Flattening EPS objects in InDesign file for Printing

Forum|Forum|10 months ago
April 7, 2025
4 replies
421 views

Hi everyone - I have a 200 page InDesign file with text, pictures, and EPS file embellishments on every page (see attached). I am trying to send this to my printer but they are telling me the file is too big and I "need to flatten some objects and pictures". When I flatten the entire document, I am left with light grey traces of the background that I cannot have at print (see attached). I got these by exporting my PDF as a "PDF/X-1a:2001" and by editing my "Transparency Flattener Presets".

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Don't use EPS. Use PDF/X-4 instead. EPS is an old file type, which is recommended not use anymore since 2001.
EPS can't be flattened as it has no transparency anyway.
When you export a PDF X-1a or X-3 it is flattened automatically as both do not support transparency.

Try to use PDF/X-4, it could cause smaller file size, but I think, your objects might have to many anchor points. Reduce them.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

And one more thing, it may be possible to reduce the size of the PDF in Acrobat by running the PDF Optimizer and deleting unnecessary information.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

All of that said, I'm not convinced that the transparency is what's making the PDF so large. What's the difference in size when exporting to PDF/X-1a vs PDF/X-4? withthe same compression settings?

Emelia34672718ggocAuthor

Participant

About 30 MB difference - PDF/X-4 saved out to 519.5 MB.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

About 30 MB difference - PDF/X-4 saved out to 519.5 MB.

By @Emelia34672718ggoc

Take a look at https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/optimizing-pdfs-acrobat-pro.html and run the audit on both versions of your PDF to see what's using that extra space, and if you can delete any of it as unnecessary.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

Are you referring to the horizontal ine in the second image? That's a "stitching" artifact and they gerenally do not print in hig resolution (offset) printing. If you mean the gray rectangle behind a night of enchantment, take a look at https://creativepro.com/eliminating-ydb-yucky-discolored-box-syndrome/

Emelia34672718ggocAuthor

Participant

The stitching you're referring to is what I am concerned about.

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