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If the low-resolution proxy images containing OPI comments are still present when the
document is sent to the RIP, the low-resolution data will be present at the flattening stage.
This will result in low-resolution output where the low-resolution images are involved. To
make high-resolution data available to the flattener under this scenario, the customer should
replace any images that are directly involved in transparency on the layout with high-resolu-
tion versions
before
critical flattening and output. The customer doesn’t have to replace all
images—just the ones involved with transparency. To save time, you can use the Affected
Graphics option in the Flattener Preview palette to quickly identify the images that need to
be swapped out with their high-resolution versions.
A quick way to remember how to manage transparency and OPI is to remember the phrase
“fatten before you flatten,” with “fattening” defined as ensuring that high-resolution images
have replaced all low-resolution images before output.
Unde r st and i ng t rans pare nc y f l at te ne r p re se t s
InDesign CS comes with three transparency flattener presets built in. They are optimized
for low, medium, and high-resolution output. To minimize training, the flattener controls
in Adobe InDesign CS are now consistent with Adobe Illustrator CS and Adobe Acrobat
6 Professional. Adobe InDesign CS defaults to Medium Resolution for fast output on the
customer’s desktop printer. In a print service provider workflow, the High Resolution flat-
tener preset is recommended (or a similar preset customized for your workflow) because the
results of this preset are most likely to be press quality. Low Resolution should be used only
for rough proofing or online output.
While the High Resolution flattener preset is recommended for prepress output, there is a
chance that some jobs may encounter output problems if, for example, memory limits are
reached or the output resolutions don’t match your workflow. To confirm which settings
produce the best results on your equipment, run some test jobs containing transparency,
starting with the High Resolution transparency flattener preset. If you encounter quality or
performance issues, you may need to create a customized transparency flattener preset for
your shop, as described below.
You can use the Save and Load buttons in the Transparency Flattener Preset dialog box to
save your tested presets so that they can be loaded on other computers in your shop or on
customers’ computers.
It’s important to understand that the process of flattening transparency can result in either
vector objects or rasterized areas. This is a consequence of trading off quality against flatten-
ing speed. Of course, for service provider output, quality is the highest priority.
