Select File > Print, then select Advanced.
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Create and organize pages
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Arrange and order pages
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Layout and grid tools
- Apply layout adjustments
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Grids
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- Show or hide frame grid character count
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- Generative AI features
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Add and manage text
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Format and style text
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Text styles
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Tabs, indents, and spacing
- About kerning and tracking
- Adjust kerning between characters
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Text styles
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Language and proofing
- Language settings
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Arabic and Hebrew
- Set up World-Ready composers for Arabic and Hebrew
- Control text direction for Arabic and Hebrew
- Justify Arabic text with automatic Kashida insertion
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Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
- About Mojikumi and Yakumono in Japanese layout
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Glyphs, characters, and expressions
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Indexes and references
- Add a Table of Contents
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Add graphics and media
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Add and edit graphics
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- Manage frames and objects
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Transform and arrange objects
- Move, scale, rotate, shear, and flip objects
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- About anchored objects
- Transform anchored objects
- Create and position anchored objects
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- Create hidden and nonprinting objects
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Add and edit graphics
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Add tables and data
- Create tables
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Interactive elements and forms
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Create lines and shapes
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Apply color
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Define and manage color assets
- Apply color to text, objects, and backgrounds
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Advanced color techniques
- Apply opacity and transparency effects
- Transparency effects options and settings
- Change transparency display settings
- Apply blending modes
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- Create and name gradient swatches
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- Transparency flattening overview
- Apply flattener presets for output
- Create custom transparency flattener presets
- Transparency Flattener preset options
- Fix transparency flattener preview
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Define and manage color assets
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Collaborate and review
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Share and collaborate
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Edit with InCopy
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Save, export, and publish
- Save and export
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Export to EPUB
- Export to EPUB
- EPUB export options in InDesign
- Accessibility features while exporting to EPUB
- Accessibility enhancements for indexes
- Adjust text resizing for accessibility
- Add ARIA role while exporting to EPUB
- Add ARIA labels to objects
- EPUB export support and limitations
- Create accessible glossaries
- Export to HTML and web
- Publish work online
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Print
- Page setup and printer marks
- Ink and color management
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Color output and separations
- About color separations
- Prepare documents for color separation
- Create color separations
- Save and print color separations
- Print gradients as separations
- About ink trapping
- Trap a document or a book
- Trap preset options
- Set the trap width for colors next to black
- Print a composite
- Use color management when printing
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- Print objects on all color plates
- About overprinting
- Overprint strokes and fills
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- Simulate spot ink overprinting
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Automation and scripting
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App integrations
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Troubleshoot
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Launch and crash issues
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File and output issues
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Settings, interface, and feature issues
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Apply flattener presets for output
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to select transparency flattening quality when printing or exporting your Adobe InDesign documents with transparent objects.
Use flattener presets to control how InDesign handles transparency when printing or exporting to PDF 1.3, EPS, or PostScript. The preset balances vector preservation with rasterization of transparency effects such as opacity, blend modes, and drop shadows. Flattening is permanent and cannot be undone after saving. Apply a preset during printing. InDesign includes three built-in flattener presets optimized for different output needs:
- High Resolution: Preserves maximum vector information. Ideal for final press output and separation-based color proofs.
- Medium Resolution: Balances quality and processing speed. Best for desktop proofs and print-on-demand documents on PostScript color printers.
- Low Resolution: Maximizes processing speed. Suited for quick black-and-white desktop proofs and web publishing.
Select a transparency flattener preset
From the Transparency Flattener drop-down menu, select Low Resolution, Medium Resolution, High Resolution, or a custom preset.
Configure any other output settings, then select Print.
Choose a location, enter a file name, then select Save.
Apply a preset during the exporting process
Select File > Export.
Choose a location, enter a file name, then select Save.
Select Advanced in the left panel.
Select a Transparency Flattener preset.
Adjust other settings as needed.
Tip
You can also create custom flattener presets with specific raster and vector balance settings, along with resolution settings tailored to your workflow requirements.
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