PNG with transparent background

[DOG91]

When I export a document as a PDF, the PNG with transparent background has a slight different color than the rest of the total background when printing. When I look at the PDF on my desktop it all looks fine (see attached image 1) but as soon as I print it, you can see that the transparent part of the PNG has an other color than the layer below (see attached image 2).

Does anyone know how I can fix this issue?

[firstdefence]

Welcome to the forum @DOG91

I'm no expert on this but the background colour in the top image looks like a CMYK blue so this might be a colour profile and or an export issue. Can you upload the document for us to take a look at?

Also, how does it print directly from Affinity?

[Alfred]

9 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

I'm no expert on this

Me too neither …

10 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

but the background colour in the top image looks like a CMYK blue so this might be a colour profile and or an export issue.

… but I agree. However, I expect a PDF to show the document exactly as it will print, so I’m surprised that the OP is seeing a mismatch.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, DOG91 said:

When I look at the PDF on my desktop it all looks fine (see attached image 1) but as soon as I print it, you can see that the transparent part of the PNG has an other color than the layer below (see attached image 2).

What application do you use to view the PDF? What application do you use to print it?

What OS do you use, and what kind of printer?

Edit: Also, I can see a difference in the first image in your post, and no difference in the second image. Have you reversed the "image 1" and "image 2" in your description?

[Old Bruce]

25 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Edit: Also, I can see a difference in the first image in your post, and no difference in the second image. Have you reversed the "image 1" and "image 2" in your description?

The 'image 1' and 'image 2' are loaded to the webpage in the wrong order. The top image is in fact "*_image2.jpeg" and the bottom one is "*_image1.png".

[DOG91]

1 hour ago, firstdefence said:

Welcome to the forum @DOG91

I'm no expert on this but the background colour in the top image looks like a CMYK blue so this might be a colour profile and or an export issue. Can you upload the document for us to take a look at?

Also, how does it print directly from Affinity?

sure, see attached. I don't print it directly from Affinity. I have to export it as a PDF.

This might be important: I have created the PNG in Procreate.

DOG1.afpub

Edited January 29, 2022 by DOG91

[IndependentArt]

I tried to do some research on the PNG format a while ago and although I can not tell the exact reasons, it's seems to be that PNG is just not very suitable for a project you want to print. Better just use .TIF.

[DOG91]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

What application do you use to view the PDF? What application do you use to print it?

What OS do you use, and what kind of printer?

Edit: Also, I can see a difference in the first image in your post, and no difference in the second image. Have you reversed the "image 1" and "image 2" in your description?

Its PDF - Charge Editor. I print it directly form this application. I am working with a Mac. I can't tell you now what printer we have.. I have to check it on Monday when im in the office.

I just printed it to check. the printing of these documents will do another company.

sorry, I've uploaded the images in the wrong order.

[firstdefence]

Do you mean PDF-XChange Editor, never heard of PDF-Charge Editor, but curiously it looks like PDF XChange editor is windows only.

Don't worry about the order we all make that mistake, but it always helps to check and label the images if you refer to them as image 1... image 2 etc

Ok, so, what PDF export are you using and do you modify it at all using the More... button?

 

[DOG91]

17 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Do you mean PDF-XChange Editor, never heard of PDF-Charge Editor 😉

Don't worry about the order we all make that mistake, but it always helps to check and label the images if you refer to them as image 1... image 2 etc

Ok, so, what PDF export are you using and do you modify it at all using the More... button?

 

ohh yes sure, that's what I mean

Well the company who will print it told me to use PDF/X-4. I have tried to change the options in "more" to find a solution. see attached the current settings.

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by DOG91

[firstdefence]

@DOG91

I've tried to replicate your issue and I can't, I exported using PDF/X-4. To print, I've tried Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, PDF Expert and also tried printing from Preview but they all printed without issue.

I've attached the file I exported to PDF to see if you still get the same result.

DOG1.pdf

[DOG91]

2 hours ago, firstdefence said:

@DOG91

I've tried to replicate your issue and I can't, I exported using PDF/X-4. To print, I've tried Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, PDF Expert and also tried printing from Preview but they all printed without issue.

I've attached the file I exported to PDF to see if you still get the same result.

DOG1.pdf 417.21 kB · 0 downloads

Thank you! the issue ist still here but if I print it with Acrobat Reader it prints without issue!

[lacerto]

The issue is probably caused by the PNG with transparency staying transparent and in RGB color mode when exported to PDF/X-4 while everything else in the job is in CMYK color mode. In situations where you can see a color difference, the PNG image is rasterized and its transparency resolved so that it will get the blue background translated with a value the differs from the background that already was in CMYK color mode.

I am not sure if this is related to a specific printer, or the app that is used to print the image (as CMYK colors are normally translated back to RGB when printing to a non-PostScript printer or from an app that does not support sending CMYK data to the printer), but you might be able to resolve the problem by rasterizing the PNG image already in your Publisher document by just selecting it and choosing Layer > Rasterize. The image will be rasterized in CMYK mode and using the DPI setting of your document (300 DPI in this case). It stays transparent but when you subsequently export the job, all colors will stay in same color mode (CMYK) so even when exporting using a method that retains the transparency (like PDF/X-4), the color mode is unified and you should no longer experience inconsistent colors in the blue background. This should fix the problem also in situations you print directly from Publisher (or other situations when colors get translated back to RGB at the time the job is sent to the printer).

[Pšenda]

6 hours ago, firstdefence said:

but it always helps to check and label the images if you refer to them as image 1... image 2 etc

... alternatively, it is better to insert images directly into the text, where the context is obvious, than to describe the images and then insert them all at the end of the text (and have to watch their order, or the correct designation).

[firstdefence]

8 hours ago, Pšenda said:

... alternatively, it is better to insert images directly into the text, where the context is obvious, than to describe the images and then insert them all at the end of the text (and have to watch their order, or the correct designation).

I'll do that when making a bullet list but sometimes the images are larger for details sake so instead I'll place the images below the bullet list and make comment just above the image or will label them for reference sake that way they don't have to click out of the post to see a larger image, they can stay in the post and be able to refer to the text as they look at the images.