Publisher 2003 does not print transparent areas

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SYMPTOMS

When you try to print transparent areas on a PostScript print device in Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, the transparent area does not print.

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CAUSE

Publisher 2003 can print transparent areas in raster-based graphics to PostScript Level 3 print devices in the following cases:

The raster graphic is an RGB TIFF with one alpha channel. The alpha channel is treated as a transparency mask.
The raster graphic is a transparent GIF. The transparent color is treated as a transparency mask.
The raster graphic is a transparent PNG. The transparency channel in the PNG is treated as a transparency mask.
The raster graphic is an EPS with a clipping path. This actually prints correctly to PostScript Level 2 or 3.
The raster graphic is any raster format (except EPS) to where you use the transparency wand to create a transparency mask.

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To work around this issue, you can print a raster image (bitmap) with a transparency effect applied with the transparency wand in Publisher 2003 on a PostScript level 3 print device. The transparency wand applies an alpha channel transparency to one color that a PostScript level 3 print device recognizes and supports. To do this, follow these steps:

Select the bitmap that you want to create transparent areas in.
On the Picture toolbar, click Set Transparent Color.

Note If the Picture toolbar is not visible, click Toolbars on the View menu, and then click Picture.
Click the color that you want to make transparent.
Print the document to a PostScript level 3 print device.

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MORE INFORMATION

Definition of terms

Alpha Channel
An extra 8-bit (or 16-bit) color channel, additional to the Red, Green, and Blue (or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.) This does not have to mean transparency. Files can have more than one alpha channel.
Transparency Channel
An extra 8-bit color channel, additional to the Red, Green, and Blue color channels. Unlike an alpha channel, a transparency channel always means transparent, and each image can have only one. Each pixel can have one of 256 levels of transparency. An image can have both a transparency channel and one or more alpha channels.
Transparent Color
Used in GIF files; one of the 256 colors in the file is defined as "Transparent." Every pixel is either "Transparent" or it is not.
Transparency Mask
All areas that are 100% transparent print as transparent. Any area that is less than 100% transparent prints opaque.

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