Prinergy Evo enables you to easily process transparencies without flattening them, providing simpler, faster, and more accurate trapping of files with transparent objects. PDF processing engines such as the Color Matcher and Trapper have been upgraded to handle transparent objects natively, eliminating artifacts that sometimes could be introduced during flattening.
With the release of Illustrator 9 software, graphic designers could easily apply transparency effects to vector artwork, creating translucent shapes, text, drop shadows, and masks. When you write a PDF 1.4 file (and later) from Illustrator software 9 and later and InDesign 2 software and later, the file may contain transparent objects.
Before Prinergy Evo 4.0, transparent objects in PDF 1.4 and later files had to be flattened to PDF 1.3 objects during the normalizing process, sometimes with unpredictable results.
Handling files with transparency
To take advantage of Prinergy Evo's transparency handling, ensure your incoming files contain native (unflattened) transparency. To do this out of Illustrator or InDesign, export the file to PDF 1.4 or later. Do not print the file to PostScript or to a PDF file.
To easily determine whether a given PDF file contains native transparency, open it in Acrobat software and use the Transparency Flattening tool. In the Highlight list, select Transparent Objects. If any objects in the preview appear red, there is native transparency in the file.
New Setting For Transparent Objects
You can preserve transparency during the refine process. In the refine to PDF process template, Normalize pane, PDF 1.4 and higher (Acrobat 5 and higher) list, the options are:
- Flatten to PDF 1.3
Prinergy Evo will detect and flatten all files with native PDF 1.4 transparency using the highest quality setting. This is the behavior from Prinergy Evo 3.x and earlier. - Leave as is
Prinergy Evo will detect and preserve transparent effects in PDF 1.4 or later files. - Fail
Prinergy Evo will fail when it encounters transparent objects.
New Adobe PDF Print Engine RIP 5.7 64-bit
Prinergy Evo 9.0 introduces Adobe PDF Print Engine RIP 5.7 and the new Flattener in PDF Library 18.
Common Approaches to Handling Files With Transparencies
Input File Type | Transparency Setting Chosen in the Refine Process Template | RIP Chosen in the Output Process Template | Things To Consider |
|---|---|---|---|
PDF 1.3 file where flattening occurs in the desktop software (for example, Illustrator) | File is already flattened. | File is already flattened. |
|
PDF 1.4 file (and later) | Flatten to PDF 1.3 | File is already flattened in refine process. |
|
PDF 1.4 file (and later) | Leave as is | Adobe CPSI |
|
PDF 1.4 file (and later) | Leave as is | Adobe PDF Print Engine (does not flatten) |
|
By their nature, the following file formats do not contain native transparency. If the original contained transparency effects, they would have been flattened. Because these formats do not include native transparency, there is no benefit to running them through Prinergy Evo.
- PostScript
- EPS
- DCS
- PDF 1.3 or earlier
- PDF/X-1a (PDF/X-1a is a restricted subset of PDF which prohibits transparency)