How to Transparency - Opacity of an Image Frame on-screen vs print

[psilospiral]

Greetings Forum:

I have placed a PNG image (a logo) in my Scribus document.  I want to change it's transparency so that it is barely visible in the background (almost like a faint watermark). 

I have tried right clicking the image frame, selecting Properties>Transparency>Opacity> and set to 5%.  This achieves the result I am looking for on-screen.  However, when I go to print the document, the image is at full opacity - not transparent at all - and covers other objects in that same area.  It also looks this way in Print Preview.  What am I doing wrong?

[utnik]

hi psilospiral

it depends on the .pdf format.
.pdf 1.3 doesn't support transparencies, but .pdf 1.4 and higher does. (.pdf/x-1a and .pdf/x-3 are based on .pdf 1.3.)

if your printshop requires one of the mentioned .pdf/x variants, you need to reduce the image in an image processor before importing it to the scribus file. but if it supports .pdf/x-4 or another 1.4 or higher based .pdf variant, you just have to export in this format...

utnik

[psilospiral]

utnik:

Thank you for your reply.  Indeed, when I clicked the "Save as PDF" button in the toolbar and made sure Compatibility: is set to PDF 1.5 or PDF 1.6, my logo saves in the pdf file exactly as it is shown on-screen.  (5% opacity)

However, when printing, (or displaying a print preview) the image frame displays the graphic at 100% opacity again...  So I took a closer look at the settings in the print preview dialog and noticed the first preview setting was set to "PostScript Level 3".  I changed this to "PDF" and my transparency immediately displayed at the 5% opacity I selected - as intended. 

So I went to the print dialog, and sure enough, the Print Destination dialog box showed, under options, "PostScript Level 3".  When I changed this to PDF, my printer output produced the intended 5% opacity!  Apparently PostScript Level 3 does not like 5% transparencies (or at least on my laser printer). 

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction!

[utnik]

hi psilospiral

are you printing direct from scribus?
the standard is to export first and print from a .pdf reader...

utnik

[psilospiral]

utnik:

Yes, I am printing direct from Scribus to a laser printer.  This is why I wasn't looking for any PDF options in the print output dialog. 

In many cases, I will be outputting work to PDF to be sent to my print shop, e.g. business cards and brochures.  However, I also plan to use Scribus for printed business correspondence on my letterhead, as opposed to LibreOffice.  I use window envelopes and can precisely place a text frame so that addresses show through the windows exactly where I need them.  So I print directly from Scribus in these cases.

I come to Scribus from years of work in InDesign.  I've been exporting some of my InDesign documents in .idml and importing those in Scribus.  Some adjustments are needed in my workflow, but overall I am much happier using a free open source solution.

[Nermander]

I use window envelopes and can precisely place a text frame so that addresses show through the windows exactly where I need them. 

I see no reason why this would not be possible in Libreoffice Writer?

I just tried in Libreoffice Writer and it is fully possible to place a text frame realtive the edges of the page, with a resolution 0,01 mm (probably that precision won't follow all the way through, but at least I could set the position to 16,21 mm from the left side).