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Exporting AI file to Simulate Overprint

Community Beginner ,
Mar 30, 2011 Mar 30, 2011

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I have a logo that I ultimatly need rendered properly in a PDF to send for proofing. It has a overprint effect in it but I can't figure out a way to export it as a tif or jpg with a simulated overprint.

What I have tried:

Export as tif and export as jpg (from Illustrator CS5). Neither export has a simulate overprint option, and both export with a big green blob on top of everything (the green blob is the shape that is overprinting)

Save as PDF, press ready, defaults to view of green blob (not simulated overprinting)

Save as PDF, change to PDF 1.3, in advanced flattening I set overprint to preserve, and high resolution. Same result as above.

In a PDF I can turn on the overprint preview, but I can't make that a default (as far as I know). Additionally, I am sending this to a client, I don't want to have to tell him "Oh, and by the way, here are the 10 steps to simulating overprinting in PDFs!"

Also I have tried to import from PDF to Photoshop and there is no option for simulated overprint there as well.

I don't know what to do anymore. Adobe do you have any answers for this?

Also, I don't care if it is just a jpg or tif placed into a PDF, I don't need to preserve vector for this portion of it. If I can, then great, if there is a solution but I can't fine, It is only for presentation at this stage.

Thanks,

Randy

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Community Expert ,
Mar 30, 2011 Mar 30, 2011

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What’s wrong with just sending the PDF? The PDF will contain the overprint, but it will be up to the user to turn that on to preview it. I don’t think the free Adobe Reader can do this, but Acrobat Pro can.

By the way, you are wrong about export. If you export using Save for Web or Exportyou will get overprint effects in the image. I think this is wrong, the default should be to not show overprints. But in your case it is a blessing.

PNG exported using Save for Web

Untitled-1.png

PNG exported using Export

Untitled-1a.png

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Community Expert ,
Mar 30, 2011 Mar 30, 2011

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Overprint Preview and overprint in export won’t work for RGB Illustrator files. Go to File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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I created a new file to test everything. Still doesn't seem to work.

I checked the Document Colorspace

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 9.22.06 AM.png

I confirmed my overprints were set up properly.

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 9.24.33 AM.png

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 9.24.38 AM.png

I'm exporting as PNG because you seemed to have results with that. I still do not have an option for simulating overprint. But sure, it should default to that supposedly so lets try this again.

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 9.25.32 AM.png

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 9.25.53 AM.png

And the results:

export.png

Not what I want or need.

The other question asked is why can't I just send a PDF, first of all I'm sending these to a client (not a colleague), not a dumb brick but not the smartest brick either . I don't want to have to sit on the phone for 15 minutes explaining how to turn on overprint and why they have to do that in order to see the logo as it will be represented. Secondly, it seems like it is unknown if overprint simulation can be done in acrobat-free. Not something I really thought of before, but I know the client only has acrobat-free.

In conclusion: I'm still running my head into a brick wall here.

System Specs:

OSX 10.6.7

Adobe Illustrator CS5

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New Here ,
Oct 20, 2011 Oct 20, 2011

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You don't need to sit with your client and explain to them about the overprint options.

When you save the pdf and the "Save Adobe PDF" dialog pop ups, point to Adove PDF Preset and select either one of [PDF/X-...].

Then email this file to them and whichever version they are using of Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, Simulate overprinting is automatically turned on.

But one of the downside is that if your client opens the email through Gmail or Yahoo that already has a PDF reader embedded in the webmail then Simulate overprint will not be turned on. So you must tell them to download free Adobe Reader on their computer and have them open your pdf file with it.

This is the only way.

I've tried the png, jpeg, gif, svg.... it doesn't work. Just print screen and yes I know, it's not high res. But I hope I am wrong about this and Adobe actually made an option to export image files with overprinting enabled.

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Guide ,
Apr 04, 2011 Apr 04, 2011

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Acrobat Reader can show overprints (preferences> page display) I believe Preview can't.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 02, 2015 Apr 02, 2015

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The Adobe Reader can do this too (show overprint). Just turn it on in the Preferences > Page Display > Use Overprint Preview and set it to Always or Automatically.

So just Save from Illustrator as PDF is all that is needed.

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LEGEND ,
Mar 30, 2011 Mar 30, 2011

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Turn on Overprint Preview and take a screenshot.

JET

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Contributor ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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Like Jet said just take a screen shot of it and send it off.  command>Shift>#4 drag across art.Picture 1.png

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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That's pretty hack guys, there has to be a way to do it right.

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Contributor ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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Picture 2.png

I just exported a jpg out of CS5

and it worked fine.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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Hrm, there must be a setting then somewhere. I just can't seem to find it.

I wish adobe had someone I could just call and get answers from instead of having to spend hours shifting through internet articles and crowdsourced help.

...when I learn to catch this fish...

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Community Expert ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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You could always use this

Picture 1.png

This will visually show what you want.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2011

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Ok this is still hack, but it seems to do a pretty good job.

Step 1

Save your EPS or AI file

Step 2

Open InDesign

Step 3

Place EPS or AI file into the new InDesign document

Step 4

export as pdf

Step 5

make sure you set compatability to Acrobat 4 (PDF1.3) in top right corner

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 11.47.26 AM.png

Step 6

Select "Output" in left column

Step 7

check the "Simulate Overprint" option in the "color" portion of the dialog window.

This option is only available to you with the acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) compatability.

Screen shot 2011-03-31 at 11.47.35 AM.png

Step 8

export

This will serve my purposes for now, but I'm not going to close this thread until I can export a PDF or something from Illustrator that does this.

Note: When you save as PDF in illustrator the dialog windows are diffrent from indesign and so it doesn't work.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 04, 2011 Apr 04, 2011

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Don't save the PDF but print it from Illustrator. In the Print-dialog you can also "Simulate" overprint.

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New Here ,
Apr 04, 2011 Apr 04, 2011

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Thanks!

I've tried that, and I can see from the preview that the Overprints are lost already before I go any further.

I'm a silkcreen printer, and at times it's necessary to be able to make a full sized, hi-res JPG with overprints showing perfectly as they do during the illustration and design process. Unfortunately, it's super hard to do, unless there is a special magical setting that I've been missing for a few years.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 04, 2011 Apr 04, 2011

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I have just tried it and it works. The setting is on the "Advanced" dialog box: Overprints: Simulate

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New Here ,
Apr 04, 2011 Apr 04, 2011

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I perpetually have this same problem and it's really frustrating. I agree that there must be an ACTUAL way to export a fullsized file from AI with overprints intact, and yet all I can find are sloppy work-arounds.

Definitely looking for a proper solution and haven't found one yet.

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Enthusiast ,
Oct 21, 2011 Oct 21, 2011

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Rusty, just do what Larry said, swish to transparencies instead of using overprint.

Overprint dates from the postscript time and can now be changed to transparencies. This is a more flexible way of working and gives you a direct result in Illustrator and in Acrobat (when you save the pdf).

I speak of experience, we have been actively removing and replacing overprints for more than 5 years now.

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Participant ,
Oct 25, 2012 Oct 25, 2012

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Here's what I do....nasty and complicated...

1) save the illustrator file as a PDF using the Illustrator default settings

2) Load the PDF in Acrobat Pro then select the Advanced->Print Production->Output Preview option and make sure "simulate overprint" is on

3) in acrobat select file->export->postscript->encapsulated postscipt (EPS) [in Acroabt X this is "File->Save As->More Options->Encapsulated Postscript"]. Make sure "simulate overprinting" is on in the "output" subsection. Keep all colours inc. spot colours (i.e. do not convert spots to CMYK).

4) export the EPS file from Acrobat

5)  drag-and-drop the EPS file into Photoshop to rasterise it. You should find that the rasterised image reflects the overprint preview.

The downside to this that you get a flat PSD file (no layers). If you need separate layers you'll have to export 'em and process them one-by-one and combine them in Photoshop

Figuring this out took a lot of pain....

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New Here ,
Dec 19, 2012 Dec 19, 2012

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You are such a lad. This was perfect, thanks.

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 02, 2015 Apr 02, 2015

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Little bit faster way is print from illustrator to postscript file with options like bellow:

Screen Shot 2015-04-02 at 11.08.44.png

and then open ps file in photoshop.

But this way is only one step less

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Participant ,
Apr 12, 2015 Apr 12, 2015

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Mighty fine idea, didn't even know that "Print to postscript file" existed as a printer type, I just looked for "export" style options.

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New Here ,
Aug 10, 2016 Aug 10, 2016

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Printing to postscript worked per your suggestion - thank you.

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New Here ,
May 11, 2016 May 11, 2016

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This worked for me! Thank you!!!

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