My gradient background is disappearing when converting it to a pdf

[Alexander30407442qmux]

So I made a design in Adobe illustrator and I'm working on a mac, I was trying to save it as a PDF but everytime I hit save as pdf it just gets rid of my gradient background. I have looked through some other posts but all fixes don't work or I am not fully understanding the steps. I'm a graphic design student at a highschool and just need some help so I can print out this design 

[Alexander30407442qmux]

Note: not entirely sure what computer I am working on so I just put mac

[Peru Bob]

I've moved this from the Using the Community forum (which is the forum for issues using the forums) to the Illustrator forum so that proper help can be offered.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

If the gradient is on layer to itself (i..e. it's the ONLY thing missing), the first thing I would check is to make sure you haven't accidentally set that layer's options improperly, e.g. you have Print unchecked, or you have made the layer a template layer by checking Template. Your layer's name will also be italic if either is the case.

If that doesn't solve it, we'll go on to other possibilities.

[Alexander30407442qmux]

I will try this when I get access to my computer again and let you know thanks for replying!

[Monika Gause]

Is that a frefform gradient?

Are you viewing the PDF in Acrobat or some other viewer? Other viewers don't export the full PDF options.

[Alexander30407442qmux]

It is a freeform gradient and I learned that when I download the PDF on my phone it shows my background and I'm just using apple's finder after downloading the design.

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

JUst forget the QuickLook. If you want to do prepress, use Acrobat. Nothing else counts.

If you need your gradients to be visible in Quicklook for some reason, you will need to rasterize it.

[Alexander30407442qmux]

Well I'm trying to get my design printed out as a sticker and even in versaworks the gradient still doesn't show up on the design

[Monika Gause]

Then rasterize it.

[Alexander30407442qmux]

Sorry for not getting back quickly but so far after raterizing it I am able to see the gradient in PDF form now, at least on my laptop, tommorrow I will have acess to the printer and computers that I need to print out the design. I will get back tou you if it does or doesn't work out for me. otherwise thank you for the help you have provided so far!

[Alexander30407442qmux]

So I am still running into a problem, after rasterizing the gradient it converts it into an image, and of course that is exactly the fix to be able to see it on a pdf but I am also trying to get this printed out with a perfcut, only problem is that when you put it into versa works to be printed, it shows my perfcut line in the design while the rest of my designs dont show the line in the design but has the cut programmed on it instead, do you know a fix for that or am I kinda stuck?

[Monika Gause]

Perhaps you could show a screenshot?

I don't know whether a lot of people here have insights into Versaworks' issues, but you could try. It's just an image, it should print, but I hve never worked with Versaworks.

[Alexander30407442qmux]

Thought about that too, with it still being an image type it still showed my perf cut in the design so I just got rid of the perfect and hand cut out the design .

[Alexander30407442qmux]

Perf cut*

[Larry G. Schneider]

You haven't tried to set the background paper color have you?

[Alexander30407442qmux]

I haven't done that and I'm kinda newer to illustrateor so I'm not entirely sure how to do so.