Managing color space and output file size

[Pix]

Hi guys,

I was trying out Publisher in my last project at work. First I have created a brochure in InDesign and then I recreated it in Publisher. I really like the Affinity workflow and I find all of their apps much more user-friendly and better performing as well. As I'd love to ditch Adobe for good, my goal here was to compare the final result between two programs. Basically, I wanted to check if it is safe to start using Publisher for a day to day tasks - don't worry, I know it's beta :) Here is what I'm struggling with - if anybody has an antidote, please let me know :)

- Color management: I've created both projects using the same color specs - Fogra39 in InDesign and Publisher. Unfortunately the print-ready pdfs differ a lot. Despite having the same settings, the Publisher-made pdf looks rather poorly, especially blacks (they seem brown-grey-ish). Another thing: b&w cmyk photos used in this project were exported as negatives for some reason. And finally - all color transitions (eg. gradients) look really badly, whereas the InDesign output pdf was ok.

As I said, I kept the same settings as in InDesign but ended up with very different looking files. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Is there something I can change in settings to make it work? Any ideas and suggestions would be much appreciated. 

- The second thing that disturbed me was the output file-size.
So, it was a 14-page brochure with images, text, and shapes (as in most of cases). The press-quality PDF made in inDesign was about 4mb. The one made in Publisher - 18.5mb. Same as previously, I kept the same export settings. 

Thanks for any ideas on how to approach the subject.

 

[Przemysław]

Hi @Pix

I can look into colour difference. If you can send me InDesign and Affinity Publisher files, I'm happy to look into it and print some tests.