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“Helping Customers Prepare InDesign Files” on page 12 for items you may want to add to
customer job checklists, such as the issues discussed in this section.
Fl at te ni ng D CS work f l ows
Transparency flattening depends on processing objects and colors before output. However,
DCS files are typically pre-separated, so in many cases the inks cannot be merged and then
re-separated. This means transparency may not be compatible with some DCS workflows.
One DCS workflow is much easier in Adobe InDesign CS: working with Photoshop DCS 1.0
and 2.0 files. Adobe InDesign CS can merge most Photoshop DCS 1.0 and 2.0 files during
export or output. As a result, you can preview transparency for a Photoshop DCS 1.0 and 2.0
file. For more information on requirements for merging Photoshop DCS files, see “Merging
raster-based Photoshop DCS and EPS files” on page 8.
When a DCS file is directly affected by transparency in an InDesign layout and it can’t be
merged, use Photoshop to convert the file to PDF or native Photoshop (PSD) format before
flattening the InDesign document. (Converting to an EPS file is not recommended because
the conversion won’t preserve spot colors if any were used in the DCS file.)
Fl at te ni ng O PI work f l ows
To accurately calculate transparency flattening at imagesetter resolution, high-resolution
image data must be available when flattening occurs. Flattening occurs when exporting or
printing, but before PostScript code is generated. Due to this processing order, care must be
taken in OPI workflows to make sure high-resolution data is available at output time.
The easiest course of action is also the most reliable:
1. The customer imports high-resolution graphics into the layout, and keeps them with
the document so that the high-resolution data is present whenever flattening and output
occurs.
2. In the Advanced panel of the Print dialog box, Omit for OPI: EPS option is on, so that the
document can function within an OPI workflow.
The presence of high-resolution data doesn’t have to slow down screen display; the Typical
Display and Optimized Display commands under the View menu can display the images
using a lower on-screen resolution or replace them on-screen with gray placeholders. The
settings used by these commands are user-customizable.
If there is a possibility that the high-resolution images may be replaced with low-resolution
proxies with the exact same name (as a result of automatic re-linking), use the Links palette
to embed the high-resolution images in the file to ensure that they will be present at output
time.
