DCS EPS problem

IR
Posted By
Iain Robinson
Jan 29, 2009
Views
725
Replies
12
Status
Closed
Hi all

We have been asked to convert a series of RGB images into a black plus blue spot image and I immediately thought that a multichannel file was the way to go. I got a sample file and created a multichannel image easily enough, saved it as a DCS 2 composite file and when I drop it into ID or QXP the file is hi-res black + spot blue. Knowing what a PITA DCS files are I suggested that we get the file tested by the typesetter. They use the 3B2 typesetting system and when they import the EPS and create a PDF all that comes out is the 72dpi RGB preview.

Any idea what I can do to get a hi-res 2col file out of 3B2? I had a demo of DCS Merger kicking around from when we used to use DCS files here and I’ve made a file using that for them to try but wondered if there was anyone here who had first-hand experience of such things who could suggest something I could do just using Photoshop (CS3).

Using duotones won’t do as I need total control over what part of the image appears in what colour (it is a series of brain scans with blobs overlayed, which are to be in the spot blue.

Any help gratefully recieved.
Iain
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BL
Bob Levine
Jan 29, 2009
What is the ultimate use of these files? If they’re going to be used in a modern (read that as InDesign based) then just save the files as PSD and be done with it.

Bob
IR
Iain Robinson
Jan 29, 2009
Hi Bob

Unfortunately, they will be imported into the 3B2 typesetting system and exported out as PDF files for us to print. Such typesetting systems don’t support fancy stuff like, for example, alpha channels (to my knowledge, I’m sure someone will prove me wrong!) that ID or QXP will handle in their stride. Maybe they can’t do DCS files either, but I was hoping someone might suggest an alternative way to save my file that might work.

Incidentally, after first making the multichannel file I saved it as a PSD and tried placing it in ID – it complained that "The file uses an unsupported colour space. Only RGB, CMYK, LAB, greyscale, indexed and bitmap formats are supported by the Photoshop filter". A DCS EPS places and outputs okay.

Iain
P
PeterK.
Jan 29, 2009
When you save, try setting the DCS to "single file, no composite." Some output devices get confused by the included low resolution preview and output that instead of the high resolution image itself. Not including the "composite" preview will leave the output device with nothing but the full resolution file to interpret.
IR
Iain Robinson
Jan 30, 2009
Thanks for your reply Peter – I made a file like you suggested and passed it on to the typesetter but they said it gave them an error and no file was produced.

Any more ideas, anybody? Currently I am keeping the job moving by taking the areas to be coloured blue and making a bitmap image of them and then dropping it into ID, on top of the background which has been converted to greyscale. I can then colour the top layer my spot blue and export it out as an EPS and that seems to work in 3B2. It’s not perfect as the edge of the blue areas are not clearly defined in the original – it would be better with as a tone where the edges could be feathered.

Iain
BL
Bob Levine
Jan 30, 2009
What version of InDesign are you using?

Bob
BC
Bart_Cross
Jan 30, 2009
How about get a new typesetter.
HB
Heather Bell
Jan 30, 2009
Our RIP can’t handle info from DCS EPS files and break it apart in out normal work flow. The work around for us is sending Separations from from the ID control. For us this works. But we don’t make PDFs first.
IR
Iain Robinson
Jan 30, 2009
We’re using IDCS3. The DCS EPS files come through fine in ID and Quark it’s just not working for the typesetter.
IR
Iain Robinson
Jan 30, 2009
Bart – changing typesetter is not an option! We’re the printer and the customer asked me how this can be done – we need to make it work with their existing typesetter. It’s a medical journal so this sort of thing is pretty rare – in fact there are hardly any sort of images in the job!
RK
Rob_Keijzer
Jan 30, 2009
This may not be it, but I made a flyer for myself and had it offset printed. The print house needed a CMYK file with type outline in pdf-format.

Because I’m not a printer and certainly not a designer, I played for a while and by Jove, came up with this:

After flattening all layers except the type, I converted the type to a shape. (right click on the type layer).

Next I convert the RGB mode to CMYK

Then shifted the end points with curves so that max ink coverage was 300% (was approx. 360% right after conversion).

Then soft proofed to Coated Fogra, and while doing that increased mid-tone contrast.

If I then had saved as pdf, the type would be rasterised, but I found that I could save it as Photoshop EPS (not one of the DCS choices).

And the final touch was: I opened this EPS file on a Mac and the first thing it did was convert to pdf.

To check if the type was still vector based I zoomed in to 6400% on the pdf, and lo and behold: it was!

And finally: the print house accepted the order, ran it and it’s fine!

I don’t normally step into the design/offset realm, I submit photos to that realm, and the above is probably less than optimal, but I was very pleased when I opened the box with my fresh Flyers!

Rob
P
PeterK.
Jan 30, 2009
Thanks for your reply Peter – I made a file like you suggested and passed it on to the typesetter but they said it gave them an error and no file was produced.

How did you send the file? It could have just gotten corrupted. I know that whenever we’ve had a problem with a printer outputting the low-res preview, saving as single file dcs no composite fixed the problem. You might want to give it another try if the issue was a bad e-mail or something like that. Zip the file before sending it.
BC
Bart_Cross
Jan 30, 2009
The problem here is ‘throwing it into Quark’.

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