Indesign Black prints different then placed photoshop black

[wonderings]

I have had this issue for a while, always fight to make something work and generally left with exporting the job from Indesign to JPEG and then placing back in Indesign again to make a PDF for print.

The issue is 100% black made in Indesign prints differently then a 100% black in a placed file from  photoshop. In my current case I have a PDF supplied from the customer made in Illustrator. I opened the file in Illustrator to look and see and it is a placed image, I am assuming photoshop but it is embedded so I cannot tell. Anyways I have attached a screen shot of the difference of the blacks. I guess this really is illustrator black prints differently then photoshop, but the same results happen in Indesign. Ill and Ind seem to have the same profile or print black the same.
IMG_0973 by B P, on Flickr

I have tried exporting with different PDF profiles, tried using preflight in Acrobat DC again with different profiles and nothing works. This is super frustrating and not sure why I cannot have 100% black from photoshop print like 100% black from Ill and Ind.

Anyone else have this? Is there a solution other then exporting as JPEG and starting all over? Trying to print a job on our Versant 2100.

[scottrsimons]

I sounds like a color profile issue, possibly. And do you have your color settings synced? Which you need to do through Bridge, depending on the versions of Indy, Illy, Photo you are running.

[wonderings]

I sounds like a color profile issue, possibly. And do you have your color settings synced? Which you need to do through Bridge, depending on the versions of Indy, Illy, Photo you are running.

I use whatever the software came with, no custom colour profiles here. Using latest Adobe CC software, Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop are all latest updates.

I do not use Bridge so not sure what I should be doing in there.

[scottrsimons]

Even if you are using the "standard" settings they may be different in each of the apps, which might be causing an issue. Check your color settings in each app, and make a note of what they are. I don't use Bridge either, except for syncing my color settings.

If all your settings are different. Go with one, maybe the one out of Photoshop, and make your changes there, and then save the setting out as a name that makes sense. Then open Bridge and go to it's color settings and select the color setting you just saved out of Photoshop. Then you can go back to the other apps and check the color settings and it should say "synchronized" at the top.

Hopefully this helps. Here is also a link to a site that explains it too, with more detail.

[Just_A_Mac_Guy]

My 1st thought is a lot of deziners think Registration and 4 Colour black are the same as 100%K. Your description leads me to think you've checked that already. Go to your colour separations palette and check the numbers and plates to ensure indesign thinks they are indeed 100%k only. After that go into your Indesign preferences and check "Appearance of Black". Indesign might just be making a visual difference, though unlikey as it is affecting your PDFs. Is there a trancparany effect involved or a non-white paper colour involved?

[Tracy]

Yeah that would be my question, in output preview what are the values?
fyi: In illustrator if it is in RGB mode, the swatch says black but when converted
it is not black

[Joe]

I prefer CMS turned off in all applications.

[attach width=400]19503[/attach]

[wonderings]

- I have a preflight setting in Indesign that warns me of RGB and have checked the files, they are CMYK.

- Using the separation view in indesign I did look at the colour makeup and both the box problem area and surrounding area are 100% K and nothing else.

- from what I can tell it is a black box with the logo placed in illustrator. I do not have a working file for it but have seen this issue before with 100%K placed into Indesign. It is not noticeable on the screen, only when it prints digitally.

Looking at the colour settings for both InDesign and Photoshop it seems they are identical
Screen Shot 2019-03-07 at 1.14.00 PM by B P, on Flickr

The only thing that looks different is "gray and spot" options in Photoshop.

[Joe]

I tried to replicate this making a new image in Photoshop filled with 100% K. I saved it as a Photoshop PDF. Then made a new document in Indesign and made the entire background 100% K. Then I placed the Photoshop PDF in the middle of that page. I see no difference between the two.

Still think it might be a color management issue.

[DigiCorn]

What are your settings in Bridge?

[wonderings]

I tried to replicate this making a new image in Photoshop filled with 100% K. I saved it as a Photoshop PDF. Then made a new document in Indesign and made the entire background 100% K. Then I placed the Photoshop PDF in the middle of that page. I see no difference between the two.

Still think it might be a color management issue.

you will not see a difference in Indesign, I don't. I only see it when I print digitally on our Versant. The image I linked before was a photo of the page after print.

[wonderings]

What are your settings in Bridge?

I have no idea, I do not use Bridge and not sure what bridge would do with colour settings. What should I be looking for there?

[DigiCorn]

I haven't used it in a long time, but I believe Bridge unites and overrides other color settings, specifically in regards to .iccs.

It's under Edit->Color Settings

[Joe]

I tried to replicate this making a new image in Photoshop filled with 100% K. I saved it as a Photoshop PDF. Then made a new document in Indesign and made the entire background 100% K. Then I placed the Photoshop PDF in the middle of that page. I see no difference between the two.

Still think it might be a color management issue.

you will not see a difference in Indesign, I don't. I only see it when I print digitally on our Versant. The image I linked before was a photo of the page after print.

Color management on the Versant then? There can be different profiles for images than for graphics (vector/text) objects I think. At least there can be in Prinergy. It looks like that, or something similar, is what is happening when printed.

[Joe]

Whatever settings you set in Bridge syncs the other Adobe apps to use the same thing in them.