WHITE PAPER

A Designers Guide to
Transparency for Print Output
with Adobe Soware

About This Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction to Transparency

Chapter 2: Creating and Viewing Transparency

15

Chapter 3: Importing Files That Contain Transparency

19

Chapter 4: Building Pages with Transparency

25

Chapter 5: Saving and Exporting Files with Transparency

29

Chapter 6: Printing Files with Transparency

Adobe Systems Incorporated 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA www.adobe.com
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, Distiller, Illustrator, InDesign, PageMaker, Photoshop, PostScript, and Tools for the
New Work are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/
or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Pantone is the property of Pantone, Inc.
Sales-enabled PDF. Web-enabled PDF. Print-ready version.
2003 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. 95002114 6/03

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Who Its For

A Designers Guide to Transparency is for designers who use Adobe Illustrator 10 and Adobe
InDesign 2.0 so ware.

Why It Was Created

is guide is an educational resource for Illustrator and InDesign users who create transparency
effects when designing for print output. Its purpose is:
1. To identify and explain the transparency-related features in Illustrator and InDesign, including
how to create, display, import, export, and print transparency effects.
2. To teach designers how to build pages with transparency effects that print correctly and produce
the intended results.
3. To provide information about known issues and solutions relating to transparency.

How Its Organized

A Designers Guide to Transparency contains six chapters, which are described below. Most
chapters begin with an introduction and then present Illustrator-specic information followed by
InDesign-specic information. While this guide focuses on Illustrator and InDesign, it also includes
information about Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) les and their use of transparency.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Transparency explains the transparency-related capabilities in Adobe

graphics applications and how they have evolved over the past several years. It also includes an
explanation of several key terms and concepts related to transparency and printing.

Chapter 2: Creating and Viewing Transparency lists and explains the transparency-creation and

transparency-display features in Illustrator and InDesign.

Chapter 3: Importing Files That Contain Transparency lists importable le formats that can contain

transparency and explains the capabilities of each le type.

Chapter 4: Building Pages with Transparency explains how to build pages with transparency effects

so that they print correctly and produce the intended results.

Chapter 5: Saving and Exporting Files with Transparency lists the le formats you can export using

Illustrator and InDesign and explains the transparency capabilities of the various formats and their
suitability for print output.
Chapter 6: Printing Files with Transparency explains how to prepare les for low-resolution proof

printing and high-resolution output.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Transparency
Real-world Transparency vs. Digital Transparency

e real world is made up of objects that are either transparent, such as clear glass, semi-opaque
(tinted glass), or opaque (not see-through, like granite). ings are similar in the digital world.
Designers who use Adobe Illustrator 10 and Adobe InDesign 2.0 can create objects that are transparent, semi-opaque, or opaque, but they also have options that arent possible in the real world.
For example, digital designers can use Illustrator and InDesign to specify the opacity of virtually
any object from totally opaque to totally transparent and change the appearance of objects by
applying transparency effects such as blending, so drop shadows, and feathered edges that fade
smoothly into whatever lies behind.
In the context of this guide, the term transparency refers to a collection of features and capabilities in Adobe Illustrator 10 and Adobe InDesign 2.0 that lets you modify the appearance of objects,
particularly the way objects affect the appearance of underlying objects.
Create transparent overlays. The
Multiply blending mode is applied
to the top object; an opacity value of
30% is applied to the bottom object.

Note: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat soware also include transparency-related capabilities,
however, these applications are not covered in this guide.

Opaque Beginnings

For many designers, creating see-through (that is, transparent) objects is a relatively new option.
In the early days of desktop publishing, illustration and page layout programs let users create only
opaque objects. Special effects such as transparent overlays and so drop shadows required either
a dedicated image-editing program like Adobe Photoshop, which at the time required page layout
artists to atten transparency and export les in non-native formats or manual prepress work that
incurred added expense. Today, several Adobe graphics applications offer transparency features for
print and Web publishing.

Clear Benefits
Add soft drop shadows.

e transparency features that are now native in Adobe graphics and layout programs provide several benets to designers and publishers, including:

Better-looking publications. e option to easily create transparency effects, such as so drop

shadows, feathered edges, and layered graphics that blend into one another, gives designers
unprecedented creative freedom. Designers can use transparency effects to blend text with
pictures, pictures with pictures, anything with anything. e possibilities are endless.

One-stop, one-step transparency. Instead of having to create and manage a separate

Photoshop le for every transparency effect, Illustrator and InDesign users can create a single
document with as many transparency effects as they want. e one-program, one- le approach
makes it easy for designers and their clients to make changes whenever they want. Because all
design elements can be contained in a single le, even last-minute changes to transparency
effects are quick and easy.

Flexible workflows. e option to use any of several applications to create transparency effects

opens up many workow possibilities. Use Photoshop or Illustrator to create ready-for-press

graphics with transparency effects, or import graphics generated by Photoshop or Illustrator that
include live transparency into InDesign layouts. en use the transparency features in InDesign
to apply transparency effects to placed graphics, as well as to native InDesign objects.

INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPARENC Y

Making Transparency Work for You

e early days of transparency were not problem-free, and pioneers occasionally endured the tribulations of a technology in its infancy. e good news is that Adobe has been listening to feedback
and weve learned. One of the main purposes of this booklet is to let you know what weve learned
and to show you how you can make transparency work for you.

INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPARENC Y

Transparency-related Terms and Concepts

If you use Illustrator or InDesign, you may already know many of the basic terms related to transparency, such as opacity, feathering, and blending. (If not, refer to the glossary that follows.) However, to get the most out of the transparency features in Illustrator and InDesign and to help ensure
you get the results you want when you print documents that contain transparency, you should be
aware of several other transparency-related terms and concepts.
Opacity
Both Illustrator and InDesign let you vary the degree of transparency of an object or a group of
objects from 100% opacity (opaque) to 0% opacity (transparent). When you decrease an objects
opacity, the underlying artwork becomes visible through the object.
Feathering
Feathering soens the edges of an object by fading from opaque to transparent over a user-denable
distance. Feathering the edge of an object causes the object to fade smoothly into the page background or into any objects behind it.
Opacity (50%)

Blending mode
Blending modes let you vary the way the colors of objects blend with the colors of underlying objects.
Flattening
All transparent objects in a le as well as all linked graphic les that interact with transparency
must be attened for print output. At its simplest, the process of attening converts all overlapping
areas in a stack of transparent objects into a collection of opaque objects that retains the appearance
of the original transparent objects when printed. (For additional information about attening, see
Chapter 6, Printing Files with Transparency.)

Feathering (9 pt. Diffused)

Live transparency
Transparent content in les can be either live or attened (see Flattened transparency below). Files
that contain live (that is, unattened) transparency, such as native Illustrator, Illustrator 10 EPS, native InDesign, and PDF 1.4 and 1.5 les, can be opened and the transparent objects can be modied
in the source application.
Flattened transparency
Flattened transparency results when you export a le in a non-native format. e transparency
effects in attened les cannot be modied using the source application and any application into
which the le is imported. Flattened le formats include PostScript, EPS, DCS, PDF 1.3 , GIF, JPEG,
BMP, and TIFF images not created with Photoshop 6.0 . PDF 1.4 and 1.5 les can contain attened
transparency or live transparency.
Note: e Illustrator 10 EPS format is actually two concatenated les: one in native Illustrator format
that only Illustrator can open; the other in EPS format that other applications can import.

Blending mode (Overlay)

In the example, the two overlapping objects result

in three atomic regions after flattening.
Left (live transparency): Two objects overlap. The
blue object is in front of the purple object, and
the Multiply blending mode is applied to the blue
object.
Center (flattened transparency, exploded view):
Flattening the two objects produces three atomic
regions.
Right (flattened transparency, non-exploded view):
The printed results look the same as the original
objects.

INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPARENC Y

Rasterization
e process of changing vector graphics, vector fonts, gradients, and gradient meshes into bitmap
images for display and printing is called rasterization. During attening, Illustrator and InDesign
look for areas where transparent objects overlap other objects and divide the artwork into a collection of regions. Each region is analyzed to determine if it can be represented in vector format or if it
must be rasterized to achieve the expected transparency effect.
Atomic region
When overlapping transparent objects are attened, each discrete shape that results from the overlapping objects is called an atomic region. e shape of atomic regions typically follow the natural
lines, curves, and shapes of the objects involved.
Complexity region
A complexity region is an area where many transparent objects with multiple transparency effects
overlap. A complexity region is not retained in vector form except at the highest-delity (rightmost)
Raster/Vector Balance attener setting. (For more information about attener settings, see Chapter
6, Printing Files with Transparency.) As transparency effects become more complex, the time
required to display and print them increases.
Artifact
An artifact is a visible defect in an image, usually caused by limitations in the RIP or the printers
ability to process the atomic regions generated through attening. For example, a moir is an undesirable printing artifact that can result when two halone screen patterns interact. Flattener stitching (see below) is a display and printing artifact that can result from attening.
Flattener stitching
Flattener stitching is the visible color transition between atomic regions whose coloring would
otherwise be similar or identical. Stitching on low-resolution devices (such as your monitor and
desktop color laser printers) results when different screening or antialiasing methods are applied
to adjacent atomic regions. is artifact is especially noticeable when a single object contains both
pixel and vector regions, as can occur during attening.

If a vector object with an applied

transparency effect is placed over
another vector object, the results
(right) can include stitching artifacts.

To reduce the possibility stitching when printing an Illustrator document, check Clip Complex
Regions in the Transparency pane of the Document Setup dialog box (File > Document Setup >
Transparency). To prevent stitching when printing an InDesign document, check Clip Complex
Regions in the selected attener style (Edit > Transparency Flattener Style).

CHAPTER 2

Creating and Viewing Transparency

Transparency is a single term, but its much more than a single feature in Illustrator and InDesign.
In fact, many transparency-related features have been integrated into both programs. In addition to
commands and controls for creating and modifying a variety of transparency effects, youll nd display options that let you control how transparency effects look on-screen, and both programs let you
set transparency display defaults (though the options are different). InDesign also lets you override
global display settings on an object-by-object and spread-by-spread basis.
Transparency is essentially an object attribute, like a stroke or a ll. You can apply one or more
transparency effects to native objects you create within Illustrator and InDesign and to imported
graphics. For example, you can add a drop shadow to text youve created in Illustrator or InDesign,
and you can add a feathered edge to an imported graphic. You can apply transparency effects to
individual objects, multiple-selected objects, and groups.
In both Illustrator and InDesign, the Transparency palette (Window > Transparency) contains
several commonly used transparency controls. Youll nd additional transparency-related commands in the Illustrator Effect > Stylize menu and in the InDesign Object menu (Drop Shadow and
Feather). Some of the commands in the bottom half of the Illustrator > Effect menu (e.g., Gaussian
Blur and Pixelate) can also add transparency to objects.
e two charts in this chapter list the transparency-creation features in Illustrator and InDesign
and include a brief description of each feature and examples where appropriate.
Note: For more information about using the transparency features in Illustrator and InDesign, refer to
the product documentation.

Setting up a Document for Transparency

Before you use Illustrator to create transparency effects for print, you should make sure that you
choose the CMYK color space (File > Document Color Mode >CMYK Color). In InDesign, choose
Edit > Transparency Blend Space > Document CMYK. When you apply transparency effects in
Illustrator and InDesign, colors are converted to the selected color space. You should also use the
CMYK color space for placed graphics, if possible. (If youre creating graphics for the Web, use the
RGB color space.)

Transparency Creation Features in Illustrator 10

e illustration below shows the Illustrator Transparency palette and the name of each of the controls it contains. Additional transparency-creation features are found in the Effect > Stylize menu
and are explained in the chart that begins on the next page.
Illustrator 10 Transparency palette
Transparency palette menu
Blending Mode menu
Thumbnails area
Artwork/Mask thumbnails;
Link icon

Opacity field/slider

Clip checkbox
Invert Mask checkbox

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

Illustrator 10 Feature

Description

Transparency palette

Contains controls for applying transparency effects to selected objects and groups. The Transparency palette menu contains commands for
showing and hiding thumbnails and other palette options, as well as commands for working with opacity masks.

Blending Mode menu

Provides 16 choices that let you vary the way the colors of objects blend with the
colors of underlying objects. (See page 20 for information about using blending
modes with spot colors.)

Opacity field/slider

Controls the amount of opacity/transparency thats applied to the selection.

An opacity value of 0% makes selected objects completely transparent (that is,
invisible); an opacity value of 100% makes selected objects opaque.

Thumbnails area

Displays controls for working with opacity masks. (An opacity mask lets you
partially hide artwork using the masks shape and luminosity. )

Artwork Thumbnail

Displays a thumbnail view of the currently targeted objects or groups. If an opacity mask is present, the objects are displayed unmasked.

Link icon

Lets you unlink and relink opacity masks.

Mask Thumbnail

Displays a black-and-white thumbnail view of an opacity mask.

Clip checkbox

Makes an opacity mask double as a clipping mask, which causes the masked
objects to be fully transparent (i.e., invisible) outside the boundaries of the
masking artwork.

Normal Mask

Clipping Mask

Invert Mask checkbox

Reverses the luminosity values of the masking artwork, which reverses the
opacity of the masked artwork. For example, areas that are 10% transparent
become 90% transparent after inversion.

Normal Mask

Inverted Mask

No blending

Blending (Multiply) applied

100% opacity

50% opacity

No Opacity Mask

Opacity Mask

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

Illustrator 10 Feature

Description

Isolate Blending checkbox

Prevents blending modes applied to objects within a group from being applied
to objects beneath the group.

Isolate Blending Off

Isolate Blending On

Knockout Group checkbox

Makes every object of a group knock out that is, visually block out
underlying objects that are part of the group. When you select Knockout
Group, only objects within the selected group knock out. Objects beneath the
selected group are still visible and are affected by the blending modes and
opacity values applied to objects within the group.

Knockout Group Off

Knockout Group On

Opacity & Mask Define Knockout

Shape checkbox

Keeps a knockout effect proportional to the masking objects opacity. The

result is that the knockout effect is strongest in areas of the mask that are close
to 100% opacity; the knockout effect is weakest in areas with lower opacity
values.

Unshaped Knockout

Shaped Knockout

Transparency palette menu

Displays several commands for working with opacity masks, as well as commands for showing and hiding options displayed in the palette.

Effect Menu Stylize commands

(Effect > Stylize > )

The Blur effects (Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur and Effect > Blur > Radial Blur) also introduce transparency into a document, as does the
Rasterize effect (Effect > Rasterize) when used with the Transparent Background option.

Drop Shadow

Adds a soft-edged shadow behind any object. You can place a drop shadow
any distance from the original object along the x or y axis, and you have the
option to apply a blending mode and specify the opacity, blur, and color of a
drop shadow. (Note: if a drop shadows opacity is set to 0, the result can be a
bitmapped raster effect rather than a soft edge.)

Shadowed Text

Feather

Softens the edges of an object by fading them from opaque to transparent over
the distance you specify. By feathering the edge of an object, you can make the
object appear to fade smoothly into the page background or into any objects
behind it. Behind the scenes, the Feather effect creates a raster image and
applies it as an opacity mask to the original object.

Shadowed Graphic

Feathered Text

Feathered Graphic

Inner Glow and Outer Glow

Let you add glows that spread inside or outside the edges of the selection. When
you add an inner glow, a colored and feathered version of the original object
(which introduces a raster opacity mask) is created on top of the selection;
when you add an outer glow, a transparent raster object is created behind the
selection.

Inner Glow

Outer Glow

The resolution of drop shadows and feathered objects is controlled by the

Gradient Resolution setting in the Transparency Flattener Styles dialog box. (Edit
>Transparency Flattener Styles).

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

Tips for Creating Transparency Effects in Illustrator

In Illustrator, the attener Rasterization Resolution (File > Document Setup > Transparency >
Flattening Settings) is taken into consideration only during attening, however, all effects that
require rasterization in the Illustrator Effects menu are rasterized at the value specied in the
Resolution eld in the Document Raster Effects Settings dialog box (Effect > Document Raster
Effects Settings). For performance reasons, the default Resolution setting in Illustrator is 72ppi.
If you are printing to a high-resolution output device or exporting a le for eventual highresolution output, you should increase the Resolution setting for each object (in the Document
Raster Effects Settings dialog box) to a value that is appropriate for the printer.
Because the Resolution setting (in the Document Raster Effects dialog box) is used each time you
apply a raster effect, you should specify a resolution value thats appropriate for the printer before
you apply a raster effect, such as a drop shadow. In general, you should use the same resolution
for all raster effects in a document.
When you apply transparency effects to a group in Illustrator, the group is treated like a
single object relative to underlying objects; however, individual objects retain their applied
transparency effects (if any) relative to other objects in the group. is capability lets graphic
artists create nested transparency effects that would be difficult or impossible to create otherwise.

The two examples above show how

you can create nested transparency
effects in Illustrator using groups. In
the example on the left, the Multiply
blending mode is applied to the two
flowerlike shapes. In the example on
the right, the two flowerlike shapes
are grouped and the Luminosity
blending mode is applied.

If you make changes to transparency settings in Illustrator when no objects are selected, the
modied settings are applied to newly created objects unless New Art Has Basic Appearance is
selected in the Appearance palette menu.
To edit effects that youve applied in Illustrator, double-click on the effect in the Appearance
palette. If you choose an already-applied effect from the Effect menu, a new effect is created
and added to the selection. For example, its possible to apply multiple drop shadows to a single
object. is is different from InDesign, which requires you to choose the original command
(Drop Shadow or Feather) to modify an applied effect.

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

10

Displaying Transparency in Illustrator 10

Setting transparency-related display preferences
The Document Setup dialog box (File > Document Setup) lets you set transparency preferences that
determine how the underlying transparency grid is displayed. By changing the Grid Size and Grid
Color settings you can change the appearance of the transparency grid. You can show and hide the
transparency grid via the Show/Hide Transparency Grid command (View menu).
In Illustrator, the settings you
make in the Transparency pane of
the Document Setup dialog box
determine the appearance of the
transparency grid thats displayed
when you choose View > Show
Transparency Grid.

Transparency grid hidden.

Note: e controls in the Flattener Settings area let you specify how transparency is printed. For
information about modifying attening settings, refer to Achieving Reliable Print Output from Adobe
Applications with Transparency in the Customer Support area of adobe.com and the Illustrator 10
Flattening Guide (http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/indepth.html).
Overprint Preview
e Overprint Preview option (View > Overprint Preview) provides an on-screen ink preview that
approximates how overprinting will look in color-separated output. However, its important that you
carefully check overprinted colors using integral or overlay proofs before you send a document to your
service provider for nal output.
Transparency grid showing.

In both examples, the yellow (frontmost)

object is set to overprint. Overprint Preview
is disabled in the example on the left; its
enabled in the example on the right.

You can also see overprinting effects when you output to a composite printing device. To print a
composite proof using Illustrator, disable Ignore Overprinting in Composite Output in the Print
dialog box.

11

INDESIGN 2 TRANSPARENC Y CREATION FEATURES

Transparency Creation Features in InDesign 2.0

As in Illustrator, many of the transparency controls in InDesign are located in the Transparency
palette (Window > Transparency). e illustration below shows the InDesign Transparency palette
and the name of each of the controls it contains. Additional transparency-creation features are
found in the Object menu and are explained in the chart below.
InDesign 2 Transparency palette
Transparency palette menu
Blending Mode menu

Opacity field/slider
Knockout Group checkbox

Isolate Blending checkbox

InDesign 2.0 Feature

Description

Transparency palette

Contains four controls for applying transparency effects to selected objects and groups. The Transparency palette menu has a Show/Hide Options
command for displaying and hiding the Isolate Blending and Knockout Group checkboxes at the bottom of the palette.

Blending Mode menu

Provides 16 choices that let you vary the way the colors of objects blend with
the colors of underlying objects. (See page 20 for information about using
blending modes with spot colors.)

Opacity field/slider

Isolate Blending checkbox

No blending

Blending (Multiply) applied

Controls the amount of transparency thats applied to the selection. An opacity

value of 0% makes the selected objects completely transparent (that is,
invisible); an opacity value of 100% makes the selected objects opaque.

100% opacity

50% opacity

Prevents blending modes applied to objects within a group from being applied
to objects beneath the group.

Isolate Blending Off

Isolate Blending On

Magenta/Yellow group in front of blue shape

Knockout Group checkbox

Makes every object of a group knock out that is, visually block out
underlying objects that are part of the group. When you select Knockout
Group, only objects within the selected group knock out. Objects beneath the
selected group are still visible and are affected by the blending modes and
opacity values applied to objects within the group.

Knockout Group Off

Knockout Group On

12

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

InDesign 2 Feature

Description

Drop Shadow command

(Object > Drop Shadow)

Adds a soft-edged shadow behind any object. You can place a drop shadow any
distance from the original object along the x or y axis, and you have the option
to apply a blending mode and specify the opacity, blur, and color of a drop
shadow. (Note: If you apply a blur value of 0, Illustrator creates a vector drop
shadow, while InDesign creates a raster drop shadow.)

Shadowed Text

Shadowed Graphic

Feather command
(Object > Feather)

Softens the edges of an object by fading them from opaque to transparent

over the distance you specify. By feathering the edge of an object, you can
make the object appear to fade smoothly into the page background or into any
objects behind it. Behind the scenes, the Feather effect creates a raster image
and applies it as an opacity mask to the original object. When you feather an
InDesign object, you also have the option to apply any of three optional corner
effects (see below).

Feathered Text

Feathered Graphic

The resolution of drop shadows and feathered objects is controlled by the

Gradient Resolution setting in the Transparency Flattener Styles dialog box. (Edit
>Transparency Flattener Styles).

Feathered object diffused

Importing Transparency

Feathered object rounded

Feathered object sharp

In addition to creating transparent objects within Illustrator and InDesign, you can also add
transparency to a layout by importing graphics that contain transparency, such as a transparent
background (rather than a clipping path). Both Illustrator and InDesign can recognize transparency
information in placed graphic les. For more information about importing graphics that contain
transparency effects, see Chapter 3, Importing Files with Transparency.

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

13

Displaying Transparency in InDesign 2.0

InDesign lets you set global defaults for displaying transparency in the Display Performance dialog
box (Preferences > Display Performance). e display options in the View menu let you override the
global display settings for individual document windows, and the Display Performance options in
the Object menu let you control the display of individual objects.
Setting transparency-related display preferences
e Display Performance dialog box (Preferences > Display Performance) lets you to control the way
graphics and transparency effects are displayed on-screen. Display Performance settings have no
effect on transparency when it is printed. A slider lets you control the appearance of transparency in
four gradations (Off, Low, Medium, and High) of quality, from fully simulated (High) to completely
disabled (Off ). e High setting allows you, for example, to accurately position objects with drop
shadows, while the Off setting lets you quickly move objects and navigate spreads in a very large
document.
e settings you make in the Display Performance dialog box are global unless you override them
for specic objects or windows. By default, transparency display is enabled and should remain so
unless you have specic reasons for disabling it. (For more information about the controls in this
dialog box, refer to the InDesign User Guide.)
If transparency preview is completely disabled, you wont be able to tell by looking at them if objects
on a page or spread have transparency or transparency-based effects applied to them. You can use
the Pages palette for this purpose (see next page).

The Transparency slider in the Display Performance dialog box (Preferences > Display Performance) lets you control the
display of transparency effects for each of the three display options (Optimized, Typical, and High Quality).

CREATING AND VIEWING TRANSPARENC Y

14

Determining if transparency effects are present on an InDesign spread

e Pages palette (le) displays pages that contain transparency effects with a checkerboard pattern.
In this example, pages 2-5 contain transparency effects (page 1 does not). Notice that the A-Master
page spread also contains transparency effects.
If the Pages palette indicates that a page or spread contains objects to which transparency effects
are applied and you cant tell which objects use transparency, you can manually check the objects to
identify the ones that use transparency effects. For example, if you add a white drop shadow to an
object, the shadow will not be visible if the object is surrounded by a white background. To determine if transparency is applied to an object, select the object, then check to see if a drop shadow,
feathering, a blending mode (other than Normal), or an opacity value is applied.

InDesign pages that contain objects

to which transparency effects
are applied are displayed with a
checkerboard pattern.

Overprint Preview
e Overprint Preview option (View > Overprint Preview) provides an on-screen ink preview that
approximates how blending, transparency, and overprinting will appear in color-separated output.
However, its important that you carefully check overprinted colors on color-separated documents using integral or overlay proofs before you send a document to your service provider for nal output.
You can also see overprinting effects when you output to a composite printing device. To print
a composite proof using InDesign, enable Simulate Overprint in the Output panel of the Print
dialog box.
Note: In InDesign, turning on Overprint Preview and High Quality Display provides the closest screen
representation of the nal printed output thats possible with current technology, however, enabling
both of these options may slow screen redraw.

In both examples above, the yellow

(frontmost) object is set to overprint.
Overprint Preview is disabled in the
example on the left; its enabled in
the example on the right.

15

CHAPTER 3

Importing Files That Contain Transparency

In addition to creating transparency effects within Illustrator and InDesign, you can also import
graphics that contain transparency into Illustrator and InDesign layouts. Transparency effects in
imported graphics are retained by Illustrator and InDesign. However, if changes to the original
graphic are required, they must be made in the originating application.
Aer you place a transparent graphic into a layout, you can use the graphic-manipulation features
in Illustrator and InDesign (scale, ip, opacity, etc.) to modify the appearance of the graphic, and
you can combine imported graphics with native objects to create new transparency effects. For example, you can import a native Illustrator graphic le (that is, an .AI le) that contains transparency
into an InDesign layout, and InDesign will retain the transparency (that is, the graphic is displayed
exactly as its displayed in Illustrator). Within InDesign you can then apply additional transparency effects perhaps a drop shadow or a feathered edge to the imported graphic and then place it
above or below other imported graphics and InDesign-native objects to which transparency effects
are applied.

uality
1

This illustration shows an InDesign page with three objects: 1) The Quality text frame is the frontmost object. It was created
in InDesign and has a drop shadow. 2) The placed Illustrator graphic (the two flowerlike shapes and the rounded square
shape) is the middle object in the stacking order. Blending modes are applied to all three shapes. 3) The light blue rectangle,
created in InDesign, is the bottom object. Notice how the transparency effects interact among the three layers.

16

IMPORTING FILES THAT CONTAIN TR ANSPARENC Y

Placing Graphics that Contain Transparency into Illustrator and InDesign

e Place command (File menu) in Illustrator and InDesign lets you import graphics in a variety of
formats into a layout. e process of placing a graphic that contains live transparency is the same as
placing any other graphic. at is, by using the Place command. However, not all graphic le formats support live transparency. e chart below lists the le formats that support live transparency
and can be imported into Illustrator and InDesign. e designers who create transparent graphics
for use in Illustrator and InDesign layouts should save the les in a format that supports transparency. (For information about exporting Illustrator and InDesign les that contain transparency, see
Chapter 5, Saving and Exporting Files with Transparency , on page 25.)
Using le formats that preserve live transparency gives you control over the attener and resolution
settings right up to the time you print or save the job in a non-native le format (such as PostScript)
with one exception: Raster-based live effects are no longer live once they leave their native application. While transparency attributes remain live in PDF 1.4, the resolution of raster elements
including vector objects to which raster-based live effects have been applied cannot be changed
aer conversion to PDF. Also, InDesign 2.0 allows you to link directly to Illustrator 10 and PDF 1.4
les, enabling you to preserve live transparency throughout the page layout workow. Your print
provider can then atten all transparency in a job at once, directly from within InDesign.
Note: Typically, attening for high-resolution output is done by the print provider rather than the designer.
Illustrator and InDesign Import File Formats and Transparency

Import Formats (Place or Open)

Transparency Embedded As

Illustrator Native (.AI)

(Illustrator 9 and 10)

Live or flattened within Illustrator

Photoshop Native (.PSD)

Live and, optionally, layered

PDF 1.3 (Acrobat 4)

Flattened

PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5)

Live

EPS (from Illustrator and Photoshop)

Flattened*

Other Formats (EPS not from Illustrator, TIFF, etc.)

Flattened**

* Illustrator can open EPS les created with Illustrator, and the transparency can be edited. Illustrator 9
EPS and Illustrator 10 EPS les contain a native, non-attened Illustrator portion that can be read only by
Illustrator and a attened EPS portion that can be read by all EPS-compatible applications. e transparency in an Illustrator EPS le is considered attened if the le is placed into InDesign and other programs.
** Some graphic le formats (EPS not from Illustrator, TIFF, etc.) can not handle live transparency.

IMPORTING FILES THAT CONTAIN TR ANSPARENC Y

17

Whenever possible, you should use le formats that preserve live transparency including native
formats for Adobe applications (i.e., Illustrator 9, Illustrator 10, and InDesign 2.0) or PDF 1.4 as
hand-off les or source les for placement in layouts or other documents and for delivery to your print
provider.
Because InDesign lets you import native Photoshop and Illustrator les, you dont have to save two
versions of your graphic les, as you do if you use QuarkXPress for page layout. QuarkXPress cannot import native Photoshop and Illustrator les. Also, when you place transparent graphics into
InDesign, the placed graphics can blend with other objects in the layout. is isnt possible if placed
graphics have been attened into opaque artwork.
Placing EPS graphics into Illustrator
You should place-embed (by unchecking the Link checkbox in the Place dialog box) EPS images that
are part of an Illustrator 10 document if they interact with transparency. e attener in Illustrator
10 cannot read the data inside a place-linked le. erefore, place-linked les involved in transparency print rst, beneath everything else on the page, as if they are in the background. Place-embedding
the le in Illustrator 10 enables the attener to correctly process the les contents for transparencybased effects.
In Illustrator 9, a yellow warning icon is displayed next to the names of any linked les that, because of their interaction with transparency, need to be embedded to atten correctly. To improve
performance in Illustrator 10, this feature is disabled by default, but you can reenable it by choosing
Palette Options from the Links palette menu and selecting Show Transparency Interactions.
Note: e colors in place-embedded les automatically convert to match the selected color model in the
Illustrator 10 document into which they are placed if they dont already match. Monotones and duotones are converted to process colors. When spot colors in monotones and duotones must be preserved,
the les must be place-linked. In addition, you should ensure that the placed les do not interact with
transparency.
Placing Illustrator-generated transparent graphics into InDesign
Illustrator 9 and 10 let you save graphics with transparency in the following le formats: native
Illustrator (.AI), EPS created with Illustrator (.EPS), and PDF 1.4 created with Illustrator (.PDF). If
you place .AI or PDF 1.4 les (PDF 1.3 les are attened) created with Illustrator that contain live
transparency into InDesign layouts, the transparency effects are maintained within the graphic and
relative to native InDesign objects. If you place an EPS le created with Illustrator, the transparency
is already attened as far as InDesign is concerned (though the transparency effects are still live if
the le is reopened in Illustrator), and the graphic is attened/opaque relative to InDesign objects.
Note: If you want to place an Illustrator-generated PDF 1.3 le into an InDesign layout, do not use the
Illustrator Save As command (File menu). Instead, you should atten the le in Illustrator using appropriate attener settings, save an Illustrator EPS le or create a PostScript le, and then use Acrobat
Distiller to create a PDF 1.3 le from the EPS or PostScript le.

18

Dragging and dropping or copying and pasting Illustrator-generated transparent

graphics into InDesign
In addition to using the Place command (File menu) to import Illustrator graphics into InDesign layouts, you can drag and drop or copy and paste objects from an Illustrator document into an InDesign
layout. If you use either of these methods, no link is created between the InDesign document and the
Illustrator le. If you change the original objects in Illustrator aer dragging and dropping or copying
and pasting the objects into InDesign, the changes do not affect the objects in InDesign.
On the Mac OS, before you drag and drop or copy and paste Illustrator 10 objects that contain gradients, patterns, blends, or transparency into InDesign layouts, you should make sure that Illustrators
Files & Clipboard preferences (Preferences > Files & Clipboard) are set to Copy as PDF (to Clipboard).
(is is the default setting.) By default, InDesign does not accept PDF data when you copy and paste
an Illustrator graphic if AICB is also present on the clipboard (that is, if you check both PDF and AICB
in the Illustrator Files & Clipboard preferences). To paste PDF data into InDesign, choose Prefer PDF
when Pasting in the InDesign General preferences pane (InDesign > Preferences > General).
When you drag and drop or copy and paste a PDF graphic, the graphic is added as a single object
that is not editable within InDesign and does not have a link reference in the Links palette. If the
graphic is simple (that is, if it doesnt contain transparency, gradients, etc.), you can edit the objects
just as if you had created the graphic in InDesign.

BUILDING PAGES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

The three examples below show how
complexity grows when you combine
transparency effects and overlapping
objects. All three examples use a
native InDesign text frame and a
placed graphic.

No transparency effects are applied

to either object.

Drop shadows are applied to both

objects.

19

CHAPTER 4

Building Pages with Transparency

You are not likely to encounter problems if you apply transparency effects to isolated objects that
do not overlap with other objects or colors. However, if you create more complicated effects using
multiple, overlapping objects, you should be aware of several issues covered in this section that can
lead to unexpected results when printing.
Keep in mind when working with transparent objects that as the number of overlapping transparent objects increases, so does the complexity of the transparency information. For example, placing
shadowed text in front of only the page background is simpler than placing shadowed text in front
of an imported graphic in which case the transparency effect (the drop shadow) must be combined
with the underlying graphic for display and printing. When youre creating transparency effects,
you should try to build them as efficiently as possible to minimize the possibility of display and
printing problems, and you should be careful not to apply transparency effects that produce undesirable results. For example, its possible to feather the edge of small type with ne serifs, but if you
do, the resulting text might be difficult or impossible to read. Use good judgement when designing
with transparency.

Object Stacking Order and Transparency

Every time you create a new object in Illustrator and InDesign, its placed in front of all existing
objects. (Note: Stacking order becomes a bit more complicated when youre working with a group or
a layer, each of which has its own stacking order.) e layering of objects on a page is referred to as
the stacking order. You can adjust the stacking order of an object by moving it forward or backward
relative to other objects on the page. e stacking order of objects is critical for correct display and
printing of transparency. (To change the stacking order of a selected object, choose Object > Arrange and then choose one of the options from the submenu Bring to Front, Bring Forward, Send
to Back, or Send Backward or change the stacking order of layers).
Transparency effects dont have to involve overlapping objects, but this is oen the case. For example, you can apply an opacity value thats less than 100% to lighten any object regardless of whether
the object is in front of other objects. However, by applying an opacity value, you not only make
an object lighter, you also make it semi-opaque, which causes it to blend with any underlying objects
it overlaps.
When youre working with transparent objects that overlap, you should keep in mind that changing
the stacking order can change the appearance of overlapping areas. When you create transparency
effects that involve overlapping objects, make sure the stacking order is producing the intended
results.

The Luminosity blending mode is

applied to the text frame.

Yellow object in front.

Purple object in front (with

Darken blend mode applied).

The two examples on the left show

how stacking order can affect
transparent objects. Both examples
contain similar-looking purple and
yellow objects. In both examples the
Darken blending mode is applied to
the purple object; no blending mode
is applied to the yellow object. The
only difference between the left pair
of objects and the right pair is that
the stacking order is reversed. On
the left, the yellow object is in front
of the purple object; on the right,
the purple object is in front of the
yellow object. In general, you should
apply transparency to objects that
are in front of other objects so that
the objects in front blend with the
objects behind.

20

BUILDING PAGES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

Blending Modes and Transparency

You need to know two important things about blending modes. First, when a blending mode is applied to a spot color object, what you see onscreen or in a composite proof may not match what the
press reproduces. Second, certain blending modes specically, Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color, and Luminosity can introduce additional color on the process plates when a blend
involving spot colors is attened, and unexpected results can occur when separations are created.
Note: In general, mixing transparency and spot colors, including blending spot colors with process
colors, should be done with caution. It is possible to get the results you want, however, conversion of
spot colors to process colors can occur.

100% cyan
(process)

100% Pantone 530

(spot)

100% cyan
(process)

100% Pantone 530

(spot)

!
In this example, the Difference
blending mode applied to the
Pantone 530-filled object (right)
produces a dark region where it
overlaps the underlying cyan object.
Printing separations produces five
color plates.

No transparency.

The Difference blending mode

is applied to the Pantone 530
object. Applying some blending
modes (Difference, Exclusion, Hue,
Saturation, Color, and Luminosity)
to an object with a spot color fill or
stroke can introduce process colors
when the object is flattened and
printed.

Without transparency effects, two

separation plates are produced: one
for the cyan object and one for the
Pantone 530 object.

Applying the Difference blending

mode produces five separation
plates.

BUILDING PAGES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

21

Spot Colors and Transparency

With Illustrator 10, correct spot color separations are possible only if you export a le in Illustrator
10 EPS format (in which transparency is attened), native Illustrator format, or as PDF 1.4 (in which
transparency remains live). For other formats, such as Illustrator 8 EPS and PDF 1.3, spot colors are
converted to process equivalents.
Note: If you want to place a PDF 1.3 le created with Illustrator into an InDesign layout, do not use the
Illustrator Save As command (File menu). Instead, you should atten the le in Illustrator using appropriate attener settings, save an Illustrator EPS le or create a PostScript le, and then use Acrobat
Distiller to create a PDF 1.3 le from the EPS or PostScript le.
InDesign 2.0 preserves spot colors including spot colors that interact with transparency and that are
set to overprint. You can display overprinted colors by turning on Overprint Preview (View menu).
You can also simulate overprinted colors on your desktop proofer by selecting Simulate Overprint in
the Print or Export dialog boxes. (e output will approximate what you see on screen with Overprint
Preview turned on.) e overprinting color information is simulated by your composite printer and
provides a more complete proof. You should select Simulate Overprint only for composite output.
InDesign will correctly separate spot colors and overprinting when you output separations.
In general, it is best to place Illustrator artwork into InDesign for later processing, attening, etc.,
especially artwork with spot colors and transparency.

Overprinting and Transparency

For the most part overprinting and transparency are different animals. Both Illustrator and InDesign
give you the option to overprint (rather than knockout) overlapping objects, and they both include
several features for creating transparency effects. But while overprint is not transparency, transparency can affect overprint.
The Attributes palette (Window>
Attributes) in InDesign (above) and
Illustrator (below) let you apply
overprinting to fills and strokes.

Overprinting is preserved in InDesign documents that dont contain transparency (including nonnormal blending modes). However, if overprinting is mixed with transparency, attening can cause
overprinting to be preprocessed. In some cases, attening may not produce the intended results on
press, especially when spot colors are involved. e following paragraph summarizes how Illustrator
and InDesign handle overprinting.
With Illustrator 10 it is not possible to preserve native overprint instructions when printing composite output overprint can either be ignored or attened. When printing to a composite printer,
checking Ignore Overprinting in Composite Output in the Print dialog box causes overprint information to be ignored (i.e., the overprint instructions are removed) when the document is printed. If
Ignore Overprinting in Composite Output is unchecked, instances of overprinting are attened (i.e.
the visual appearance of overprinting is preserved). e results in InDesign are similar if you check
Simulate Overprint in the Output pane of Print dialog box.
If an overprinted object is involved in transparency, overprint is attened (i.e. the overprinted object
is divided into atomic regions and their color is attened, taking overprint into account). Flattening
of overprinting maintains the visual appearance of the objects involved, and it does not increase the
amount of ink per plate.
In other scenarios, overprint instructions can be generated as a result of attening, even if no
overprint is set manually. is can happen when spot colors that are involved in transparency are
attened. Illustrator and InDesign handle the attening and correctly manage the spot colors.
Its important to note that attening overprint does not affect the ink on the nal plates, nor does it
automatically convert spot colors to process (although both can occur together) or remove all overprint instructions. It simply means that all overprinted objects are broken down into atomic regions.

22

If overprinting instructions are applied to objects that also contain transparency, the attener may
be used to atten these objects. e attener, in effect, executes the overprinting instructions and
renders the results in the attened output stream, much the same as a PostScript RIP. Heres a list of
conditions under which overprinting instructions are preprocessed by the attener:
When overprinting objects have transparency applied directly to them (for example, objects that
are less than 100% opaque).
When overprinting objects are part of a group to which transparency is applied.
When overprinting objects are overlapped by or are within approximately 1/72" of transparent
objects or groups.
When a placed graphic contains overprinted objects and transparency is then applied to the
placed graphic.
When overprinting objects are part of a complex region of transparency that must be rasterized
during attening.
When Simulate Overprinting is selected in the Advanced options of the Export dialog box
(InDesign 2.0 only). (Note: By default this checkbox is not selected and should remain so for
high-end printing workows. It should be selected only when printing proofs to low-end composite
devices that cannot otherwise simulate overprinting.)
When the Preserve Overprinting When Possible checkbox is not checked in the Transparency
pane of the Document Setup dialog box (Illustrator 10 only). (Note: By default this checkbox is not
selected, however, it should be selected for high-end printing workows.)
In many cases, the results of attening overprinting instructions are identical to what happens when
a PostScript RIP interprets the same overprinting instructions and may not cause a problem in your
workow.
Note: With Illustrator, overprinting instructions are not always preserved when a document is attened, although the visual appearance of overprint is preserved. You can preserve overprinting for objects that arent
involved in transparency by checking Preserve Overprint When Possible in the Print dialog box.

SAVING AND EXPORTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

23

Preventing Transparency Problems

To minimize the possibility of transparency-related problems, you should:

Install and use the latest Adobe so ware updates.
Install and use the latest PPDs/printer drivers.
Dedicate sufficient RAM to all applications.
Talk to your printer about your les, and let your printer know if and how you have used
transparency.
Make sure your service provider has and uses the latest RIP so ware updates.
Read the ReadMe.PDF les that accompany the product installers for additional known issues,
resolved issues, and production and troubleshooting tips.
Be careful when you mix overprinting and spot colors with transparency. To view the printed
results of overprinting on-screen, enable Overprint Preview (View menu).
If possible, save native copies of Illustrator les. If you save les in Illustrator 8 EPS format, the
les are attened and you cannot edit transparency effects. If you need to save an Illustrator 8
EPS le, you should save a copy of the le as well as the native Illustrator le.

A Final Word of Caution

Despite your best efforts to avoid transparency problems, some may still arise. Below is a list of
problems that can occur in order of likelihood. Generally, problems are the result of the way a le
was created and the attener settings used, as well as the methods and equipment your printer uses
to process your les.
1. Spot colors may display colors on process plates or convert to process. Saving to an older
le format, such as PDF 1.3 from Illustrator 10 may cause this. Some prepress so ware may
inadvertently misinterpret attened EPS les, which results in converting spot colors to process.
In this case, do not use EPS; use native InDesign, native Illustrator, or PDF les.
2. Transparency attening can include objects set to overprint. When this occurs, overprinting
instructions are not preserved aer attening, however, the objects will look correct when
printed because the overprint is taken into consideration when transparency is attened. Printers
need to be aware that changing overprinting instructions at the RIP can affect not only objects
set to overprint, but attened transparency, as well.
3. Vector objects may get rasterized at a resolution thats too low for the output device. is is why
its best for your printer to handle attening. Your printer will use attener settings that are
appropriate for the output device.
4. Stitching or artifacts may appear along the edges atomic regions. If possible, let your service
provider do the attening to avoid these problems.
5. Hairlines and strokes may fatten. Generally this is a problem only on low-resolution output
devices.
6. Type may be converted to lled strokes. at is, the characters may thicken. is can be a
problem on low-resolution devices. It is less of a problem on high-resolution devices.

SAVING AND EXPORTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

24

Additional transparency interactions currently have no workarounds for optimal printing. Future
versions of Adobe applications will likely address some of these interactions. Until then, however, be
alert for the following elements when they are mixed with transparency:
Preseparated content (DCS les).
Duotone, tritone, and quadtone images place-linked in Illustrator les (this is not a problem in
InDesign).
Images to be replaced aer attening occurs (for example, in workows using an OPI server).
If low-resolution images are attened, the results will be low-resolution. For this reason, lowresolution images should not be attened. Make sure you use high-resolution images when
attening or sending your documents to a service provider if transparency is involved.

SAVING AND EXPORTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

25

CHAPTER 5

Saving and Exporting Files with Transparency

If youre creating a standalone Illustrator or InDesign layout that contains transparent objects that
is, a layout you dont intend to use in other layouts or other applications you can save the document as you would save any other document, that is, as a native Illustrator (.AI) or native InDesign
(.INDD) le using the Save command (File menu). However, if you intend to use an Illustrator or
InDesign layout in another layout or application, you must decide whether to save a native le or
export the layout in a different le format.
Note: You can place native Illustrator (.AI), native Photoshop (.PSD), and PDF 1.4 les into InDesign
layouts. Because these le formats can contain live transparency, using them for artwork that is placed
into InDesign layouts is both convenient because you dont have to save artwork in multiple le formats and effective because InDesign can handle les that contain live transparency.

Choosing a File Format When Saving/Exporting

Whenever possible, you should use le formats that preserve live transparency including native
formats for Illustrator and InDesign documents or PDF 1.4 when youre creating graphic les for
placement in other documents.
Saving les in native formats provides several advantages over the other le format options:

Greater control at print time. Using native le formats gives you control over the attener and

resolution settings up to the time you print, save, or export a job in a non-native le format (such
as PostScript).

Reduce file overhead. By saving a single, native version of a graphic instead of multiple, exported

TIFF or EPS les, you reduce the number of les you have to track, and you also reduce the disk
space required to store your graphics.

Easy editability. InDesign 2.0 allows you to link directly to native Illustrator 10 les and PDF 1.4

les, which allows you to preserve live transparency throughout the page layout workow. If you
need to make changes to a native Illustrator graphic, you can simply open the le in Illustrator
and make the changes. (You can easily open the original Illustrator le within InDesign by
selecting it in the Links palette and then choosing Edit Original from the palette menu.) Other
formats atten Illustrator objects, making them uneditable. is forces you to open the le in
Illustrator, make the changes, export and atten the le again, and nally relink the placed
graphic in InDesign. When you modify a placed native Illustrator graphic, all instances of the
graphic in InDesign documents are updated. When its time to print the nished InDesign
document, the printer can atten all transparency at once directly from within InDesign using
the attener controls in InDesign.
Remember, when you export a document (including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign documents) in any le format that attens transparency, the document is attened in the same way its
rasterized when printed, and you lose the ability to edit the original objects, except for Illustrator 10
EPS les and only if the le is reopened in Illustrator 10.
Exporting EPS files
Illustrator 10 can save les in its own (Illustrator 10) EPS format, as well as in EPS formats that are
compatible with earlier versions of Illustrator. Illustrator 10 EPS les are best suited for use in a
high-end print workow because of the management of spot colors and transparency.
Transparency is always attened when a le is saved to EPS. An Illustrator 10 EPS le, however,
(unless resaved in another application) retains transparency information, so live transparency is
restored if the le is reopened in Illustrator 10.
Note: If you save an Illustrator le using a legacy format (e.g., Illustrator 8), type involved in transparency is converted to outlines, and spot colors are converted to process colors. You can open the le in
Illustrator, but you wont be able to edit any text thats been converted to outlines. Adobe recommends
using the latest version of all its applications to avoid such problems.

26

You can export two kinds of EPS les using InDesign 2.0, however, only one is generally suitable
for high-end printing workows. By default, InDesign 2.0 exports EPS les in which overprinting
instructions are preserved wherever possible in some limited cases, the attening process will
preprocess these and incorporate the overprinting with the transparency information. ese default
EPS les are suitable for output on printing presses. If you select Simulate Overprint in the Export
dialog box, InDesign 2.0 can optionally export EPS les in which all overprinting instructions are
preprocessed and the appearance of overprint is simulated for output on composite devices. ese
EPS les with Simulate Overprint enabled are suitable for desktop printing and proong. As a rule,
you shouldnt use this option for high-end printing workows.
Exporting PDF files
PDF 1.4 (also known as Acrobat 5 PDF) can accurately display live transparency created by any
Adobe transparency-savvy authoring and layout application. Illustrator 10 and InDesign 2.0 can
both import and export live transparency as PDF 1.4. Among other benets, this format preserves
spot colors and overprinting without attening.
If you work with PDF 1.3 (also known as Acrobat 4 PDF), you should be aware that any transparency in the native document from which the PDF was created will be attened when the PDF 1.3
le is saved/exported. PDF 1.3 les created with already-attened artwork may not be acceptable
for high-end prepress workows because overprinting and spot colors arent always preserved and
because the resolution used during attening may not be appropriate for high-resolution output.
Illustrator 10, for example, doesnt preserve overprinting and spot colors when it exports to PDF 1.3.
InDesign 2.0, however, does preserve overprinting and spot colors.
Note: PDF 1.4 les created using Distiller 5 will not contain live transparency because Distiller operates on PostScript, which can contain only attened transparency.

Exporting Illustrator Files with Transparency

If you intend to use an Illustrator graphic in another Illustrator document or in another Adobe graphics application, such as InDesign or Photoshop, you have the option to save the Illustrator graphic as a
native Illustrator (.AI), EPS, or PDF le, or you can export a native Photoshop (.PSD) or TIFF le. e
chart that follows shows the save/export le format options available in Illustrator and how transparency is saved for each format. Choose File > Save or File > Save As to save an Illustrator document in a
native Illustrator format or as a PDF or EPS le; choose File > Export to save a native Photoshop (.PSD)
or TIFF le.
Note: You can preserve live text, layers, masks, compound vector shapes, and more when you export
Illustrator graphics in .PSD format. For more information see the Illustrator User Guide.
If you use QuarkXPress for page layout, you must save Illustrator graphics as EPS or PDF 1.3 les.
You cannot place native Illustrator les nor graphics with live transparency into QuarkXPress
layouts.

27

SAVING AND EXPORTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

Illustrator Export File Formats and Transparency

Output Formats

Transparency Embedded As

Native Illustrator 10 (.AI)

Live or Flattened

PostScript (for RIP or Distiller)

Flattened

PDF 1.3 (Acrobat 4)

Flattened

PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5)

Live or Flattened

EPS

Flattened*

Other Formats (non-Illustrator EPS, TIFF, etc.)

Flattened**

* Illustrator can open AI EPS les, and the transparency can be edited. All other products can place
and use the attened portion of the EPS le. e le may need to be place-embedded.
** Some graphic le formats (EPS not from Illustrator), TIFF, etc.) cannot handle live transparency.
Exporting Illustrator graphics for use in programs that cant handle transparency
If you use Illustrator graphics in page layout programs that cant handle transparency, you should
specify attening settings and save transparent artwork in Illustrator 10 EPS format, especially if spot
colors are involved and you intend to print separations. Currently, InDesign 2.0 is the only page layout
program that can interpret unattened, live transparency in native Illustrator les and PDF 1.4 les.
Illustrator 10 EPS is the only attened le format that can be exported from Illustrator 10 with spot
color plates preserved. Because spot colors are converted to process colors if you export to AI 8 EPS or
PDF 1.3, Illustrator 10 EPS is the only attened format suitable for separations in page layout programs
that cant handle transparency. More importantly, you can open Illustrator 10 EPS les in Illustrator 10
and adjust attener and resolution settings to match output conditions in your workow.

28

PRINTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

Exporting InDesign Files with Transparency

If you want to use an InDesign page in another InDesign layout or another program, such as Illustrator
or Photoshop, you can export PDF or EPS les You can also use the Print dialog box to create PostScript
les that can be converted to PDF with Acrobat. e chart below shows the save/export le format options available in InDesign and how transparency is saved for each format.
Note: Choose File > Save or File > Save As to save a native InDesign document (or template); choose
File > Export to save PDF or EPS les; and choose File > Print to create a PostScript le.
InDesign Export File Formats and Transparency

Output Formats

Transparency Embedded As

InDesign Native (.INDD)

Live

PostScript (for RIP or Distiller)

Flattened

PDF 1.3 (Acrobat 4)

Flattened

PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5)

Live

EPS

Flattened

If your service provider uses prepress tools that cant interpret PDF 1.4 les, you should save InDesign
2.0 documents that contain transparency as PostScript les or PDF 1.3 les using the High Resolution
attener style, or ask your printer for their recommended attener settings. PostScript and PDF 1.3
les created in this manner in InDesign 2.0 provide high-quality results, preserve overprinting and
spot colors where possible, and separate correctly.
Printers oen prefer to receive les in certain formats. When you provide les to your printer for output, make sure you let them know if transparency is involved. If your printer does not have experience
processing les with transparency, have them contact Adobe technical support or the Adobe Solutions
Network (http://partners.adobe.com/asn/main.html) to receive free training materials and other useful resources.

29

CHAPTER 6

Printing Files with Transparency

When you want to print an Illustrator or InDesign layout whether the output device is a relatively
low-resolution proof printer or a high-resolution imagesetter all transparent objects in the le, as
well as any linked les that contain live transparency, must be attened. at is, the transparency
information in the le must be converted into a format the printer can understand.
In most cases, attening produces excellent results when you use an appropriate predened
attener style in InDesign or specify the appropriate attener settings in Illustrator (File >
Document Setup > Transparency). However, if your document contains complex, overlapping areas
and you require high-resolution output, you can achieve more reliable print output by following a
few basic guidelines.
For a complete reference and troubleshooting guide on how transparency affects output, see the document, Achieving Reliable Print Output from Adobe Applications with Transparency in the Customer
Support area of adobe.com.

Printing Proofs from the Desktop

Printing a document that contains transparency is much the same as printing any other document
with one important difference: You should choose a attener style (InDesign) or specify attener
settings (Illustrator) that are appropriate for the printer.
Printing Proofs with Illustrator
Heres a checklist for designers to help ensure reliable printing with Adobe Illustrator 10 when
printing proofs:
1. Specify the CMYK color mode (File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color) for les that will be
printed on a desktop proof printer.
2. Specify the proper ppi for your document in the Document Raster Effects Settings dialog box.
Medium (150 ppi) is the typical setting for proof printing.

3. Ensure that your resolution-dependent live effects (such as Guassian blur and mezzotint) still look
the way you want them to aer changing the ppi value in the Document Raster Effects Settings
dialog box.
4. Use the Overprint Preview display mode (View > Overprint Preview) to display approximately
how the objects youve specied for overprinting will appear in color-separated output.

PRINTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

30

5. Preview your artwork in the Flattening Preview palette to determine which areas will be affected
by transparency. Or, preview the areas of your artwork that will be rasterized to ensure text will
not be rasterized. Or, speak with your service provider to ensure you have selected the proper
settings.

For detailed information about the Flattening Preview palette, see the Illustrator 10 Flattening Guide (http://
www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/indepth.html).

6. When saving a le as a native Illustrator (AI) le, select Illustrator 10 in the Compatibility pulldown menu for faster le printing and for transparency support when placing the artwork into
InDesign. When saving a le as an Illustrator EPS le (the proper format for placing the artwork
into QuarkXPress), select Illustrator 10 in the Compatibility pull-down menu to preserve editable
transparency.
Printing Proofs with InDesign
In InDesign, you can choose a attener style when you print a document. To choose a attener style,
choose File > Print and click on Advanced in the list of print options on the le side of the Print
dialog box. In the Transparency Flattener area of the Advanced panel of the Print dialog box, choose
an appropriate attener style from the Style menu.
e Style menu includes three default styles Low Resolution, Medium Resolution, and High
Resolution as well as any custom attener styles youve created. (To create custom attener styles,
choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Styles. For information about creating attener styles, refer to
the InDesign User Guide.)
If youre printing a proof to a PostScript printer you should choose the Low Resolution or Medium
Resolution attener style.
Choose the Medium Resolution attener style for desktop proofs printed on black-and-white
desktop printers.
Choose the Medium Resolution style for desktop proofs and print-on-demand documents printed
on PostScript color printers.
If you are printing to a printer that is not a PostScript printer, the Flattener Style menu is not available. In this case you should enable Simulate Overprint in the Output panel of the Print dialog box.
When Simulate Overprint is enabled, the proof print will look the same as its displayed on-screen
with Overprint Preview (View menu) enabled.

PRINTING FILES WITH TRANSPARENC Y

31

The transparency flattener style you choose in the Advanced panel of the InDesign Print dialog box determines how transparency effects are flattened when the file is printed or exported in a file format that doesnt preserve live transparency.

Preparing and Delivering Files for High-resolution Printing

As you learned in the introduction to this guide, transparency must be attened for print output. In
most cases, attening produces excellent results when you use an appropriate predened attener
style or a custom attening style with settings appropriate for your nal output. However, attening
may alter colors and transparent objects in ways that can affect output quality. If your Illustrator and
InDesign documents contain complex, overlapping areas and you require high-resolution output,
you should work closely with your print service provider. Your print provider can specify optimal
attener settings based on the le formats used, the resolution of the nal output device, and their
workow. Good communication between you and your service provider will help you achieve the
results you expect.