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PNG transparency black when printing compressed PDF


surge

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I have created an extensive document with many PNGs with transparency. I want to provide and compress them as PDF eBook. However, with normal printing of the compressed PDFs, the images are printed with a black background.

This does not happen when printing uncompressed PDFs.

Here the printout and the file:

Bildschirmfoto 2019-07-28 um 17.23.08.png

IMG_1456.jpeg

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What do you mean with "PDF eBook" and with "uncompressed PDF"?

Can you upload your .afpub with 1 page with text & PNG example? And/or both of your PDFs?

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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I assume the issue of black printed transparency is related to limited postscript capabilities of your printer.
I can't find the reason in your files for the issue. Also your PDF prints without this issue for me.

In your screenshot of export setting the relevant details of the "More" section are not shown, all I can see is that the PDF got rasterized at least partially though the PDF appears to be a 1.7 version. Again, what do you mean with "PDF eBook" and "uncompressed PDF"?

If you want to get a printable PDF then I recommend to change some color settings before export (though they not necessarily influence the problem):
– Switch the Document color space from sRGB to CMYK  (... and export with an unchanged default preset, or as CMYK with CMYK profile)
– Switch the text color of RGB black to K only

There is a strange occurrence in the blue headline on the master page: In your PDF I do see a white stroke around it with a thin grey border. I also see this in your .afpub when zooming.
Such a thin grey boarder also gets visible around the illustration when zooming, and gets exported, too.

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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Here comes the pdf export properties (German).

eBook is for me a possibility to create my book as a PDF to deliver it digitally and people can print some pages out if they want. 

Uncompressed is if I leave the picture resolution on 300dpi. 

Bildschirmfoto 2019-07-29 um 21.58.05.png

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On 7/28/2019 at 5:27 PM, surge said:

printed with a black background. 

This does not happen when printing uncompressed PDFs. 

19 hours ago, surge said:

Uncompressed is if I leave the picture resolution on 300dpi. 

It his hard to understand for me because you use words in a different than the common meaning.

Do I understand you correct, that you experience:
– transparency prints black if you set the export resolution to 192 dpi
– but it prints transparent with export resolution of 300 dpi

Falls das Problem weiterhin besteht: Wenn es für dich leichter und evtl. weniger missverständlich ist, dann antworte auf Deutsch statt Englisch.

 

 

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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That is exactly what happens. Black at 192 and transparent at 300dpi. 

Update of the printer driver is not possible, because the Mac installs and updates it automatically. But I will try it on an other printer.

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  • 8 months later...

Hello,

I am having what appeards to be the same problem noted in the above chain of posts.  I note that the post seems to be un resolved / problem unreproduced.  The only reference that I have found that might address the issue is the following https://answers.acrobatusers.com/Why-are-my-pdf-files-printing-with-a-black-background-and-white-letters-like-a-photo-negative-q214562.aspx  I will give the suggestion a try and report back if it works. 

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1 hour ago, ClearWood said:

The only reference that I have found that might address the issue is the following

The only one? – To me a web search for "png transparency pdf black" shows quite a few results, posted in various years and about various apps. So I assume this PNG black background print issue is not limited to a specific print setting (as in your linked suggestion) and even not to a specific combination of app + printer + operating system but may rather be related to the fact that PNG isn't made for print but onscreen view.

In this recent posts the issue could be avoided "simply" by the use of a different printing app (mac, Preview.app –> windows, Adobe Reader.app /// mac, Preview.app –> mac, Acrobat X Pro.app) (whereas in this sample the involved files aren't really clear due to a mixture of various imports and file formats):

 

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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Hello Thomaso,

You are correct, it is not the only reference to the problem.  It was the only one that I had found that seemed to offer a possibly promising clue to the problem.   That said, I was happy that in my particular instance, that the change to the color profile worked.  Also in my instance, the problem was not specific to a particular printer.  The transparent background of that particular layer in the exported PDF printed black on both a Canon Pixma and HP printer until I changed the color profile and re-exported the PDF.  Wish I had more conclusive data.

Best regards

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  • 1 month later...

I suddenly have a similar issue in June 2020. My husband's Mac has Catalina 10.15, recently updated. My Mac has El Capitan 10.11. Use the exact same printer, EPSON WF7720, my Mac prints our company logo image with a white / transparent background (desired). Suddenly my husband's Mac prints the same file with our logo appearing to have a black background. The only change is his Mac got updated. Rebooting, reinstalling the printer driver...nothing has solved the issue. 

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  • 1 month later...

Same problem here. I am able to work around it by losing the PDF export function of Designer and instead using the pdf print option built into OSX via the print dialogue. 

However, that loses all the functionality options built into Affinity Designer, such as being able to specify the type of PDF I want to make. 

Funnily enough, enabling 'Simulate Overprinting' in the Adobe Acrobat DC print preview dialogue doesn't help me to see the problem. I literally have to physically print it to see if it's going to be a problem. 

Not good. 

I hope my workaround helps. 

Clearwood, for the colour profile tweak, what exactly did you do? In my printer options for my Brother printer the the options are slightly different. 

Screenshot 2020-07-16 at 11.28.05 PM.png

edit:

Another way is to use FLATTEN PDF

Edited by ajpearceUK
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  • 2 months later...

Had the same issue. Black square around the image in a PDF file. The problem was that I printed from "Vista Previa" The PDF viewer that comes with MacOS (Spanish name) When I printed from Acrobat Reader it automatically fixed the problem. Hope this helps!  

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5 hours ago, Josep said:

The PDF viewer that comes with MacOS

Just in case: The macOS PDF viewer may display transparent areas as black if black is set as background color in the customisable app preferences.

1998143811_preview.appbackgroundcolorpref.jpg.ffd571003eb3e8b5bd9f2ce3f6a80c98.jpg

https://support.apple.com/es-es/guide/preview/prvw1003/11.0/mac/10.15

 

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/4/2021 at 11:10 AM, tristdrum said:

For others with a similar problem, without need for quality, simply screenshot the image (first try make is fill up the most pixels on your screen) & print the screenshot (with the quality side affects that come with it) for a quick fix solution.

Alternatively, to achieve resolution than a screenshot: Export the layout from Affinity as JPG / or Export from your PDF viewer app as JPG.

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

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  • 7 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I’m having a similar problem, except my diagrams are copied and pasted from Designer into Publisher. I’m not saving the images. It only prints the black area if I print the PDF in color. It prints fine if I print in B&W.

 

 

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