How to Fix Double Line Issue When Exporting to PDF in InDesign?

[rudid44560136]

I am experiencing problems when I use lines in indesign and export my indesign to a pdf file. In the pdf file my line is no longer a line but a plane, so a double line. The lines are needed for working drawings when marking out shapes. Can anyone give me advice?

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[Willi Adelberger]

Select a line and show a screen shot of the stroke panel of  the active line.

[rudid44560136]

Hello Willi

i have a file in which you clearly see lines, when I import this in my indesign, and then export it to pdf pdf/X-1a:2001 settings it becomes a double line. I have tries different export types.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

There are a couple of things happening here.

Your PDF was exported as v1.3 so your strokes are being converted to outlines, probably because of an incorrect Flattening setting along the way.

Your Illustrator file had a few conflicting settings. Although you have set your dielines to overprint (correctly), you also set them to Multiply, which is unnecessary; and because that's a Transparency Effect it is triggering the stroke conversion to outlines when it flattens on Export.

What are your exact PDF Export settings and why v1.3?

I removed the Multiply from your dieline file and have attached it here. Because Multiply has been removed, it should work fine now. Test it and report back.

[Eugene Tyson]

Good solve! It's rarely a good idea to add a transparency effect to an overprint setting.

[rudid44560136]

Hello Brad,

Thanks in advance for solving this! Now it is perfect. I still don't quite understand what to do to avoid this in the future. This is especially in jobs where there is a need to work with a cutout and I need to provide the drawing of the cutout along with the artwork in 1 pdf, and where the cutout is needed in a spot color.

Now I don't really understand why it works this way?

- the lines in the illustrator are not in multiply
- I imported the illustrator pdf into indesign over my artwork and it is not in multiply either

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Your dielines were Grouped (several times) in the illustrator file. Being grouped, it won't show the Multiply of individual items unless you start ungrouping everything.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

In your case, the individual stroke objects (direct select tool) don't have Multiply assigned, but each one is grouped for some reason, and each of those groups does have Multiply assigned (click on each with the group select tool). Then, ALL of them are grouped again, which won't show that items within that group are set to Multiply, so it's not easily apparent what was wrong without breaking it down.