Preserving transparency - What is best filetype for variety of applications

[_Ken_Nielsen_]

Working in prepress, I've been asked to provide a file that now has an object on a layer with transparent background. This may be used in Publisher, InDesign, Word or what ever a client may be working with. Is there one best format that can be linked in all programs and still preserve transparency? Will the tiff format preserve transparency?

I've tried PNG, for one format, but the result gives a strange background anomaly when printing to digital. I know Photoshop is recommended with Adobe products. Need more input on this subject from those who know.

Thanks,

Ken

[Guest]

>Will the tiff format preserve transparency?

Tiff or PSD.

PNG for Word.

[Forbidden Fruit]

PNG works in a variety of circumstances and can be read by a great many software applications. It is safe to use on the Web these days because all modern browsers support it. It's easy enough to convert it to a transparent GIF if you need to (vector art in this case please).

[Guest]

A .psd will hold up best. A .tiff will not support transparency, at least that's been my experience when placing .tiff's in Illustrator.

[_Ken_Nielsen_]

Thanks for input.

My problem with PNG is that is is showing up a 'ghosted' background, square-cut to the image size crop, so is not truly transparent (InDesign CS3 output to a Konica Minolta digital printer.

[_Ken_Nielsen_]

I'm wondering how a digital copier is able to detect what is a transparent background in the placed Photoshop image, placed in InDesign.

The transparent part is completely void of pixels.

Hmm...

[NotInUse]

Indesign flattens upon printing. The copier never sees transparency.

[_Ken_Nielsen_]

I'm not sure I get that Scott, but it makes sense. Are you saying that a background is created in InDesign when printing? that sure is the way it looks: Semi invisible but with a definite square cut background that shows the actual image size. Does this happen with clipping path images, I'm going to test that today. Let's hope clipping will do it.

[Wade S Zimmerman]

John Danek <br /> <br />AI CS 4 supports advanced tiffs, I have asked for this support for four versions now and you see eventually Adobe does get you what you want. <br /> <br />Here take a look this is a placed tiff no clipping path or clipping mask. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1ym6rJ1UtNlKYlPxNRJ0TJ0i2Ul61W0" /></a> <img alt="Picture hosted by Pixentral" src="http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1ym6rJ1UtNlKYlPxNRJ0TJ0i2Ul61W0_thumb.png" border="0" />

[_Ken_Nielsen_]

Ïollow up: using Photoshop file with clipping path solved the problem, and with a beautiful result, got kudos at company meeting.

[fossal]

Thank you all who bother to give this wonderful tips. I have just got CS5 and am at loss with many problems. I am used to Corel. So this type of advise is really appreciated. Thank you all.