Finally, the mystery is solved as to how to get great color resembling my InDesign file. Your method worked like a charm when printing on our large Canon commercial printer at the office. It’s been a long struggle and your settings made all the difference. Many, many thanks for saving me hours of trial and error problem solving. You made my day!
Thanks a lot for this video! I exported my pdf file from indesign finding a white color block converted to green when viewed with Acrobat but white in chrome. By following the settings in this video, the block remains white in all viewers, and the file was downsized from 2.5GB to 140MB. Really grateful.
Hello, it is fine to get some info. Only I have all the possible objects-photos, transparencies, text,vectors and I am always worried about the result.
Good point. In Australia we often use Euro or Fogra, as well. If the printer specifies, then obviously it's best to use what they recommend. I've found that most printers work fine just using US Swop, though, so as a default 'go to' option, in the absence of other instructions, it's been very dependable.
This worked great for my magazine that gets printed on gloss, but I am having saturation issues with another magazine I have printed (a kid's magazine) on a 45# Norbrite paper with (Coldset Web). Just wondering if you have any advice on how to export this or fix within my document. I have created my own color palettes to use only 3 of the CMYK options, but still have issues. I'm assuming it's more with the pictures I use. I have converted the document to CMYK color profile. What else can I do? And thank you for such a helpful video!
Might be a bit too specific to be able to offer any help here. My only suggestion is 'always talk to the printer, whenever possible'. They can hopefully provide help, and any decent printer wants the job to succeed as much (sometimes more) than you do.
Hi, this was a really clear video so firstly thank you for posting. After following the instructions carefully my printer is still saying "Paper size mismatch" The only thing from your instructions that I could not set was the output setting as I don't have the US setting you used (I am in the UK) Can you advise which setting to pick and if this could be the problem. I am trying to print gift card designs from indesign. They printed fine before my MacBook died and I had to re-download all the programmes. Any tips ?
Just for clarification: are you trying to output a PDF to send to a commercial printer/press, or by 'printer' do you mean a desktop printer? The settings in the video are for creating PDFs to send to a commercial printer. They won't produce very good results with a desktop printer. If a commercial printer is having problems, the best course of action is to discuss the job with them, if possible, as they can help troubleshoot and recommend settings. But, if that's not an option, and they're making you guess settings (online printer?) then it sounds like the problem could possibly be in the document setup, not the PDF settings. The PDF settings don't actually specify paper-size - the PDF is output at whatever page size is setup in InDesign itself, under the document setup (File>Document Setup). Now, that being said, one change the PDF settings make to the size is to add crop marks, which *does* technically affect the size of the output sheet, but not the final trimmed dimensions. It's possible that the added trim is causing issues, in which case that's easy to fix - make sure that only the box for 'Use Document Bleed Settings' is checked in the 'Marks and Bleeds' section of the 'Export Adobe PDF' settings dialog - everything else (including 'Crop Marks') is left unchecked. This way the PDF will only have the dimensions of the page + bleed needed. Hopefully something in all that might be of help. As for the missing output settings options, the only guess I have there is that you might need to go into the color settings ('Edit>Color Settings' on Mac. I think it's under the File menu on Windows, or maybe under Help) and check the box for Advanced Mode. But that is unusual. I wonder if the available options are tied to the Operating System keyboard region? I'm not in the US either (Australia) but I've never had a problem with the output settings. My keyboard is US English layout, though. As I understand UK keyboards are different physically, and require a different layout setup.
Hi, I have an old indesign file that I was working some years ago which I had exported it as pdf with really nice blacks. These days I ''ve been asked to make some minor changes and print it again. The thing is when I export it as pdf now I get blacks that they are not as vivid as the old pdf and not even as vivid as they appear in indesign workspace. They look more brownish. Of course I have forgotten what setting I had used in the past, so I tried yours but without any luck. Any Ideas? thanks!
@@kimjackson5436 if you mean rich black it is in the preferences under appearance of black @Xristos it looks like that's your problem - if you export a PDF for RGB use? If you try to create a print PDF with black colors who have a bad setup (check your swatches) then that can also happen - but i rather think it is a combo of both, be aware your old document has certainly not the same setup of preferences than the newer versions!
To export RGB just make sure there's nothing selected in the 'Standard:' dropdown near the top of the 'Export Adobe PDF' dialog (eg no PDF/X option selected, it should just say 'None'). Then go to the 'Output' tab, and select 'Convert to Destination' from the 'Color Conversion:' dropdown, and choose an RGB color profile from the 'Destination:' dropdown (eg Adobe RGB or sRGB). Crop marks are just toggled on and off from the 'Marks and Bleeds' tab. Color space makes no difference to them.
Hi, I still don't understand what the output Color Conversion profiles means in regards to things like unrasterized colored text or shapes in InDesign. I thought by having text/shapes in a CMYK color swatch, then by default it should already have a CMYK color space assigned to it? In other words, what does "Color Conversion: Convert to Destination" without the "(Preserving Numbers)" do to elements like these? Will it change the appearance of certain colors, even if they are already using CMYK based-swatches? If so, then only the "(Preserve Numbers)" option keeps the final output of these elements exact to the colors we see in the workspace?
You are correct. When you create a CMYK color swatch, it should be within whatever InDesign's working space is. 'Convert to Destination' won't change that, either with or without 'Preserve Numbers', if the destination space is the same as the working space. Otherwise you'd need to use 'Preserve Numbers' to avoid changes.
How do you export in PDF format that retains the layouts and formatting options you made in InDesign so you can also edit them in other software like for example Affinity Publisher just as if you used InDesign.
Not really the job for a PDF. Affinity Publisher has a reasonable .idml import, provided the InDesign file isn't too complex. If you want to move InDesign projects over to Affinity Publisher, that's your best option. You can just 'Save As' or Export to IDML from InDesign, but it might be an idea to use the package function (we've got a video here, if it helps: th-cam.com/video/uS0sbeayBAM/w-d-xo.html ), that way you can easily find all your fonts and links to use with Publisher.
I followed this and the body text printed at very poor quality. Help?? I also had tiny black lines around where the bounding box is on my psd transparent images. :( I learned how to hide those in Adobe Acrobat but still not ideal.
The fine lines are typically nothing to be concerned about - they are just screen-rendering artefacts caused by the transparency flattening and won’t print (easy to check by just zooming in on the pdf - if the lines get thicker then they will print, but if they change position or remain just as fine hairlines then they aren’t a problem). Bearing mind that these settings are for commercial printing, not output on a desktop printer. The body text quality problem is unusual though… There isn’t anything in the export settings that would affect regular text quality. If there is an image effect applied to the text, such as an opacity variation or multiply/overlay etc, that can cause unexpected results outputting from InDesign in general. It could also be a result of the transparency flattening settings not being set to ‘high’ with effects applied. The reason for these is that applying image effects to text can cause it to be rasterised, so and no longer outputting as type. If the settings are too low then it’s the same as trying to print a low-res image. It could also be a simply missing or corrupted font, but that should generate an error.
Hello! I followed the instructions in your video. When I created me pdf, thin, white lines appeared around every image in my document. I'm worried that it will print this way.
The white lines are normally not a cause for concern. If you zoom in on them in the PDF you should see that they appear and disappear, but always remain the same thin hairlines. These are just on-screen artifacts caused by the transparency flattening, and won't print on press (they might print on laser or inkjet desktop printers though). If the lines thicken as you zoom in, then those are a part of the page, and will print. But that shouldn't be the case here. More info here: nukefactory.com/articles/why-are-there-white-lines-in-a-pdf/
how about flatterning images, for example a book. I usingindesing. but i am not sure how to flatten the images to avoid errors. is merging the layers enough? thanks
The preset settings shown in the video will flatten everything on output. You shouldn't actually need to do anything manually to the layers in either InDesign, or in your image files. The final PDF will have no layers.
@@nukefactory But it does. when i export the file to pdf. i can still the lines or layers of the indesing and I don't know how to get rid of them. thanks
You might just be seeing some PDF rendering artifacts. Fine white lines that appear and disappear depending on zoom level? We've actually got an explainer article here, if it's any help: nukefactory.com/articles/why-are-there-white-lines-in-a-pdf/
@@israelsuperguia yeah it is a very boring thing :) all the time when i created PDFs for printing it comes regulary up on the screen, but with that setup your file would just be perfect, just be aware that in Europe we use different color profiles!
Finally, the mystery is solved as to how to get great color resembling my InDesign file. Your method worked like a charm when printing on our large Canon commercial printer at the office. It’s been a long struggle and your settings made all the difference. Many, many thanks for saving me hours of trial and error problem solving. You made my day!
That's great! Glad it helped!
Thanks a lot for this video! I exported my pdf file from indesign finding a white color block converted to green when viewed with Acrobat but white in chrome. By following the settings in this video, the block remains white in all viewers, and the file was downsized from 2.5GB to 140MB. Really grateful.
Nice, that's a reasonably substantial file reduction :-)
thank you this is clear as daylight. solved my long standing issue with file size and inconsistent results.
This is one of the great videos of all time. Thank you.
Wow, thank you!
Hello, it is fine to get some info. Only I have all the possible objects-photos, transparencies, text,vectors and I am always worried about the result.
This video is fantastic. It's super clear, and easy to follow. Thankyou
Glad it was helpful!
very clear informations - the only part missing (sorry nitpicking :)): in Europe we use different color profiles, but still thanks a lot!
Good point. In Australia we often use Euro or Fogra, as well. If the printer specifies, then obviously it's best to use what they recommend. I've found that most printers work fine just using US Swop, though, so as a default 'go to' option, in the absence of other instructions, it's been very dependable.
Excellent! Well done. Thank you
Thanks
This worked great for my magazine that gets printed on gloss, but I am having saturation issues with another magazine I have printed (a kid's magazine) on a 45# Norbrite paper with (Coldset Web). Just wondering if you have any advice on how to export this or fix within my document. I have created my own color palettes to use only 3 of the CMYK options, but still have issues. I'm assuming it's more with the pictures I use. I have converted the document to CMYK color profile. What else can I do? And thank you for such a helpful video!
Might be a bit too specific to be able to offer any help here. My only suggestion is 'always talk to the printer, whenever possible'. They can hopefully provide help, and any decent printer wants the job to succeed as much (sometimes more) than you do.
This is really helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Hi, this was a really clear video so firstly thank you for posting. After following the instructions carefully my printer is still saying "Paper size mismatch" The only thing from your instructions that I could not set was the output setting as I don't have the US setting you used (I am in the UK) Can you advise which setting to pick and if this could be the problem. I am trying to print gift card designs from indesign. They printed fine before my MacBook died and I had to re-download all the programmes. Any tips ?
Just for clarification: are you trying to output a PDF to send to a commercial printer/press, or by 'printer' do you mean a desktop printer? The settings in the video are for creating PDFs to send to a commercial printer. They won't produce very good results with a desktop printer.
If a commercial printer is having problems, the best course of action is to discuss the job with them, if possible, as they can help troubleshoot and recommend settings. But, if that's not an option, and they're making you guess settings (online printer?) then it sounds like the problem could possibly be in the document setup, not the PDF settings. The PDF settings don't actually specify paper-size - the PDF is output at whatever page size is setup in InDesign itself, under the document setup (File>Document Setup).
Now, that being said, one change the PDF settings make to the size is to add crop marks, which *does* technically affect the size of the output sheet, but not the final trimmed dimensions. It's possible that the added trim is causing issues, in which case that's easy to fix - make sure that only the box for 'Use Document Bleed Settings' is checked in the 'Marks and Bleeds' section of the 'Export Adobe PDF' settings dialog - everything else (including 'Crop Marks') is left unchecked. This way the PDF will only have the dimensions of the page + bleed needed.
Hopefully something in all that might be of help. As for the missing output settings options, the only guess I have there is that you might need to go into the color settings ('Edit>Color Settings' on Mac. I think it's under the File menu on Windows, or maybe under Help) and check the box for Advanced Mode. But that is unusual. I wonder if the available options are tied to the Operating System keyboard region? I'm not in the US either (Australia) but I've never had a problem with the output settings. My keyboard is US English layout, though. As I understand UK keyboards are different physically, and require a different layout setup.
I have exactly the same options in Photoshop, is there really any benefit of performing the same action in InDesign, as opposed to Photoshop?
U.S. Web coated (SWOP) V2 helped me to resolve the issue of rough edges of psd transparent image.
Interesting. Glad it helped.
us this setting ok in the UK?
@@annebonson-johnson6708 I am from India. did not get chance to come to UK, yet.😊
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Hi, I have an old indesign file that I was working some years ago which I had exported it as pdf with really nice blacks. These days I ''ve been asked to make some minor changes and print it again. The thing is when I export it as pdf now I get blacks that they are not as vivid as the old pdf and not even as vivid as they appear in indesign workspace. They look more brownish. Of course I have forgotten what setting I had used in the past, so I tried yours but without any luck. Any Ideas? thanks!
There is a setting for "Absolute black" but I don't know where to tell you it lives ...
@@kimjackson5436 if you mean rich black it is in the preferences under appearance of black @Xristos it looks like that's your problem - if you export a PDF for RGB use? If you try to create a print PDF with black colors who have a bad setup (check your swatches) then that can also happen - but i rather think it is a combo of both, be aware your old document has certainly not the same setup of preferences than the newer versions!
How do you export an RGB PDF from indesign with crop marks?
To export RGB just make sure there's nothing selected in the 'Standard:' dropdown near the top of the 'Export Adobe PDF' dialog (eg no PDF/X option selected, it should just say 'None'). Then go to the 'Output' tab, and select 'Convert to Destination' from the 'Color Conversion:' dropdown, and choose an RGB color profile from the 'Destination:' dropdown (eg Adobe RGB or sRGB).
Crop marks are just toggled on and off from the 'Marks and Bleeds' tab. Color space makes no difference to them.
Hi, I still don't understand what the output Color Conversion profiles means in regards to things like unrasterized colored text or shapes in InDesign.
I thought by having text/shapes in a CMYK color swatch, then by default it should already have a CMYK color space assigned to it?
In other words, what does "Color Conversion: Convert to Destination" without the "(Preserving Numbers)" do to elements like these? Will it change the appearance of certain colors, even if they are already using CMYK based-swatches?
If so, then only the "(Preserve Numbers)" option keeps the final output of these elements exact to the colors we see in the workspace?
You are correct. When you create a CMYK color swatch, it should be within whatever InDesign's working space is. 'Convert to Destination' won't change that, either with or without 'Preserve Numbers', if the destination space is the same as the working space. Otherwise you'd need to use 'Preserve Numbers' to avoid changes.
How do you export in PDF format that retains the layouts and formatting options you made in InDesign so you can also edit them in other software like for example Affinity Publisher just as if you used InDesign.
Not really the job for a PDF. Affinity Publisher has a reasonable .idml import, provided the InDesign file isn't too complex. If you want to move InDesign projects over to Affinity Publisher, that's your best option. You can just 'Save As' or Export to IDML from InDesign, but it might be an idea to use the package function (we've got a video here, if it helps: th-cam.com/video/uS0sbeayBAM/w-d-xo.html ), that way you can easily find all your fonts and links to use with Publisher.
I followed this and the body text printed at very poor quality. Help?? I also had tiny black lines around where the bounding box is on my psd transparent images. :( I learned how to hide those in Adobe Acrobat but still not ideal.
The fine lines are typically nothing to be concerned about - they are just screen-rendering artefacts caused by the transparency flattening and won’t print (easy to check by just zooming in on the pdf - if the lines get thicker then they will print, but if they change position or remain just as fine hairlines then they aren’t a problem). Bearing mind that these settings are for commercial printing, not output on a desktop printer.
The body text quality problem is unusual though… There isn’t anything in the export settings that would affect regular text quality. If there is an image effect applied to the text, such as an opacity variation or multiply/overlay etc, that can cause unexpected results outputting from InDesign in general. It could also be a result of the transparency flattening settings not being set to ‘high’ with effects applied. The reason for these is that applying image effects to text can cause it to be rasterised, so and no longer outputting as type. If the settings are too low then it’s the same as trying to print a low-res image. It could also be a simply missing or corrupted font, but that should generate an error.
Hello! I followed the instructions in your video. When I created me pdf, thin, white lines appeared around every image in my document. I'm worried that it will print this way.
The white lines are normally not a cause for concern. If you zoom in on them in the PDF you should see that they appear and disappear, but always remain the same thin hairlines. These are just on-screen artifacts caused by the transparency flattening, and won't print on press (they might print on laser or inkjet desktop printers though).
If the lines thicken as you zoom in, then those are a part of the page, and will print. But that shouldn't be the case here.
More info here: nukefactory.com/articles/why-are-there-white-lines-in-a-pdf/
@@nukefactory
I figured they were artifacts, but didn't want to take any chances.
Thank you so much for replying to me 😊
how about flatterning images, for example a book. I usingindesing. but i am not sure how to flatten the images to avoid errors. is merging the layers enough? thanks
The preset settings shown in the video will flatten everything on output. You shouldn't actually need to do anything manually to the layers in either InDesign, or in your image files. The final PDF will have no layers.
@@nukefactory But it does. when i export the file to pdf. i can still the lines or layers of the indesing and I don't know how to get rid of them. thanks
You might just be seeing some PDF rendering artifacts. Fine white lines that appear and disappear depending on zoom level?
We've actually got an explainer article here, if it's any help:
nukefactory.com/articles/why-are-there-white-lines-in-a-pdf/
@@nukefactory Yes I do. and see them but no in all pages but a few. I will have a look. thanks
@@israelsuperguia yeah it is a very boring thing :) all the time when i created PDFs for printing it comes regulary up on the screen, but with that setup your file would just be perfect, just be aware that in Europe we use different color profiles!