Page 159 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

Graphic Design 147
• Where are the transparent elements?

• Did they process correctly?
• Is anything missing in the layers that should show through the transparency?

• Are there transparency values that can be adjusted to optimize the overall effect?

Let’s review the primary tools for reproducing transparent page elements in a document. We can utilize
layers in a document for setting common transparency values. We should view all transparent elements
in a document before and after creating a PDF file. There are several stages to rasterizing the transparent
elements. The earlier we rasterize them, the less editable the document becomes, and the more consistent
the final output will be. We are creating a larger file to process when we rasterize transparent elements
early. Much less computational resources are required at the RIP, and the more predictable our final
output will be. When managing late-stage processing of transparency, we must be aware that what we
are viewing on a computer screen is not necessarily a good representation of the final output. Graphic
artists at all levels of production must pay attention to the transparent areas of a document to check for
accuracy.