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julia_0743
Participating Frequently
September 18, 2024
Question

White Line Appears Under PSD with Transparent Background in Exported PDF

  • September 18, 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 3303 views

Hey, everybody!
I'm preparing a booklet for printing. The booklet has a photo of a girl in PSD format with transparent background. I have added this image as a link in the layout on top of a brown coloured frame, I want the girl's hand to be on top of the frame. But when I export the PDF for printing (PDF/X-1a:2001), the part of the frame that is covered by the girl's hand becomes white. I'm using the latest version of InDesign. Why is this happening? How can I fix it? Thanks in advance

 

 

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3 replies

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 18, 2024

Hi @julia_0743 , The problem you are showing in your capture where the stroked frame color is inverting is not the same as the "stitching" artifacts sometimes associated with PDF/X-1a flattening. Looks more like some kind of Blending Mode effect? Are you viewing the PDF in AcrobatPro or Reader? Does the problem show in InDesign if you turn on Overprint Preview? Can you share the ID file?

    J
    julia_0743Author
    Participating Frequently
    September 19, 2024

    Hi!
    In Overprint Preview mode everything looks as it should, no white streaks on top of the girl's hand in the photo. The screenshot with the white line on the girl's hand on the photo was taken when viewing the PDF for printing in the standard PDF viewer for Mac. Everything looks fine in Acrobat. I wonder why this is the case? Unfortunately can't contact the printer right now to see how they see it

    rob day
    Community Expert
    rob dayCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 19, 2024

    Everything looks fine in Acrobat

     

    The MacOS Preview application is not a reliable PDF reader for prepress work. Use AcrobatPro with the Output Preview open.

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 18, 2024

    How can you fix it? Stop using an ancient PDF standard and export as PDF/X-4. Stitching artifacts won't print on a high resolution device but there is almost nothing you can do to stop them from appearing on screen.

    J
    julia_0743Author
    Participating Frequently
    September 19, 2024

    And I also use the PDF/X-1a:2001 standard to make my preset work, which converts all text and stroke to outlines. I created this preset using the ‘Transparency Flattener Preset Options’. I don't know of any other faster and easier way to convert text and stroke to outlines in a large multi-page brochure inDesign. This preset only works when exporting in PDF/X-1a:2001. Maybe you know?

    Willi Adelberger
    Community Expert
    Willi AdelbergerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 28, 2024

    Oh, okay. Thanks for the answer, sir. That means if I choose any of the PDF/X options, the font will automatically be embedd in it. I didn't know this. 


    If any font is not able to embed it fails to export to any flair of PDF/x. This is part of all PDF/x standards that all used fonts must be embedded. InDesign observes this standard. Choose PDF/X as standard, all used fonts must be embedded. If the user has used a font withoud the embedding permission, you are not able to export any PDF from InDesign which is PDF/X conform.

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 18, 2024

    Hi @julia_0743,

     

    Thanks for reaching out! I understand how frustrating it is to see the area behind your image turning white in the exported PDF, especially when you're preparing a file for print. 

     

    It sounds like the issue could be related to how transparency is handled during export. The PDF/X-1a:2001 preset flattens transparency, which can sometimes result in unexpected white areas. A quick fix would be to try exporting your PDF with a different preset, like PDF/X-4, which preserves transparency.

     

    Could you also let me know which operating system you're using, along with your InDesign version? That will help ensure we’re covering all bases.

     

    If you need more assistance, feel free to ask. 

     

    Thanks, 
    Abhishek Rao

    J
    julia_0743Author
    Participating Frequently
    September 19, 2024

    Hi! Thank you for your reply. I am using the latest version of InDesign (version 19.5). Unfortunately, using ‘PDF/X-1a’ was a requirement of the printing house. But I tried to save in PDF/X-4 standard. When viewed in the standard PDF viewer for Mac, PDF/X-4 looks as it should, everything is fine. But PDF/X-1 doesn't. Both PDFs look fine in Acrobat, though. Strange thing:)

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