Can't solve dull colors in InDesign, so now I generate my print-ready pdf's in Affinity Publisher

Question

Headline is not meant as a provocation, but I have simply given up trying to figure out how to get the same colors in my print-ready pdfs that are in my cmyk-files. As soon as it goes thru InDesign, everything becomes dull. I've read so many treads here on how to solve them, but the result stays the same.

25 years of experience and I can no longer get the colors I want, at least not in InDesign.

I'm sure it's just a box I need to check/uncheck, but I have given up trying to find it.

So now I export my InDesign jobs as IDML, open them in Affinity and generate the pdfs there, and they look just right. Certanly not an ideal workflow, but that's what it has come down to for me.

Not here to promote AP at all, but for me, InDesign is now too convoluted with regards to color consistency.

rob day · Answer

Hi @PJK2001 , Are you Exporting to one of the PDF/X presets with the Output tab’s Output Intent Profile set as Document CMYK and viewing the PDF in AcrobatPro with Output Preview turned on? That always gives me a match.

Here the document’s assigned CMYK profile is Coated GRACoL, and the Export is to the default PDF/X-4 preset:

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