Dark boxes show up around logos/images in printed file

Question

I'm running into an issue that I can't seem to figure out.. hopeful someone might be able to offer some guidance. I've got my Indesign file looking the way I want it to on the computer, but when I go to export it to PDF and then print from that file, I get these undesirable dark boxes around my graphics.. see pictures. What's strange is if I print directly from InDesign, it looks correct. Why would that be happening? Is there a setting that I'm missing? I've set the export to PDF X1A and set the output to 'Convert to Destination' and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Why would it look different from the PDF when printed? but look fine when printed directly from InDesign?

Thanks,
Paul

rob day · Accepted Answer

This is a common problem with composite printers with RGB drivers, where the print driver doesn't handle transparency flattening and or color conversions correctly.

When printing out of Acrobat try checking Print>Advanced>Print As Image

G_Hoffmann · Answer

IF NOT interested in history THEN GOTO M1

Okay, the handling of Black or Gray or Grayscale in Adobe programs has been

always a great mess:

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1564258

In fact, it's correct in Photoshop, but not in InDesign (there is no Grayscale),

and therefore Export as PDF is for Grays widely uncertain.

M1:

About the actual problem:

The background of the images and the large background rectangle are using

different blacks. Black can be Grayscale with any Tone Reproduction Curve:

Gamma or Dot Gain, or Photoshop's Black Ink (ISOCoated v2 eci, for example),

or Gray converted from AnyRGB to AnyCMYK, a huge number of possibilities,

and going from RGB to CMYK it can be Rich Black (CMYK) or K-only Black.

Hopefully we don't have to discuss, how JPEG compression modifies the file

content further.

What's to do? One possibility:

Choose your CMYK space, for instance ISOCoated v2 eci, as recommended

by the service provider.

Convert the images to CMYK, extract the background (Magic Wand) and fill

it with a well specified CMYK black (it's not even clear whether the image

backgrounds had been identical before).

Use in InDesign exactly the same CMYK black for the background rectangle.

Then export without image compression as PDF/X-1a.

No, PDF/X-4 doesn't contribute any magic problem solution concerning the

Grays.

The only reason for using PDF/X-4 could be the visible gradients in the page,

if these were produced by Illustrator by procedural shading* (PostScript origin).

PDF/X-1a would replace this procedural shading by immediate rasterization,

in this case agreeable.

* The rasterization depends on the final output device.

Best regards --Gernot Hoffmann

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded