Exporting jpgs into PDF for print - needed help with settings

Report · Nov 10, 2023

Hi there,

As I am preparing my photos to be printed for the first time I wanted to ask for your advice. Let me explain what I did and what I am not sure of.

- at first I changed profiles from RGB to CMYK FOGRA39 ( didn't see any difference though ).

- then I double checked that all photos are at least 300dpi for the sizes I want to print which are at most 20x20cm

- at the end I exported images to jpgs

- after all that I placed them together and exported them as pdf in two different versions:

a. Pdf for monitor

b. PDF for print

visual effects we're completely different. In option A photos where exactly the same as after exporting them to jpgs from photoshop. In option B photos are a bit darker and the lose some saturation.

my question is pretty simple. Should I still go for PDF for print and the actual print won't be as dark as I can see on the screen? Or should I oversaturate and overexpose all of the photos to balance the lose of saturation and lightness when exporting pdf for print?

I attached comparison of option A result and option B. Last photo is the best example of the difference.

Report · Nov 10, 2023

How / where will you print your PDF? You should ask for profile.

If you are not doing higly sophisticated color correction - you can leave your photos as RGB - as long as they have a profile applied.

Why do you export images as JPEG before placing them in the InDesign? Waste of time and quality.

What do you mean by "PDF for monitor"? Interactive?

In Interactive PDF everything is converted to RGB - in a "PDF for print" you don't have to worry - too much - about profiles - as long as they are assigned to linked images and correct profile is set as output.

Report · Nov 11, 2023

Thank you for answering Robert. I'll use your suggestions as well and hopefully it will come out better.

Report · Nov 10, 2023

In Photoshop keep the images in RGB. Attach their profile.
In Photoshop use the CMYK Print Proof preview so that you can see how the image will look like after conversion to CMYK.
Keep all images in RGB with their profile when you import them into InDesign.
After bringing them to their final size, the effective resolution must be at 300 ppi, not dpi. You can see it in InDesign’s Link Panel. It needs not to be exactly 300 ppi as recalculateion could also cause quality loss
From InDesign export a PDF according to the printer’s requirements. The printer usually do not know how to handle INDD files correctly. Therefore never deliver those, only export PDFs. Never outline text in InDesign, even if the printer say so. If he requires it, do it in Acrobat Pro.

Report · Nov 11, 2023

Thank you for such detailed solutions. I'll will follow your steps and see what's the result!