Transparent items disappearing when exporting to PDF

Having the same problem - Indesign CS5 on mac OS 10.7.2. Have tried exporting as idml and re-opening, have tried with overprint preview turned on in Acrobat. Have tried cutting and pasting box with text into a new document and it still happens with the new document?! And yet when I draw a new box and apply same opacity settings it is fine?! Unfortunately I have hundreds of these boxes throughout my document.

But I think exporting as IDML file might have something to do with it as I can retrace my steps: Did the original file on CS5; opened it on my home mac in CS5.5 and did some changes, exported as IDML to re-open on my work computer with CS5; did some more changes at work and this is when the problem happened. It's something about exporting as IDML and re-opening in CS5 as I can go back to my files on my home computer (with CS5.5), export as pdf and all the boxes are there in both the indesign AND the IDML file.

Hi there, i have the same problem with this opacity problem~

it's like sometimes when u set some colour shape not in 100% opacity

and when u export to PDF, IT DISAPPEAR!!!

I don't acutlly have the problem fixed~

but i have solution~

1 Step: set your tartget to 100% opacity first  (it's best u have more than 2 targets)

2 Step: Group the target with something (best to group the targets together)

3 Step: change the opacity of the group

4 Setp: export it see how it works~

hope this can fix your problem

I am having a similar problem, although it is not exactly the same.

ID CS5, fully updated.

I have a document that I've just built from scratch that uses an anchored frame to surround some text. The frame's opacity is set to 100% and blend mode is Overlay (to allow the text to show through, because an anchored object apparently won't go behind the text it's anchored to). The swatch is CMYK and not a Spot color.

It only happens to me when exporting to PDF.

The frame is there when I export to JPG or to EPS.

It isn't there with any of the default preset PDF modes, or any PDF document version from 1.3 to 1.7.

It doesn't appear in Acrobat Pro, in Preview, or if I pull it into Photoshop and rasterize.

I've got a sample right here:

http://db.tt/mWkmHcI

The problem is the anchored box on the left-hand text frame. I am using an anchored frame like this so that InCopy users will stop breaking my frame locations.

I can confirm that these print to an EFI CWS-powered print engine without any issues. It seems like PDFs are the only problem.

I could export to EPS and distill them, I guess.

But really, should I have to open Distiller? I don't even know if Distiller will fix the problem.

I'm not using sopt colours and effects are not set to multiply.

It views fine in overprint preview! the objects only disappear when exporting.

if I change the PDF compatibility for Acrobat 4 when exporting then it solves the problem (I think this version of Acrobat flattens all transparency) but this is not a solution for the long term...

I am using a PC and viewing the PDFs in Acrobat professional.

The transparency is opacity. If I take the transparency away then then show up in the PDF.

It doesnt matter what PDF setting is used; high res/low res... it happens regardless.

As I said this is happening for some people in my company and not others (it doesnt happen when I create files). But if I open the troubled indesign files I have the same problem!

Thanks for your help

What kind of transparency are you talking about—opacity, blending mode, or what? What PDF export setting is being used? (Personally, I've never seen this phenomenon.)

How are you viewing these PDFs? If you're using Mac Preview, switch to Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

Bob