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Mysterious line shows up in pdf

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
January 10, 2022
4 replies
4653 views

In my design I use a psd file that shows perfectly normal in InDesign, but as soon as I export my design to pdf for print, it shows a weird line to the right of my customers logomark. When I make the boudingbox of the image smaller, the line still appears at the exact point where the boundingbox ends (so it's not in the psd file, I guess?).

When I view the pdf in Acrobat and activate separations to move the pippet acros the line, it actually shows a change in ink coverage. I've asked my printer and he also told me this line will show up in the print.

How do I get rid of this, and more importantly, where does it come from?

Attached are a screenshot of the actual design, as shown in InDesign and a screenshot of a closeup of the pdf.

Correct answer Laubender

Hi Daniël,

if the pre-installed PDF/X-4 export preset is grayed-out when you export to Adobe PDF (Print) then your color management is turned off. Turn it on and you will be able to export to PDF/X-4.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

L

Laubender

Correct answer

Community Expert

Hi Daniël,

if the pre-installed PDF/X-4 export preset is grayed-out when you export to Adobe PDF (Print) then your color management is turned off. Turn it on and you will be able to export to PDF/X-4.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

Daniël van GinkelAuthor

Known Participant

Hi Uwe,

You are right, it was turned off. I have no idea why it wasn't on, but have turned it on now and it works. Also, exporting in pdf/x-4 makes the line disappear, so thank you!

Do you have any advice on what would be the best settings for this?

I've now set it to what you can see in the attached image, on advice of an article I found. I named the settings and saved it, so I can change it out with other settings and get a better understanding of its functions.

L

Laubender

Community Expert

Hi Daniël,

best talk to the printers what setting for color management is appropriate.

Also: I would advice to change the PDF/X-4 export preset so that images are not downsampled.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

Abambo

Community Expert

It's not a bug, it's a feature! 🙂

The PSD file should only hold the logo data, no background. InDesign can handle that correctly.

The second advice is to use a PDF standard that supports transparency. PDF/X-4 does, PDF/X-3 does not.

PDF/X-1a does not allow for transparency (and other useful things that are allowed in X-4). So, the visual impact of X-1a and X-3 should be similar. X-1a should be used for long term archival. X-4 should nowadays be supported in all professional print services.

As stated by Chad, it's most probably only a screen artefact, as screen previews are optimized more for speed and not for accuracy. In prints, those artefacts are rarely seen.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

Daniël van GinkelAuthor

Known Participant

I've worked this way numerous times and have never had this issue before. I use InDesing and Photoshop. The image is a PSD with a transparant background around the circle and the sword and the blue is a rectangle made in InDesign and placed behind the image.

For some reason my, very much up-to-date, InDesign and Photoshop do not support exporting this file to PDF X-4. What am I missing here?

Abambo

Community Expert

If I remember well, my InDesign CS5 did export to PDF/X-4, the original standard is from 2007. So, it's probably not the latest technology advance in the printing industry. You should be able to export that.

@Daniël van Ginkel wrote:

I've worked this way numerous times and have never had this issue before.

It's a well-known issue in PDF. I encountered that when I started doing brochures design on my very first folder that we converted to PDF. That could be 20 years ago.

@Daniël van Ginkel wrote:

I use InDesing and Photoshop. The image is a PSD with a transparant background around the circle and the sword and the blue is a rectangle made in InDesign and placed behind the image.

Sounds complicated. I would have expected having the whole design (sword and beast) in Photoshop, with a transparent background (as images are always rectangles…).

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

hammer0909

Community Expert

I think Frans is on the right track but I'll add my two cents. I can't see how you built the file, but I'm guessing that the image of the fox in a circle contains a blue background and you're matching up that blue background with the blue for the rest of the document. I'd create a clipping path that cuts the circle and the sword precisely, then place that in InDesign. It should alleviate the stitching lines that you're seeing. Also, in Acrobat, go to Preferences > Page Display, and uncheck Smooth line art. This will often cause those stitching lines to disappear. Those lines you are seeing typically don't actually print in the final product.

Frans v.d. Geest

Community Expert

Yes, also worth checking. I answered in Dutch because I noticed that the OP was Dutch 😉

Frans v.d. Geest

Community Expert

Meestal een 'afvlakking' van transparantie, ik gok in dit geval op de afbeelding geplaatst op de blauwe achtergrond, een 'stitching artefact'.

Exporteer je de PDF als een PDF/X-1a of als een PDF X/4?
Probeer eens te wisselen tussen die twee.

Het kan ook afhangen van in welk programma je de PDF belijkt, Acrobat of bv Preview van de Mac; die laatste geeft afvlakking vaak niet goed weer.

Wat is het kleurmodel van de afbeelding en wat van het kleurvlak (RGB of CMYK), zorg dat het blauwe vlak in ieder geval geen steunkleur is.

Daniël van GinkelAuthor

Known Participant

Bedankt voor je antwoord Frans.

Uiteindelijk heb ik het 'opgelost' door de afbeelding zo klein te maken in de psd als dat deze ook gedrukt zal worden. En toen was de lijn inderdaad verdwenen. Dus het zal iets te maken hebben met het comprimeren voor de export.

Er zijn geen steunkleuren in het document en ik bekijk de pdf altijd in Acrobat. In Preview en Finder worden te vaak slechte of verkeerde weergaves getoond.

Ik heb het document als prf/x-1a geexporteerd, wat volgens mijn printer de juiste instelling is. PDF X/4 is niet beschikbaar in het export paneel. Ik zie die optie wel, maar kan er niet op klikken. Heb jij enig idee waar dit door komt?

Frans v.d. Geest

Community Expert

Oeps, een printer die nog PDF/X-1a vraagt? Die moet nodig een keer op cursus want dat is wel erg sterk verouderd...

PDF/X-4 zou gewoon in je export opties moeten staan, kies Bestand/Voorinstellingen Adobe PDF/[PDF/X-4:2008]

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