Export PDF Linear Fill

PDF Export of a linear fill (two colors) issues. When the file opens in Adobe, the colors are muddy and gray. Other areas in the image using the same colors as solid fill are fine. How do I fix this?

Welcome to TalkGraphics.

Can you upload the file or an image that shows what you are referring to?

in settings, don't save it as Commercial Printing preset cos the colors are cmyk. any other preset, i think, should work. i typically use the Custom and have the color model set to native

(sorry for stepping on your post Gary but maybe it's this simple ???)

edit: here i go again....i didn't really see (comprehend actually :p ) the colors are fine elsewhere, just not the gradient. ignore me.....)

Here's image to see what I'm talking about.

Attachment 110415

Here it is as png to see what it should look like.
Attachment 110416

It was set to Native with the muddy colors.
Chose RGB and now it looks fine! Thought I had tried that already!
Will it affect printing?
Here is it as RGB :)
Attachment 110417

How is it going to be printed? Offset or digital press?

If you are printing offset, you need to bring the colors into the CMYK gamut using known values else it will be muted like one of your PDFs. You could still get the color to pop a bit more, but they will never be as vibrant as your RGB PDF.

If the printing technology is digital press, likely the RGB PDF would be fine, but in the end it will print CMYK. You need to communicate with the print establishment as to what they want as regards a PDF and its profile. Sometimes the print establishment iwll have their guidelines on their web site.

As an aside, the reason your top and bottom text, and the dividing lines are colored the same in both PDFs is because they are using RGB color model for the colorant.

Thanks for your input.
Not sure if it will be offset or digital at this point. I'm not working directly with the printer but can find out.
So even though I chose Native when exporting the PDF in the first one it still used RGB?

Yes, the first still has RGB as that is what was used to define the colorant. Which means when using the Native output condition, the fills will be RGB or CMYK as defined. The main text with the gradient used CMYK colors for the two stops (both ends of the gradient).

Here is a screen shot from Acrobat. I redid the file using CMYK, output as CMYK and Acrobat is set to only show CMYK. It is a close match--especially for the amount of time I just took) to the RGB PDF version of yours.

Mike

Attachment 110418

thx mr. mike

So I need to make sure to use CMYK colors?

No, first you need to check with whomever is doing the printing and ask them what they expect.

My only point was that one can design in, and output faithfully, CMYK if and when one needs to. I mainly do. The main exception is lower-end digital presses and some inkjet technology (like for banners and other vinyl printing). Most all of them like being fed RGB.

Mike

Mike's giving OK info here. I would always use a local print shop to do small runs, about some where, between 2000 & 5000 depending on the size of the printed area. The you can take it in and get a wet copy. Because in Xara we see the drawing in RGB & then when we export it it suddenly comes out all washed out. So to get round that we use a variety of methods all requiring a known reference, which could be a Pantone book of colours, or the method I use, where I have made up a limited palette of blocks of colours each having values in both RGB/CMYK which I have printed off and I don't vary from these by much. That means I don't get a fright when it gets printed. Now had a quick look at your PDF and din't really know where your gradient started and finished so this is a guess and it will be probably worse than Mike's