Overprint of Illustrator file doesn't work in InDesign

[Evaatje]

Hello,

I made a, as far as I know, vector file in Illustrator. This Vector file will be printed in Gold on a black background. To make this possible I had to select the file, go to Window - Output - Attributes and select Overprint fill. However, this option keeps being unavailable. I tried several options with pathfinders in Illustrator, but nothing seems to work. 

Has anyone got any suggestions? And if so, please tell me where to find and how to execute this. 

In advance, thank you very much!!!

[Monika Gause]

I don't understand what exactly you want to overprint? The placed file in InDesign? An object in Illustrator? Please show.

[Evaatje]

The lion, ribbon and angel are a separate (as far as I know Vector-)file from Illustrator in a different (top) layer in InDesign.

This is whats need to be overprinted. 

[federico platon]

As a message tells when you tried to check the Overprint fill (Attributes) box, you must be working on a CMYK mode file.

Also Separation Preview which shows what is going on on each plate (channel) works in CMYK Mode.

Thus, start or change in File>Color Mode to CMYK

WARNING!

Now a real world warning: Overprint means that an ink filling an object will print over (get mixed) with the inks below.

When you normally place or draw several objects one onto another what you see displayed are the parts of the objects not hidden by others on top of them. AND when you print that those hidden areas are knocked out (ignored if you will) by inks used on items above them.

Try the following: draw a square and fill with cmyk 100/0/0/0 and on top a circle 0/0/100/0, select the circle and click the Attributes>Overprint fill, and select the View>Overprint Preview to visualize overprinting on the document.

The overprint rules here will show the area of the circle not in yellow but in green !

Therefore you must be carefukl and use the Overprint Preview when you choose to overprint the inks of an object on a colored background.

In your example overprinting on black, blackens your golden logo!

[Evaatje]

Just tried that, but that is not the case. Still cannot check the Overprint fill box.

[federico platon]

OK,

Please try the following, open a new document any size, in CMYK mode.

Check in File>Document color mode is CMYK

Draw a rectangle and fill it with any color or use your black, as a background.

Now draw on top another simple object, rectangle, sllipse,... filled ith anyother color.

Select this item and check overprint, does it work? I mean can you check that box?

Confirm please your Ai version number (Help>About Illustrator (Win) or Illustrator>About (Mac)

[Monika Gause]

Istill don't understand exactly what setting is applied exactly where?

Can you please post: 

- the layer and object structure both in InDesign and Illustrator

- the exact object to which overprint is applied 

- The color setting - is that a spot color?

- the structure of the file in InDesign

- how it looks in the separatios preview both Illustrator and InDesign.

[Ton Frederiks]

I may be mistaken, but I don't think you can set a placed file to Overprint in InDesign.

You can set the Overprint attribute in Illustrator.