InDesign export to pdf, black looks brown

[R***@adobeforums.com]

I've created a document that has two layers, the background layer I've set the color to black. The foreground layer has my content (text, images, etc.) When I export the file to a PDF file (High Quality Print) the resulting PDF has the background layer looking brown. I have several jpegs on the foreground that are black in nature and they appear black. When I say they "look brown" this is just the resulting on-screen preview of the pdf, I haven't gotten a professional print job completed yet and want to be sure everything is correct before submitting it to the print company.

Am I seeing the color differently due to it being a CMYK document and looking at it on-screen is RGB in nature? Could this be why the embedded jpegs are appearing correctly on-screen (as they are created as RGB files)? Or, is there some setting that I need to set to export this PDF correctly?

[Mike Witherell]

Try not to mix color models.

Your InDesign document is probably CMYK (look at Edit > Transparency Blend Space ... )

Your export to PDF is RGB because you chose High Quality Print. This preset is setup for RGB output for digital printing devices like Xerox DocuColor and the like.
Your placed pictures were, as you said, RGB, so they arrive in the PDF looking correct.

If you are expecting to send the PDF out to a professional printing press environment, you probably should have exported to PDF and chosen the Press Quality; not High Quality Print (for digital printers). This would be CMYK. Your pictures should have been placed into InDesign as CMYK color model.

OTOH, some send to press houses where the job is run on digital devices. This should all be RGB.

So, if you want CMYK, work CMYK from InDesign document as well as placed pictures. If you want RGB, change InDesign to RGB and place RGB pictures on it. Keep color model consistent.

Also, you must calibrate your monitor with a colorimeter / spectrophotometer (for example, a gadget from XRite aka Gretag Macbeth). Without a calibrated monitor, you really don't know when what you see is right or wrong.

Also, setup Photoshop and InDesign to use the same color management. Go to Photoshop's Edit > Color Settings and choose maybe North America Prepress 2, and then visit the same place in InDesign and choose the same preset. Now you will tend to have cooperation between the two programs so that they see color numbers the same way... interpreting them to the same visual outcome.

Mike Witherell in Maryland

[R***@adobeforums.com]

Makes sense, thanks Mike.

[R***@adobeforums.com]

One more question though. This is a commercial calendar I'm producing, it contains many photographs that are with professional digital cameras, some of the photographers shoot in high-resolution JPEG and edit their own photos, hence the RGB images. Does this present a problem placing the images in a CMYK workflow such as this? I'm not sure if anyone knows about this, but will it degrade from the photos converting them to CMYK?

[K***@adobeforums.com]

Does it matter? If you're going to print CMYK, then your images should
be CMYK. Would you rather see the truth before you print or after you print?

If all you're worried about is re-saving JPEGs, don't. Save to TIFF or
PSD instead.

[M***@adobeforums.com]

Mike,

I agree in theory with everything you say. However, it is news to me that the 'High Quality' pdf export output RGB. Under the output tab, the color conversion is set to 'No color conversion'by default. I would expect it to honor that meaning that placed RGB output would remain RGB. If you were in a CMYK document, then the CMYK values of any ID elements would be sent. If you wanted to force the conversion to CMYK or RGB then you would choose 'Convert to Destination' and then choose the appropriate destination. The effect of that would be to convert all items to the chosen destination. Please correct me if I am wrong.

RS,

Convert your images to CMYK in PS before you place them in ID. That will allow you to preview the effect of the conversion. It's usually the bright out-of-gamut colors that will be effected.

Michael