Would love to see a press prep tutorial

[Justin Loxley-Smith]

I have learned a lot from reading, asking, trying and trial and error but would love to know from some of the advanced users here typical prep. I have the create outline (fonts), the outline strokes, flatten artwork down. I have played with expand appearance and sometimes manually clean up the results of that. I usually only send a proof from illustrator and do all finals as an EPS file placed in Indesign. I have found the color match better that way. I found Indesign CS worked well with Spot colors but CS2 seemed to have issues. Again it will be down o some prep mistake. Also what checking pre-flights etc should be done. That side of things I have only dabbled with.

[Jodi Frye]

I've been patiently waiting for someone to answer to this...it's one thing to do the artwork but getting it ready is a whole other science. There just isn't enough info on this.

[Scott Weichert]

I'd love to help out, but the basics you've already stated Justin - outline fonts, expand objects if necessary, and flatten artwork. The issue is really that print file prep is highly dependent upon the file itself as well as the press/RIP environment.

I generally worry very little about my files unless they contain specific elements such as transparency (including any blend modes and opacity masks) which effects a gradient or gradient mesh area, brush strokes, and/or pattern fills. These three things are generally where all the issues lie.

Transparency and blend modes used on flat colored objects flatten just fine in 99.9% of cases. Strokes may need to be expanded if transparency effects a stroke as well. Transparency and blend modes used over a gradient or mesh object will result in an embedded raster element. Sometimes the same appearance can be achieved by adding new objects and removing the transparency. Honestly, you can create just about any appearance without any transparency at all, it's just a matter of work. I rarely find any use for the transparency palette other than for opacity masks.

The best thing to do with any file is to use a 2 file workflow. One file for construction and one file for output, similar to Photoshop. Keep the native ai file with all your brushes in tact, transparency settings, blends, live type etc. Then when you're finished creating save as a v8 EPS file. Open that v8 eps and check the file. You'll clearly see any areas which aren't up to snuff. You can then return to the ai file and adjust items for output. v8 eps files are pretty much rock solid for output (barring really odd user interaction). In general if your art looks correct in a v8 EPS it will RIP just fine.

With Indesign, I don't actually use the eps file. I use my native AI file. There's little need for the eps file with any of the Creative Suite applications. Adobe has done a great job of making them interact well. What issues with spot colors are you experiencing? I've noticed little difference between IDCS and IDCS2.

There are other things that could be covered such as trapping, but whether or not to trap a file depends on who's doing the printing. Many bigger print houses have inline trapping software and therefore do not want Illustrator files to be pretrapped.

[rsharrard]

What is inline trapping software? Never heard of it before. I too would be interested in a trapping tutorial. This is why I take most of my spot color stuff to Corel Draw X3, because of the automatic trapping. If I get a realy high dollar job and have the budget to work with, then I'll take the time to manualy setup traps (textile Screen printing). Corel only has a couple rules, in that solid fills have no outline but blended fills do, then all ya got to do is set your blead (Trap) size and it does a pretty good job.Robin

[Scott Weichert]

There is RIP software such as Trapwise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_TrapWise) that will trap artwork in RIP eliminating the need to manually trap a document.

To be honest I know nothing about CorelDraw. I used it once 10 years ago and wasn't very fond of it.

In all sincerity, manually trapping a file is generally a bad idea unless you yourself are sending the file to RIP. It's much better to talk to your printer and let them handle trapping. They will know their equipment far better.

[Justin Loxley-Smith]

With Indesign, I don't actually use the eps file. I use my native AI file. There's little need for the eps file with any of the Creative Suite applications. Adobe has done a great job of making them interact well. What issues with spot colors are you experiencing? I've noticed little difference between IDCS and IDCS2.

I am not sure why I moved to EPS I had originally used the AI file, I think it was after I had to send and EPS and then they changed their mind and wanted PDF, I found that I could very quickly differentiate because all my AI files are now saved with out PDF compatibility and have all paths and appearance still set and then the EPS file is flattened, and paths stroked and text outlined etc. SO I know EPS - ready to go, AI either WIP or ready to edit. just kind of happened that way I guess :)

the colors, it was one job and I had noticed that my PDF from illustrator did not look right, it was I think though a spot color using transparency. So the PDF had a different color hue that the AI file, but if I output the PDF from indesign CS it looked just right, then for interest I tried it on a copy of CS2 indesign (I was checing color profiles across machines) and it came out different again I found that really weird that the same software across 2 release and the new one was handling the color different. Now I know transparency has an inherent risk so it was just one of those things. I went back in the design and replaced the transparency with a new color, like you say there is often no real need for using transparency just a bit more work (I was being lazy). So that job is fine the solid color output fine from both applications.

There are other things that could be covered such as trapping, but whether or not to trap a file depends on who's doing the printing. Many bigger print houses have inline trapping software and therefore do not want Illustrator files to be pretrapped.

This would be interesting stuff, I not fully au fait with trapping and other issues such as preflight with PDF's going through that final preparation for press/print. Issues that still bug me are why my PDF output direct from Illustrator does not look like my AI file but from Indesign it matches perfect (or at least to my eye)

[rsharrard]

Thanks for the reply Scott, I'm the chef, as well as the bottle washer, I'm the designer, seperator, and the printer (mostly t-shirts and some reverse glass printing). Anyway, just interested in trapping and outputing in Illustrator CS2. I also create oulines and guides for shadow and reflection work on various objects that I take into Photoshop and then work in Channels, producing seperations as I go. Robin

[Toccamonium]

I have also a problem printing out a simple map using a cast shadow (see
files attached). Maybe someone has an idea what the reason might be or
what I can do to prevent such a color shift?
I used a gray background with some colored lines on it (it's just a test). Over
all I placed a kind of magnifying glass with a shadow cast. When I do a print
out with my Canon i9100 (no post script module/software) I have a color
shift. A slight one in the gray area affected by the transparency and a stronger
one in the blue shapes. Printing the whole graphic in Photoshop there are no
problems at all. I tried also different color modes like CMYK or RGB. What could
cause this problem?

thanks TC

http://web118.silverline-s16.de/test.ai
http://web118.silverline-s16.de/test.pdf

[warking@mac.com]

The printers never seem to catch up to the postscripting issues of printing out of AI directly. I have solved this for myself by converting it to a PS file and then printing.

Even with high end $5,000 rip units attached to $15,000 HP Designjet can't deal with it. It either needs to be simple AI or convert it first.

[Jodi Frye]

I was thinking also...your Document Raster Effects Settings...is that set high enough for print ? Or does this not make a difference either way as Warking suggested ?

[warking@mac.com]

I was told by many parties that the printers haven't caught up to the software. I feel no awards are given to have it printing out an AI file instead of a PS one. The client wants it correct.

[Toccamonium]

Ok, thanks. I tried also different raster adjustment but with the same result.
However, as long as even expensive RIPs have problems with such things
I either convert it to PS or I try to prevent those kind of effects.

[vmagic118]

Scott had mentioned, "In general if your art looks correct in a v8 EPS it will RIP just fine." That is very true, 98% of the time the file will rip just great if in v8 EPS. However I have found the odd time that their are odd artifacts at stroke intersects (missing Pieces) when ripped in either Flexi-Pro or Wasatch. In these occurrences i will rasterize the file into a Tif and print to alleviate this rare occurrence. I have tried everything possible to clean it up from expansion, flattening etc but no luck. Scott is so right about v8 eps and stick with that and your printer will be grateful. :)

[Hexabuzz]

Justin (and everyone else interested),

I work in prepress at a large commercial offset printer, specializing in very high end display and packaging printing for national accounts (if you've walked down an aisle in Wal-Mart, you've seen our work)... I would say about 90% of out files come in in Illustrator, and we've pretty much seen it all... And most of it is beautiful design, but needs alot of work to get print ready. I've always joked about writing my book "Things you never, EVER want to do to a file sent to a printer", and maybe this is the time to start...

I'll start putting together a list of "Always", "Should"'s, and "NEVER!"'s, but in the meantime, if I can help or offer advice, from the general to the specific, I'll be glad to help...

Dave

P.S. For those interested/in the know, we're running an Artwork Systems Nexus workflow (as well as our older Scitex Brisque), are direct-to-plate, and print sheets up to 54 x 78 inches, 7 color. We also just ordered a 2nd 64 inch KBA 6 color as a companion to the one which went online in August.

[TORCH511]

Like Hexabuzz, I also do prepress work and we do Direct-to-Plate and also still to film for screen work. I work for a specialty printing company and we make sussuface membrane and touchpad switches. So there is a good chance the panel on your microwave passed by me at some point.

One of the problems with Prepress, and why it is so hard to find a tutorial is that there is so many different ways of doing things and a lot is based on what you are outputting to, and the capabilities of the presses your are working with.

And I would like to echo the sentiment that what often looks good design wise can be far from print-ready and sometimes the best looking stuff is nightmarish to deal with and some of the art departments out there have no clue as to how to make good art. Luckily I get to create a good % of what we print as well as prepress it so I can make it right and prepress is a snap.

[Justin Loxley-Smith]

Thanks for the replies, sorry for my delayed response I found myself busy at work, home and on the NAPP boards. But I wanted to say thanks. Also to Hex for the offer.

When I did a job I try to understand the process at either side of what I do. I have to do this in my position and in my past jobs it was essential so I apply the same thought process to graphic design. If I am going to make something required for print I want to know all I can. No I will probably never know enough to actually do that job but the more I do know the better I can prep my work and consider my designs for the desired end result.

[G4pj]

That's a full order, other than being a prepress monkey, there's no definitive prepress tutorial.

-As far as prepress goes, layouts in AI? That's a lot of work. I know you can do business cards, letterhead, env, newsletters, postcards, etc in AI, but how valuable is your time? Build the graphics in AI and assemble in page layout software.
-If you're going to go through the trouble of doing layout in AI, do it right. Do not, this is important, set up your files in RGB mode. RGB is for web, CMYK is for print. Black set up in RGB mode converts out to 90% black, 75% cyan, 67% magenta and 68% yellow. So what happens to the sharp looking black logo file? It prints out screened when the RIP gets a hold of it, it's no longer 100% black.
-Fonts, if you're not willing to provide them, convert to outlines.
-If you have colors touching, and you're not up on trap specs, call the commercial printer that you will be using. They may want you to set trap, or maybe they have a very expensive RIP that sets the trap for you. If they have the very expensive RIP that sets the trap for you, surprise, you can set all the trap in the world, and the RIP is going to ignore your settings and put in what's been programed, because it's optimized for the presses. And if they don't have the expensive RIP, they'll tell you how to fix it, or set the trap inhouse, because it has to follow a proceedure.
-If you're placing the graphics in page layout, even though InDesign will accept native AI and PSD files, I've been told you're better off using flattened tif files and eps files. To be honest, I've not had trouble with PSD or AI files going to the RIP, but it could happen. Never send a layered PSD file in, you can really freak out the RIP. You'll have to change display performance to low just to check out the file.
-Place EPS file into page layout applications at 100%. Yes, I know, vectors are infinately scalable. Consider this, the RIP will process the scaled files twice. This gives the RIP an opportunity to choke on the file. The print shop says, we want a .25 point trap. That means a 200% scaled file has a .5 point trap and a 25% scaled file has almost no trap at .0625 point. So even if the RIP doesn't normally choke on scaled files, trap becomes an issue.
-This is only scratching the surface. As one of my favorite instructors at Austin Community College says, "The software is this big (arms stretched open wide), I know this much (uses finger and thumb to indicate about three inches width). We are in an industry that has a constant learning curve. Just when we get to think we know it all (or most of it), a new version of the software comes out.
-OK, I'm taking three classes this semester, I'm an undocumented (no degree) worker. Even though my employer thinks I know everything, I'd be hard pressed to look for a new job in Austin without the degree. So, I'm taking more classes.