Transparency on PDF export

[Coziosco]

Hi.

Transparent background isn't ticked in document setup but exporting to a pdf always gives me a transparent background in preview, the exported pdf (although looks fine in OSX Preview, Adobe Reader, etc) also has transparency when being sent through to printers/publications/etc

Same error for a new doc or an existing. Existing docs showed correct behaviour in Designer 1

C

[Hangman]

@Coziosco, welcome to the forums...

You need to add a physical background layer to your artwork, otherwise your exported PDF will have a transparent background. This is the same behvaiour as V1 and when viewed in Acrobat Reader it also has a transparent background. If you turn on 'Show Transparency Grid' in the Acrobat Page Display Preferences (which is off by default) you will see the file has a transparent background.

[Coziosco]

In V1 the exact same files (tested with maybe 15 so far) as I'm using for V2 export out pdfs without a transparent background.
Same if I start from scratch in V1 and V2
In V2 it produces a transparency for pdf export regardless of the status of 'Transparent background' in document setup. 

PNG behaviour is as expected, ticking or unticking Transparent background produces the correct results, for PDF export the option has no effect and it produces a pdf with transparency (as you say, viewable in Adobe with that option in Disp Prefs)

(this is on latest version and Ventura but it's always done this for all versions of V2 and Monterey)

[Coziosco]

p.s. even when using a large physical background layer V2 uses transparency for anything outside of the print or bleed area. 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Coziosco
Wrong info

[Hangman]

2 hours ago, Coziosco said:

In V1 the exact same files (tested with maybe 15 so far) as I'm using for V2 export out pdfs without a transparent background.
Same if I start from scratch in V1 and V2
In V2 it produces a transparency for pdf export regardless of the status of 'Transparent background' in document setup. 

@Coziosco, could you upload a sample file where in V1 the exported pdf exports without a transparent background but with a transparent background in V2. Also, could you clarify which pdf viewer you are using to view your pdf files, e.g., Preview, Acrobat etc.,

[Coziosco]

Well blow me down with a feather, you're right. V1 was exporting with a transparent background too. 

 

Same issue at heart tho (which was in V1!)

- If in Document setup I'm specifically ticking or unticking transparent background the behaviour for this should reflect correctly in both my document while editing and then my exports in a consistent manner and be the same result when exporting to png or pdf. 

 

[Hangman]

PDF's are transparent by default, so will export as such (unless using earlier versions which don't support transparency). The transparent background checkbox is more for convenience when working in the app so you can see how your artwork looks on a solid background rather than a transparent one.

With png files the transparency is dictated by the matte setting you select in the export window, by default this is set as transparent, hence because png supprts transparency when you export to a png file it will treat this default matte colour as transparent.

If you have transparent background ticked and then export to png but change the matte colour to white or any other colour and export your file, the file will still show the transparent backgound on the canvas but in the export window will show the colour of the matte you've selected and export with that colour background.

[MickRose]

I find the transparency grid when exporting PDFs quite annoying, partcularly if I'm trying to check some fine detail. It's a shame there isn't an option to show it as white (or something else). An option to hide the preview would be good.

[Hangman]

If you were creating artwork with a background colour other than white then you would add a background and apply the relevant colour to that background, the same should be true for a white background, typically defined as CMYK=0,0,0,0 which is non-printing.

Since PDF files don't have the concept of a background colour for a page most applications, including Affinitys' simply lay the content of a page out on a blank background, i.e. one that has no color at all, but for obvious reasons creating artwork on a transparent background isn't practical hence the option to turn the transparent background off.

Including a background also means you won't have the transparent background shown in the export preview window when exporting to pdf.