Adobe 65023809 - Creative Suite 4 Master Collection Printing Manual page 39

Flattener Preview
To display the Flattener Preview panel choose Window > Output > Flattener Preview. To evalu-
ate the effects of flattening, select an option from the Highlight pop-up menu in the Flattener
Preview panel:
• Rasterized Complex Regions: Highlights areas that are rasterized based on the
settings in the transparency flattener preset. When the Raster/Vector Balance slider
is set to 100, no areas are highlighted because rasterization only occurs within the
outlines of each text or line-art object that's affected.
• Transparent Objects: Highlights objects that use transparency. It doesn't indicate
any of the possible results of flattening.
• All Affected Objects: Highlights both objects that use transparency and objects
that must be flattened because they interact with the objects that use transparency.
This setting does not indicate flattening results, but it's useful because it indicates all
objects that could potentially be flattened.
• Affected Graphics: Highlights images that will be flattened, but not effects or non-
image objects (such as vector drawings). This setting is especially useful for OPI
workflows, because the highlighted images are the ones that must be swapped with
high-resolution versions at output time in order to flatten properly. If an image isn't
highlighted, you don't need to be concerned about flattening it in an OPI workflow.
You can use this setting together with the Info panel to verify the resolution of any
highlighted images.
• Outlined Strokes: Highlights which strokes will be slightly thicker when flattened.
Sometimes strokes are converted into filled areas of the same width to recreate a
transparent effect when flattened. These areas may appear thicker because some RIPs
process strokes differently than filled shapes, but the effect is usually not visible on
device resolutions above 1200 dpi. If you are printing on a device below 1200 dpi
and this feature highlights many objects on a page, you can make all strokes appear
consistent by applying a preset where Convert All Strokes To Outlines is turned on.
• Outlined Text: Highlights which type characters will be converted to outlines under
the currently applied transparency flattener preset. Characters become slightly
thicker when converted to outlines, but the effect may not be visible on device
resolutions above 1200 dpi. If you are printing on a device below 1200 dpi and this
feature highlights many characters on a page, you can make all text appear consis-
tent by applying a preset where Convert All Text To Outlines is turned on.
• Raster-fill Text and Strokes: Highlights text or strokes that may be affected by RIPs
that record continuous-tone (CT) objects at a different resolution than linework
(LW) objects. Affected objects are likely to use transparency effects that create
images, such as drop shadows or feathered edges. You don't need to use this option if
you don't have this type of RIP, or if you have this type of RIP and its version has no
issues producing output of text or strokes with drop shadows and feathers.
• All Rasterized Regions: Highlights all areas that will be rasterized because of the
current flattener preset—not just complex regions. This option involves rasteriza-
tion of fills, not outlines, and the rasterized fills are clipped to the original smooth
outlines. Again, this view is useful if you output to a RIP that processes CT and
LW objects differently because it indicates which parts will appear on the CT page
as a result of flattening. It also highlights objects that will be rasterized when the
Raster/Vector Balance uses a value less than 100. If many areas are highlighted, you
Using Overprint Preview
The text and oval both have a fill of solid PMS 399, and the text is
set to Multiply . The composite view (left) is misleading: after all,
you can't have 200% of a single ink . Turn on Overprint Preview,
however (right) and you'll see how this effect will actually print .
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Printing Guide 37