How to get transparency to print correctly

[Mateomono]

Hi, 

I created a business card for print. My business card includes an image with transparency. How can I ensure that it prints correctly? I was told there could be issues, but I am unsure how to optimize it. 

[Monika Gause]

Could you perhaps be more precise about the nature of the design?

What kind of file do they expect from you?

How will it be produced?

[Mateomono]

They expect a pdf file.

Honestly, I am not 100% sure how it will be produced.

[Mateomono]

@Monika Gause

But if I edit my image in Photoshop with lower opacity and then export it as a PNG into Illustrator, would that cause any problems?

[Monika Gause]

The things that might happen are basically that you get stitching artifacts (white lines) in your PDF and that those print (rarely, but possible) or that you get YDB effects (rarely, but happens). Possible as well: resolution too low, which is entirely in your hands by choosing in the export and transparency flattening settings.

Depending on the nature of the design, you can take measures. Please post a screenshot.

[Mateomono]

@Monika Gause 

[Personal Information removed by moderator]

 

[Mateomono]

@Monika GauseBtw, I just realized that I probably should have blurred out the email or phone number. Could you possibly delete my post after reviewing it? Sorry about this!

[Monika Gause]

I'm sorry I cannot delete it, but I have reported it. Moderation should take care of it soon.

Thank you.

So that image is just in the background and doesn't need to be transparent. What I would do is flatten it in Photoshop, so that it is just a normal image. Everything else is vector art or text, right? Make sure tht it is on top and then there is no transparency left in the file.

[Mateomono]

Thank you! Yes, everything else is vector art. 

So that image is just in the background and doesn't need to be transparent
But I want it to be transparent or else its to strong. Or am I understanding smoehting wrong?

Make sure tht it is on top and then there is no transparency left in the file.
What do you mean by this? 

[Monika Gause]

You want the background to be just the paper color and then that water color printed on it, right? Then what you do not want printed, just needs to be white. Make sure that it's really white and no coloring or greyscale in it.

Transparency is a specific term for things that have reduced opacity or blend modes.

[Mateomono]

Yes, the background should be white with the image on top. However, I’m a bit confused now. What should I do with the transparent image? Should I reduce its transparency, flatten it in Photoshop, and then place it into Illustrator to avoid issues?

Sorry if I am missing somehting im pretty new to all of this. 

[Monika Gause]

You could do it in Illustrator, but I would do it in Photoshop.

Set up the background color as white.

And then convert the layer to a background layer. Or if there are multiple layers, combine them into background and flatten. 

And then relink that in Illustrator.

[jdanek]

Have you printed a proof yet?  Does you image blend into a colored background?  It will be really difficult to diagnose a problem if there is one without seeing the file.  Who told you there could be issues?  Is this the first time you have attempted to use transparency?