Expert: Glen Demers - 9/17/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have text w drop shadow sitting over gradient shapes. When  the PDF is
created  a white frame appears. This frame doesn't show when I print out the
Indesign file on my home printer. I'm uploading this book cover
Fwww.friesens.com/MyBooks/
How to eliminate box frame appearing in PDF?
Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Heather,

The white line is a result of transparency smoothing in Acrobat. I'm assuming you've downloaded the pdf submission guidelines from Friesens and their joboptions file for exporting a pdf to their specifications. Make sure you are exporting as Acrobat 5/PDF 1.4, this will preserve transparency and should eliminate the lines from your pdf.

Another thing to try is to go to Preferences in Acrobat and uncheck 'smooth line art' under smoothing.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Acrobat tips please visit our help pages here


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Again, troubles w features created in Indesign CS3 vers. 5 demo. I have a layer
w a filled box w feathered edges. I've created a pdf from it with no problem
before. In the most recent iteration of the file, this box doesn't show up in print
on the same copier used for the successful PDF. The filled box does show up in
the PDF, and prints out on my little Epson printer. Can you solve this mystery?
More info - the PDF is emailed from my Mac to the PC which is connected to the
copier - that is part of a Print on Demand book machine. I'm wondering if
there's some option at the point of printing that may be the problem. The only
mystery is that it has printed out this filled box before. Someone has changed a
setting somewhere it would seem to me.
Thanks!  

Answer
Hi Heather

This sounds like a transparency issue with the copier, try saving the pdf as an older version and printing it. In Acrobat go to Advanced>PDF Optimizer. This will flatten the pdf and allow it to print on the copier.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more InDesign tips please visit our help pages here