the text it converted in an invisible layer above the image. (It does this with OCR conversions.)
Text is text, with font attributes applied, and takes up very little room in a document. Text partially converted to bitmaps and vectors can no longer be read in the file as text (exporting, assistive devices, etc.). If, as I suspect, Acrobat is rastering some of the type, it's preserving the text in the file so it can still be read and exported. (This is just a hypothesis on my part.)
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My advice? Either create a PDF and leave the Acrobat watermark alone (there are reasons), or if you have to flatten it—because you're submitting a PDF/X-1a-compliant file for press that needs to have a transparent watermark—flatten the image in Photoshop, then export your PDF.

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Pagemaker does support transparency for placed files, just not
partial transparency like drop shadows or feathering that
would result in partial transparency.
You can place an object into pagemaker without getting the
white background by making a clipping path of the object
and then saving the file as tiff file. Then you would use
File>Place in pagemaker.
You could also put a background behind your object that matches the page in pagemaker
or use photoshop to make the layout.
More info on clipping paths
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WS08719555-224E-48db-AC64-FC21F4B87689a.htm l
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-7713a.h tml
MTSTUNER

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hi I'd like some help please if its possible.
I've created a monitor graphic in Fireworks that looks like iMac and I would like to export it with transparent background.
the jpeg format looks great with no damage to the graphic at all but I can't have transparent background, although I changed the canvas fill to none. the png-8 format can apply transparent background, but damages the graphic.
Here are the previews
1st - the png-8 format
2nd - thejpeg format
A ny ideas on how I can export the graphic with transparent background and not braking the quality??

Fireworks questions are best answered at this link:
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Jeremy bowmangraphics wrote:
Eugene,
Is it fair to make the sweeping statement that "GIF is not a print format"?
I don't know how “fair” the statement is, but it’s balls accurate. GIFs are RGB, limited to 256 colours only, and have only one bit of transparency. The format is absolutely inappropriate for print.
I can think of a few situations in which GIFs are useful for print as well as the web. For example, GIFs allow nonprofessionals to use logos with solid blocks of color, simple transparency, without color management concerns, and so on, both on the web and in almost all print applications that nonprofessionals use.
Automatic transmissions and power steering make it possible for a recent driver’s license recipient to take the family station wagon around Laguna Seca. That doesn’t make him Emerson Fitipaldi or make the car a Formula-1 racer.
Isn't it a cheap-and-cheerful, universal, perfectly OK format for print?
No.
It has limitations that are obvious to professionals, but it isn't always a mistake to use it in print.
It sure is. Print does not mean “printed to my $60 inkjet.” Print means “printed on a digital colour printer or on a press.” In that context, GIF’s only use is as a source for later conversion to a superior format. Even if printing to a POS inket, conversion to PSD, TIF, Illustrator, PDF, or even PNG would put the image into a superior format that is more suitable for print.
GIF is not suitable for print. Period.

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