Afpub 2.3.1: My exported PDF prints in a different color than directly from Afpub

[Kim S]

As stated in the title, my latest exported PDF prints in a different color than when printed directly from Affinity Publisher. This is a new problem. I have attached a screenshot of my Export settings, the .afpub file, the PDF, and pics of the physical copies.

I have tried the following with success:

1. Printed the .afpub file from Afpub.
2. Printed the exported PDF from Acrobat Reader of:
   1. a colored rectangle copied and pasted from the original file into a new file
   2. a colored rectangle from the rulebook
   3. a colored rectangle from my file concurrently with a colored rectangle from the rulebook
   4. all the above with a colored rectangle with a transparent gradient

I have tried the following with failure:

1. Printed the original exported PDF from Acrobat Reader.
2. Printed the exported PDF from MS Edge.
3. I copied and pasted all the contents of the original afpub file into a new project, exported it, and printed it from Acrobat Reader.

I tested these combinations exhaustively, with undoubtedly superfluous combinations, but I wanted to be quite sure before I posted. I have NOT tested this from a different printer, but as this problem is new to me, and I have the same printer, I don't think that's the problem.

Please help!

GWT_Example.afpub GWT NZ Test 12.pdf

[Old Bruce]

Looks like a mismatch between RGB (your document) and CMYK for the PDF/X-4. I will let others more knowledgable than me chime in.

[stokerg]

Hi @Kim S,

I agree with @Old Bruceand if you open your afpub file in Affinity and click File>Document Setup>Colour and change this from RGB to CMYK, you'll see the colour shift on screen.

What I do find odd, your PDF Export window shows no Colour Space, i'd normally expect that to be set 'As Document' but in your screenshot, that section is blank and from my understanding shouldn't be with Compatibility set to PDF/X4, that isn't something I've been able to replicate with your file. 

[Kim S]

Sorry for the delay in reply! I had some problems accessing the forums for a bit.

I tried changing the document color from RGB to CMYK, but the exported PDF still didn't print the right color. I did do a little more testing and discovered that the color difference only occurs for objects I've used the transparency tool on. I use the transparency tool pretty frequently and have never had a noticeable difference in colors when printed from an exported PDF vs. Afpub. But that's not to say something has been off with the other documents, too. Any further insights?

@stokerg When my document was RGB, the Color Space field was blank. But once I changed the document to CMYK, the Color Space field changed to "As Document."

[thomaso]

On 2/22/2024 at 10:58 AM, stokerg said:

What I do find odd, your PDF Export window shows no Colour Space, i'd normally expect that to be set 'As Document' but in your screenshot, that section is blank and from my understanding shouldn't be with Compatibility set to PDF/X4, that isn't something I've been able to replicate with your file.

I can't open the OP's V2 file but I can reproduce a blank space & profile entry for PDF-X4 with some certain document colour settings (which are rather unusual for a print document), for instance

• RGB 16 & CIE RGB:

->

• RGB 32 | LAB 16:

 –> 

11 hours ago, Kim S said:

When my document was RGB, the Color Space field was blank.

What document RGB space and what profile was set in this case?

[Kim S]

I don't know much about color spaces and profiles, etc. So my settings might indeed be odd. I mainly started from Print preset, which used RGB8. Here is what the document started as:

But the problem still exists when I changed it to:

Am I still getting the settings wrong?

Thanks