Mako Flattener

Mako Flattener simplifies a print-oriented PDF in two ways:

  • By converting everything except spot colors and grayscale tones to DeviceCMYK, using Mako's built-in CMM (Color Management Module)
  • By flattening transparency, usually by rendering the relevant part of the page at the given resolution.
Mako Flattener v1.0.0.X

Usage:
   makoflattener input.pdf [output.pdf] [parameter=setting] [parameter=setting] ...
   parameter=setting  one or more settings, described below.

Parameters:
   input.pdf      source file from which to extract pages
   output.pdf     target file to write the output to
                                    If no output file is declared, <input>_flat.pdf is assumed
   pw=<passsword> Password required to open the input (PDF) file
   r=<resolution> Resolution, in dpi, at which to render transparent elements, eg r=300. Default is 600
TEXT

How it works

To respect the output intent of the source PDF if it has been set, Mako Flattener begins by getting the source document output intents and identifying a four-color profile to use as an output intent for the target document.

It then processes each page, applying these transforms:

  • IOptionalContentFixerTransform - removes optional content not required for print
  • IRendererTransform - flattens transparency, but retaining all spot colors
  • IColorConverterTransform - converts everything except DeviceN (ie spots) and DeviceGray, to DeviceCMYK.

Useful sample code

  • Color conversion
  • Output intents (color management)
  • Transparency flattening
  • Optional content handling