Print Buying Direct

Pre-press – 20 years of change – part 5 – 24th March 2009

Acrobat and PDF

Acrobat was designed to provide tools for sharing documents, independent of a computer’s operating system, and of the applications an fonts installed on that system. It was a revolutionary concept that used a new data format, the Portable Document Format (PDF), to provide system independence for electronic document delivery. Although it wasn’t originally designed for graphic arts applications, the pre-press industry was quick to see the potentials of PDF as a universal output format, combined with standard computing platforms and software.

Leading developers, printers, publishers and service providers had their eyes on standard platforms. People were intrigued by what a common approach to colour management based on Apple’s ColorSync technology, might bring. The possibilities were especially intriguing in view of the new digital output devices demonstrated for on-demand print. Groundbreaking presses from Indigo and Xeikon first shown publicly in 1993 put digital printing into new focus, and gave use a glimpse at what might be possible with digital pre-press and presses.

The development community was quick to see the potential of variable data. Several understood that the digital front ends would need to be more than press servers rastering and rendering data, handing image streaming and controlling output. The need for digital colour management was obvious and in 1993 the International Colour Consortium (ICC) started developing standard technologies for managing colour data in pre-press workflows. Objectif Lune started to provide software for on-demand print in that year, introducing PlanetPress in 1994. This transactional and output management solution was one of the first to eliminate printing on pre-printed forms, by managing output to print complex personalised transactional documents at high speed.

See Part one, two, three and four of this blog – Pre-press – 20 years of change

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 of our blogs on Direct Mail and Transactional Print

Print Buying Direct is one of the Uk’s leading suppliers of graphic design and print, based in the Crewe and Nantwich area of Cheshire (UK) but supplying all of the UK & Ireland. See our websites for more information on graphic design, brochures, business cards, appointment cards, leaflets, flyers, pamphlets, posters etc

Print Buying Direct is a trading name of The Printing House Ltd. This brand was originally set up to protect the quality name of The Printing House of Crewe and Nantwich, Cheshire, Uk – recognised throught the North of England as a quality printers. Now Print Buying Direct has established itself over the last two years and has become a quality brand in its own right with very competitive prices nationally. Take a look at both websites and learn more about us.

Please feel free to browse our print buying website and use it as a useful tool – we are adding new pages and offers every week. So keep popping back, subscribe to our printing blog, email info@printbuyingdirect.co.uk or call call 0870 950 8444.

For more information please see our websites – especially our Printing Glossary – Printing A to Z – this makes a really useful guide for designers, printers, print buyers, college students etc.

Don’t forget The Printing House also specialise in Printing for Schools, especially School Prospectus, Secondary School Prospectus, College Prospectus, Primary School Prospectus & Sixth Form Prospectus. We have a vast range of experience design and print of primary, secondary, 6th form, college and universtity prospectus. Visit our School Prospectus Made Easy website to see examples of our work and more about our products. Our customer testimonials webpage is constantly being added to – please stop by and see our reviews.

Welcome to part two of our ‘How to design for print blog’ click here for part one- covering some more areas that graphics designers should be aware of. Please be aware that this blog is directed at design for digital printing, and whilst litho (offset) print has similar requirements there are some fundamental differences, so please talk to us first.

SAVING GRAPHICS FILES
While you are working on files, you’ll want to save them in the application’s native file format (i.e., Adobe Illustrator Document). When you are ready to place them in the page layout application, however, you might want to consider the PDF format for the best portability.

SAVING ILLUSTRATOR CS2 FILES

• Use the Save As feature to save files as PDF.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• PDF files can be edited later if the [Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities] option is selected.
• The PDF format can often provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING FREEHAND MX FILES
Use the Export feature, not Save As, to export files as PDF from Freehand.

• Click the [Setup] button and use those recommendations shown in fi gure 3-13.
• In the [Convert Colors To:] pull down menu, be sure to select [CMYK and RGB]. Freehand will not modify CMYK images or RGB & CMYK native elements (note that it will, however, convert any RGB placed images to CMYK). Choosing [CMYK] will convert all RGB content to CMYK.
• Consult your print provider to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. By selecting [Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)] you will automatically flatten any transparency effects present in the file. Acrobat PDF 1.4 or higher formats will preserve live transparency attributes.
• Using a PDF format can provide better previews (than EPS) when placed in page layout applications.

SAVING GRAPHICS OR PAGE LAYOUTS AS EPS FILES
Though the PDF format is preferred, occasionally you may need to save files from Illustrator, Freehand, InDesign or QuarkXPress in the EPS fi le format. When saving graphics or page layouts, the following are recommended:

• Use TIFF 8-bit color preview.
• Do not assign a color space when possible and select [Leave Unchanged] or [As Is].
• Use [Transparency: High Resolution] when fl attening graphics with transparency.
• Embed all or complete fonts.
• Send all image data.
• Include CMYK PostScript in RGB fi les.
• Only use OPI if the printer requests it.
• Use Binary format.
• Use Adobe PostScript Language Level 3

IMAGE CONSIDERATIONS
OPENING IMAGE FILES
Though most images are either acquired through a digital camera or scanner, Photoshop is generally the first step in assigning the color space of an image.
If the Color Settings in Photoshop are set to [Ask When Opening] for Missing Profiles, you may encounter a window asking how to handle the color of an image being opened.

If no embedded profile is detected when the fi le is opened, you may choose one
of the following options:

• Leave as is—will not embed a color profile into the image. However, for operations that require a color space definition, Photoshop will use the RGB or CMYK Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences (for example, when performing a Mode change between RGB and CMYK).
• Assign Working Space—assign the profile of the Working Space defined in the Color Settings preferences. Select this option when you want to consistently use one working space or if the working space matches the source space of the received file.
• Assign Profile—assign a specific profile if the source color space is known when the image fi le is opened.

Talk to us about which workflow to use. Assigning the right color space from the start will give you a better idea of how the file will look in print. Remember to implement monitor calibration and characterization as guided by your printer (hopefully us).

Things to consider in choosing a source profile:

• If the RGB or CMYK source space of the image is known, you can assign the profile that matches that color space or you can convert to the assigned working space.
• RGB images without the source color space information may require guesswork to determine the most appropriate source color space. sRGB has a smaller gamut but is a universal working space ideal for images coming from digital cameras and the internet (or destined for the internet). Adobe RGB has a wider color gamut and may work best for images that contain vivid colors.
• For unknown CMYK images, SWOP (v2) is recommended for US markets and Fogra or Euroscale for European markets.
• When working with documents that contain images from a variety of sources, discuss with us if one working space should be assigned to all the images or if the original source color spaces should be assigned individually.

If an ICC profile is detected you can either:

• Use the embedded profile. Photoshop will automatically use the embedded profi le when the Color Settings are set to [Preserve] under the Color Management Policies.

• Discard the embedded profile. If the embedded profile is believed to be
• inaccurate, convert to either an assigned profile or to the working space.

SIZE AND SCALE

• All images should be edited, rotated, cropped and sized in an imaging software application such as Adobe Photoshop. Do not re-size, crop, rotate or adjust images in page layout applications, if possible. Place images into the page layout at 100%.

• In order to obtain high-quality output, the recommended image resolution should be 300 dpi at the actual finished size. Scale images with bicubic sampling and crop all images in Photoshop. Do not use page layout applications such as QuarkXPress to make image size adjustments.
• Also note that submitting images with higher than needed resolution adds unnecessary processing time, creates larger files and may degrade image quality.
• For the best print quality, do not include transfer functions or screen angles unless directed to do so by the print provider. If the job requires specific screen angles or transfer functions, make sure to consult with us first.

SAVING IMAGE FILES
EMBEDDING COLOR SPACES
All images have a source color space. Whenever possible discuss with your print provider if you should embed that source color space (such as the camera or scanner profile). This can allow the RIP to perform the color conversion from the assigned color space to the printer’s color space. This workflow
can provide good color matches.

• Embed the correct source color space with each image saved in either TIFF or PS file format. Note that some printers may request images in JPEG format for jobs that are Variable or require faster productivity.

• ICC profi les in TIFF files generally cannot be embedded into the PostScript code on print. They are mainly used for output previews and to convert from one color space to another within applications such as Photoshop and QuarkXPress. The EPS format, however, can embed the color information (CSA) into the PostScript code and then be picked up by the RIP at the printer.

• Some printers opt not to utilize the embedded profi les and may end up stripping them from files. Be sure to talk over the color management settings and strategies with your printer.

SAVING PHOTOSHOP CS2 FILES— PHOTOSHOP EPS FORMAT

• If you want to embed the source color space of an image, use the EPS format.
• Embed both the ICC Color Profile and PostScript Color Management (PSCM) Color Space Array ( CSA) (see figures 3-18 and 3-19).
• Using the EPS format can also preserve colors that may otherwise be converted by an application such as Microsoft PowerPoint. When images are saved as TIFF or JPEG, the color may be converted prematurely in the page layout application. Colors in EPS format are generally preserved.

The CSA remains with the image when the EPS file is placed in the page layout application (or even with applications that are not color managed, such as Microsoft Word). The RIP can then be set to recognize the embedded CSA in the PostScript stream and perform the conversion from that embedded color space to the printer’s final destination color space.

Note:

• Always make your print provider aware that you have embedded color profiles in your files.
• When saving images as TIFF files, embed the ICC Color Profi le, if possible.
• Save the file in TIFF format without LZW compression.
• Check [Embed Color Profile] in the Save As window.

IMAGE COMPRESSION

• It is recommended that you do not use JPEG compression as it may cause unpredictable results.
• If upsampling is required, although this is not recommended, use bicubic.
• Images higher than 450 dpi should be downsampled using bicubic sampling.

Information supplied by The Printing House Ltd & Print Buying Direct, Crewe, Cheshire, UK

More to follow…

Transparency features in graphics applications allow users to create elements with drop shadows, overlays, blends and feathering. Because transparency effects can be complex, be sure to consult us for best results. But the following notes should point you in the right direction for getting your artwork ready for print.

TRANSPARENCY IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

• Select [File: Document Color Mode] and choose [CMYK Color].

• Set the [Effect: Document Raster Effects Settings] Color Model to [CMYK] and the Resolution to [High (300 ppi)]. Any effects that require rasterization will use the value specified here.
• Use the Transparency palette and [Effect] stylize menu to control transparency effects. Note that [Filters] can produce unpredictable results.
• The [File: Document Setup: Transparency: Preset] should also be set to [High Resolution].
• The Flattener Preview palette [Window: Flattener Preview] can identify areas that have transparency applied or are effected by other objects.
• Be sure to enable [View: Overprint Preview] for the most accurate display of what the fi nal design will look like.

TRANSPARENCY IN INDESIGN

• Select the [Edit: Transparency Blend Space] to [Document CMYK].
• Use the Transparency palette to control transparency effects.
• The Flattener Preview palette [Window: Output: Flattener Preview] can identify areas that have transparency applied or are effected by other objects.
• Be sure to enable [View: Overprint Preview] for the most accurate display of what the fi nal design will look like.

PRINTING WITH TRANSPARENCY

• In the printing or exporting windows always select [High Resolution] for the Transparency Flattener.
• Printers often define flattening settings or flatten artwork themselves. Consult your us to determine if your work should be submitted flattened or with live transparency. Note that transparency effects will always flatten when printing to PostScript or EPS, or if they are exported using the Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3) format. Transparency effects will remain “live” only if exported using the Acrobat PDF 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6 formats.

CAUTIONS

• Use spot colors in transparency effects with discretion. When spot colors contact CMYK objects with transparency, the best practice is to make sure they are on the top of the stacking order.
• Avoid transparency designs that contain both RGB and CMYK content.
• QuarkXPress 6.5 does not have built-in support for transparency.

If in any doubt call us on 0870 950 8444 or contact us through either of our websites – Print Buying Direct or The Printing House Ltd, Crewe, Cheshire, UK