Imported PNG file has faded (transparent) edges upon Export

[TheRobsterUK]

I have both Inkscape and Illustrator for graphic design. I usually use Inkscape but recently I needed to take some existing designs I'd done and turn them into A5 greetings cards which will be sent to a print-on-demand company using CMYK colour set. My Inkscape files were in RGB so I exported from Inkscape as 600dpi PNG files, then imported this image into AI and changed the colour space to CMYK from RGB. Then I exported by using File > Export > Export As.... and exported as a 300dpi image (as per the printers requirements).

The colour loss from RGB to CMYK wasn't too bad in most cases, however one thing it does every time I export is create a narrow band around the edge of the exported PNG file which starts as totally transparent and then fades into the picture. It kind of looks like someone has taken a pencil drawing and used a rubber on the edges and slightly rubbed off about 5mm off the drawing. The original PNG image (exported from Inkscape) doesn't have this - the lines are nice and crisp around the edges as they should be.

I want to know how to stop AI doing this, as it means I have to load all the exported images into a raster art package and try and fix them, which is not ideal! I just want to export the image as-is without it adding this faded border around the edge.

[TheRobsterUK · Accepted solution]

Okay solved it! In the PNG Export Options I needed to set the anti-aliasing option to "None". Oops..... 😄

[Ton Frederiks]

Or use Photoshop, which is much better at manipulating pixels.