Flatten transparency for individual objects, Rasterize all artwork during printing, Printing gradients, meshes, andcolor blends – Adobe Illustrator CC 2015 User Manual
Page 495: Printing gradients, meshes, and color blends
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Printing
Last updated 6/5/2015
Flatten transparency for individual objects
The Flatten Transparency command lets you see what your artwork will look like when flattened. For instance, you
might use this command before saving the file in SWF (Flash) format or if you are having problems printing legacy art
where transparency may be the culprit.
1
Select the object.
2
Choose Object > Flatten Transparency.
3
Select the flattening settings you want to use, either by choosing a preset or setting specific options.
4
Click OK.
To save the flattening settings for use with other objects and documents in the current session, click Save Preset. If
you want to create a permanent preset, choose Edit > Transparency Flattener Presets instead.
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Rasterize all artwork during printing
When you print to a low-resolution or non-PostScript printer, such as a desktop inkjet printer, you can choose to
rasterize all artwork during printing. This option is useful when printing documents that contain complex objects (such
as objects with smooth shading or gradients) because it reduces the possibility of errors.
1
Choose File > Print.
2
Select Advanced on the left side of the Print dialog box.
3
Select Print As Bitmap.
This option is only available if the printer driver for the selected printer supports bitmap printing.
Printing gradients, meshes, andcolor blends
Files with gradients, meshes, or color blends can be difficult for some printers to print smoothly (without discrete bands
of color) or at all.
Printing gradients, meshes, and color blends
Files with gradients, meshes, or color blends can be difficult for some printers to print smoothly (without discrete bands
of color) or at all. Follow these general guidelines to improve the printed results:
• Use a blend that changes at least 50% between two or more process-color components.
• Use shorter blends. The optimum length depends on the colors in your blend, but try to keep blends shorter than
7.5 inches.
• Use lighter colors, or make dark blends short. Banding is most likely to occur between very dark colors and white.
• Use an appropriate line screen that retains 256 levels of gray.
• If you create a gradient between two or more spot colors, assign different screen angles to the spot colors when you
create color separations. If you’re not sure what the angles should be, consult your print shop.
• Print to an output device that supports PostScript® Language Level 3 whenever possible.