Color management

[akula7]

I don't know if this is a bug or intentional, I thought it would be better with version 2, but it is the same as in the first version.
The external files (from Affinity Designer or PDFs) are only separated correctly if the colour profiles are the same. That is, the created and exported files (PDF) with the same profile as the Publisher files are exported to "Print PDF". As long as everything happens in-house, one can live with this. But the problem with the customer PDF remains insurmountable. Black is mercilessly separated, although correctly created in the customer PDF, i.e. K:100.
I've been trying to get away from Adobe for two years, but this single problem keeps me away, even though Affinity Suite is really cool, especially in the second version. 
I've spent hours on it, tried all sorts of settings - all to no avail! 
This single bug makes this great app practically unusable in Professional, considering how many publications rely on external PDFs.

Or have I missed something and not found the right setting?

[NathanC]

Hi @akula7,

If I have understood your issue correctly, Prior to exporting to PDF, when placing your PDF into your .afpub document, along the context toolbar have you set the PDF to 'Passthrough' or 'Interpret' with the placed PDF selected?

In the example below, I created a PDF using the 'Generic CMYK' profile and added some 100K only text. On a separate .afpub document containing a few objects set to U.S Web coated SWOP I placed the PDF, on the context toolbar I ensured that the PDF was set to 'Passthrough' and then exported that .afpub to .PDF (For print) preset.

After opening the newly exported PDF, when I look at the contents of my placed 'Generic CMYK profile' PDF in acrobat using the Object inspector, I can see that the contents of my Placed PDF have maintained their colour profile and values as expected.

 

However, If i repeat the same steps as above but instead change my placed PDF setting to 'Interpret' instead of 'Passthrough' and the exported to PDF (For print) and viewed it in acrobat, the originally K only text is now a 4C black.

 

Placing PDFs with passthrough set (which is the default) will allow for an exact reproduction of the original PDF on your document, including the colour profile assigned to objects inside the PDF, however dependant on the PDF contents this option may not be possible, and instead 'Interpret' is used where some settings such as colour profile are interpreted, The Preflight panel should give reason(s) as to why this has been done.

Placing Content/Passthrough help article: https://affinity.help/publisher2/English.lproj/pages/Media/placeImages.html

If you're still having issues with this or if I have misinterpreted your issue, it might help if you could provide a sample .Afpub containing the placed PDF along with the original PDF file so we can take a look, I can provide an upload link if needed.

I hope this helps 🙂

 

[akula7]

Hi Nathan,

two PDFs are placed in InDesign. Left page - PDF from Publisher with customer ads, right page - PDF exported from InDesign with the same customer ads. If you switch on Separation Preview in InDesign, you can see the differences. On the screenshot with black switched off you can see that black is separated from Publisher, whereas on the right side black is not visible (switched off). The Ad (Zöller) is created in Affinity Designer with the same profile as in the Publisher export, so it is separated correctly. If I create this Ad with the other profile as in Export from Publisher, black is also separated as 4c. The setting in Publisher for Ads - Content/Passthrough.

This is the problem - In advertisements from clients, black is separated in 4c.

Do you understand what I mean?

[akula7]

I'll send you a publisher file with client ads. Try exporting a press PDF so that black is separated as 100k.

test separation.afpub

[Hangman]

Hi @akula7,

Exporting your Publisher file to PDF (Press Ready), I'm seeing the same results as your PDF exported from InDesign...

 

I've attached the PDF I exported... Could you perhaps upload a screenshot of your full PDF export settings just so we can see if there is anything odd going on there?

test separation.pdf

[akula7]

[akula7]

Apple M1
Ventura 13.3.1

[Hangman]

Hi @akula7,

Thank you for the screengrabs...

Publisher is throwing up Passthrough PDF/X-4 compatibility warnings for three of the pdf's along with one document colourspace warning for the fourth...  the placed pdf's also appear to be unprofiled which I believe is the cause of the issue you're seeing as it means they are being assigned the document working profile and the colours are being translated in the process...

If you are able to upload the four PDF files we can take a closer look...

In the meantime, if PDF/X-4 isn't essential for your exported pdf then exporting to a PDF (Press Ready) - PDF 1.7 file will provide correct separations.

 

[akula7]

Hello,
my tests also with the just released version 2.1 have shown that export with PDF 1.7 - setting actually separates the file correctly. However, x-3 and x-4 export separates the file incorrectly. The problem is that the printers (at least in Germany) need x-3 or x-4 compatibility. If the separation works correctly with PDF 1.7, it is also a small step to separation X-compatibility, isn't it? That would be a breakthrough, it would be great if they could fix the bug.

[akula7]

Anyway, thanks for the quick help!

[Hangman]

Hi @akula7,

I think it is perhaps a little more complicated here in as much as I don't believe the placed pdf ad's conform to pdf/X-4 standard which is why you are likely seeing the CMYK rather than K100 values in your exported pdf.

I've been experimenting with your Publisher file but I'm getting conflicting issues... are you perhaps able to upload the four pdf files that are in your Publisher document so I can take a quick look to see whether or not they do or don't conform to the PDF/X-4 specs.

I'd really like to get to the bottom of what is going on with your file to figure out if this is a bug or expected behaviour if that's possible... Just let me know...

[akula7]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:45 PM, Hangman said:

I think it is perhaps a little more complicated here in as much as I don't believe the placed pdf ad's conform to pdf/X-4 standard

Hi Hangman, 

of course, the client PDFs are not pdf/3/4 standard compatible. That is the problem. Among other things, I also produce a regional magazine. I get 50 advertisements from all kinds of sources, some of them self-made Corel Draw PDFs. Sometimes people don't even know what colour management means. But if they have created 100K in Corel Draw or somewhere else, no matter which profile, InDesign does not separate black into 4c. This also seems to be the case with Publisher, but only in pdf 1.7 compatibility.
Attached are the advertisements individually.

Plakat23.pdf Zöller.pdf Anzeige-93-136-2-1-pfad.pdf

[Hangman]

Hi @akula7,

I think this post by @lacerto probably best sums up the issue...