Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Hello, as you can see in this picture. The top is how I want it to look, bottom is how its looking when printed.
what should I do?
i want it to be smooth with sharp edges.
 
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
You'll have to post more information.
What is the construct of the element that is printing jagged?
You say "exported PDF from Illustrator". Are you using Save As? What PDF settings?
What application is used to open/view/print the PDF?
What kind of printer?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
It's a rectangle shape in Ai.
I am using Save As.
Adobe saving preset: [Press Quality]
About the printer/app.
I don't know what printer it is, those are business cards I am printing in a local printing shop. The printer is literally bed-sized.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
That is halftone screening.
So which color is it?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
 
It was supposed to be brown.
printed on cream laid paper.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
So you have a process swatch with percentages of inks and that is just what happens when this kind of color setup meets a PostScript printer.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Okay, what solution you reccomend to me?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
The only solution seems to be a different printer.
Or a different color.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
It doesn't matter what printer you are using; unless you are printing with a spot ink colour (which sounds unlikely because it would be considerably more expensive) each printer/RIP will create your brown colour with some sort of halftone dot pattern (or in the case of inkjet printers, a scatter dot pattern). You could ask the printer if they can print in a higher line screen value. Sometimes they use a lower "default" value (e.g. 150lpi, where the dots will show up more), but if you go up to 175lpi or 200lpi , this will improve the look of it, but there WILL be some sort of halftoning pattern; this is unavoidable. Also, depending on the actual CMYK mix of your "brwon", if there's a slight misregistration, your lines will look fuzzy with colour fringes. Again, this is the limit of the technology.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
A high resolution inkjet or digital printer will produce a fine pattern that is close to invisible.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Ask the printer if you can use a spot color, that is what your top example looks like, a single ink.
The bottom example simulates that color using CMYK inks.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
Yes, the answer is to print a spot ink, but my guess that is beyond the budget of the OP. In any case, their bottom image looks like it was printed in greyscale/black and not in colour at all: the dot pattern looks more like it's printing a dark grey and there are no other ink dot colours as there should be. e.g.:
This is a 6pt line halftoned to 175lpi.
 
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
You said "The top is how I want it to look". Where did you get your correct sample?
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
"The top is how I want it to look"
My guess is they printed it on their inkjet printer with a high density scatter dot, e.g. an EPSON at 1440/2880 dots. Since there are no halftone dots like one would get on a professional RIP, it would look much smoother. The issue here is that any professional printer or copy place will NOT be using an inkjet to print professional business cards, they would be printed on a high end digital printer or offest press, and these are halftone dot-based. That being said, they can up the LPI to something that works better... it's just easier for them to calibrate and run consistent large jobs through at 150lpi, but that's pretty crude these days. Unfortunately, one of the big online printers (won't say their name) prints all their stuff at 150lpi, so that was the end of them for me, as that's not good enough.
One copy shop I deal with can easily set their Xerox IGen to 175 or 200 if I ask for it. If the OPs printer cannot do a higher line screen, THEN they should look for another vendor.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
What device are you outputting to, does your printer have postscript? We have no idea if you are printing to a low end nonpostscript inkjet, or separations, or a Linotonic film recorder.
Sounds to me like you don't have postscript on this printer. You can print from Acrobat the pdf to resolve that. Makes no sense to make a .pdf and open tha in illustrator and print, You always want your master file to be in .ai format when working in Illustrator. The .pdf format is not good for editing.
Copy link to clipboard
Copied
"does your printer have postscript"
Actually, any laser printer-style machine, be it Postscript or PCL non-PS will do halftone dots, as that is the only way they can build tones. Printing from Acrobat doesn't chnage this fact.