Publisher CMYK Settings for Commercial Printing

[Gary B]

I have to send my printer a pdf in Adobe Type 1 fonts, no composite fonts,
pdfs should not be trapped, colors should be CMYK and ICC profiles should be
removed.

I think I can mange most of this (I am a rookie however to the publishing
world), though when I take my newly created publisher file that has images
embedded, I come across the following problems:

1. The graphics and font seem to convert to the CMYK process, however the
images (.jpg) don't seem to convert. Can someone explain this to me and how
to get around this?

2. When I convert to a .pdf, the title of my header (created from MS Word
Art), the shadowing effect uses a dot structure instead of a smooth grey
color.

3. Another printer told me to convert my standard Publisher to a high
resolution TIFF and then save as a pdf. However, the text did not come out
well and the colors were not right. I want to get this next publication just
right, but don't want to pay the exhorbitant cost to get Adobe's top of the
line software. I would think that MS Publisher could do the job?

Thanks,

Gary

 

[Mary Sauer]

Start here
Commercial printing
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/CH062524641033.aspx

 

[Gary B]

I have taken your suggestion and read the links. I take from my reading that
MS Publisher can do nothing with images in terms of CMYK and that you leave
it for the printer to handle? What if the printer wants nothing to do with
this other than get a final .pdf version? What would you recommend?

Thanks,

Gary

 

[Warren]

Oh dear... I had the same problem this summer.. my printer refused to see
anything and any PDF coming out of MS Publisher...

It's true that Publisher does not convert pics to CMYK (I can't quite
remember, but i'm not sure indesign does it either:- for safety I converted
in Photoshop)

I suppose, you have to convert all of your pictures outside of publisher in
Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro to CMYK and then place them in your publisher,
then have another go at creating your PDF. It seems to me that this should
solve it, but you would have to performa preflight yourself in acrobat to
check whether it still gives errors. Unfortunately this is a solution that
involves a great deal of work.

I had access to InDesign, so found it simpler to redo my 170 page
publication after fiddling with Publisher for 2 days, but if you want to give
it a go, then I think you have to convert all your images individually...

Printers are difficult when coming to accept publisher files... it's not
good...

 

[Gary B]

Thanks Warren,

I seemed to have gotten around some of the image issues by converting my
image to a .png (or maybe have made more of a mess?) and cutting out all the
background as best possible through Adobe Photo Shop Elements. This is
because APS Elements does not support CMYK (to recolor the image to match my
going from RGB to CMYK) and I am on a limited budget and can't afford to go
blow hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a one in a while publishing scheme
that would convert an image to CMYK. I am not sure if Paint Shop Pro can
convert images to CMYK? I beleive I tried their package sometime ago under a
30 day trial and was unsuccessful. However at the time I was more interested
in the magic wand feature and ADP Elements had the best.

However, it now appears that when I create a PDF directly from Publisher
with a .png file the image disappears. I am using Adobe Acrobat Standard for
this. Now I am in the process of going to the Adobe website to figure this
one out. If I create a PostScript file from Publisher directly and then use
this to create a PDF from distiller, the rounded endges of my logo become
very jagged, so I am still stuck with no real solution. There has to be a
better way that is not so costly to perform such a simple task when
converting from RGB to CMYK? I just can't believe that this is such a
difficult problem.

Anyone with ideas is welcome to chime in...maybe I just have to cough up the
dough. But then again, I wouldn't know which program can help me solve this
seemingly simple task.

Thanks again,

Gary

 

[Matt Beals]

See inline responses please.

Matt Beals
Consultant
Enfocus Certified Trainer
Apago, Calls, Gradual & Markzware Recognized Trainer
(206) 618-2537 - Cell
(720) 367-3869 - eFax
mailto:[email protected]

Come visit me at:

http://www.mattbeals.com
http://www.actionlistexchange.net
http://www.mattbeals.com/blog/

Friends don't let friends write HTML email

Oh dear... I had the same problem this summer.. my printer refused to see
anything and any PDF coming out of MS Publisher...

Plain ignorance on your printers part. Send me the job, I specialize in
Publisher and Office jobs. Seriously, if it is a problem let me know and
I'll see what I can do for you.

It's true that Publisher does not convert pics to CMYK (I can't quite
remember, but i'm not sure indesign does it either:- for safety I converted
in Photoshop)

When you are printing separations it can be converted to CMYK. But as
composite everything will end up as RGB with the sole exception of placed
graphics that are EPS files. Publisher and Windows GDI cannot mess with
graphics that are EPS files. So if you want to put CMYK or spots into a
Publisher file as a graphical element then use EPS files. Anything else and
Publisher and Windows GDI can convert them to RGB. Adobe InDesign will
absolutely convert images or other elements to RGB or CMYK depending on what
you have configured. InDesign in fact uses the same engine for converting
colors as PhotoShop.

I suppose, you have to convert all of your pictures outside of publisher in
Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro to CMYK and then place them in your publisher,
then have another go at creating your PDF. It seems to me that this should
solve it, but you would have to performa preflight yourself in acrobat to
check whether it still gives errors. Unfortunately this is a solution that
involves a great deal of work.

Not necessarily so. You can have Distiller make the RGB to CMYK
conversion for you. As well, once you are in Acrobat Pro you can make the
RGB to CMYK conversion. Or even CMYK to CMYK if need be. Running a preflight
using the PDF/X-1a settings is probably the best option since it is the
lowest common denominator for most all printing intents.

I had access to InDesign, so found it simpler to redo my 170 page
publication after fiddling with Publisher for 2 days, but if you want to give
it a go, then I think you have to convert all your images individually...

It is easier to do a publication in InDesign. It is built for handling
this kind of publication. One hundred seventy pages in Publisher is a lot
for Publisher when it comes to publications and long/technical documents.
Not that it can't do it, but there is a lot more control afforded to you in
InDesign. But there is no need to pre-convert everything. You can, and if
you do then I strongly suggest you save each image as a EPS with 8-bit TIFF
preview.

Printers are difficult when coming to accept publisher files... it's not
good...

You're right. It is short sighted of them. Much of it has to do with a
lack of comfort of being on Windows and its inherent problems as well as
"less than professional" (read SoHo) programs. Couple that with the fact
that in a composite workflow everything comes out as RGB into a PDF and
people start freaking out. Hey, I'll take the job and produce it just fine.
I've got the knowledge and the tools to do it. And when you really think
about it, a "SoHo program" vs. InDesign isn't much of a competition feature
wise. It is the end user that makes the difference. I see all sorts of junk
created in Publisher, InDesign and QuarkXPress. Especially from the people
with the "art degree's" or the "graphic designers". Doesn't matter what
program you use to create the content, everyone has an equal opportunity to
create "junk".

In all seriousness, get a new printer. You yourself can make the
conversion to CMYK for your print provider. Then they have no reason to
complain. Even then, you print provider can make the conversion with little
effort to get a workable file.

A PDF based workflow works best when the content is finalized. As in no
typo's, spelling, grammar mistakes, no last minute text or other content
changes occur. If you can't do that, don't send PDF's. But when it comes to
RGB to CMYK conversions or spot to CMYK conversions (notice I said nothing
about RGB to spot, that's a bit more complex) it is really pretty simple to
get a good conversion *IF* you know what you are doing and you take the time
(a minute or two) to do it *right*.

 

[Matt Beals]

Well, if you have Distiller you should have a setting called "press
quality". That should take care of the problem. If you'd like to email me
the PDF I'll convert it to CMYK for you too. Just let me know if it is
coated or uncoated paper, digital printing or traditional offset.

PostScript doesn't support transparency. And it sounds like your shadows are
using transparency. Otherwise it could be the resolution is just pretty low.
I'm not sure how to fix that.

RGB to CMYK is no small feat. It is a very complex thing to do that looks to
be relatively simple. It *can* be made simple with the right tools.

Matt Beals
Consultant
Enfocus Certified Trainer
Apago, Calls, Gradual & Markzware Recognized Trainer
(206) 618-2537 - Cell
(720) 367-3869 - eFax
mailto:[email protected]

Come visit me at:

http://www.mattbeals.com
http://www.actionlistexchange.net
http://www.mattbeals.com/blog/

Friends don't let friends write HTML email

 

[Warren]

I totally agree with all your comments. Thank you by the way for taking the
time to reply in such depth to my comments.

"Plain ignorance on your printers part"
I agree... but it's difficult to say anything when they have the best price
(this as a publication for a school, so budget is limited), and also the fact
that they are one of the largest, and most reliable printing companies in my
area. To be honest, it was one of my first major commercial printing
projects, during which I learnt a lot about the whole process. I had done a
few before, but had never managed to achieve the perfect results, the perfect
colours, just as I wanted. And the publication I was working on is one of the
major marketing schools for the largest British School in Holland, which made
it even more important to get right... It's not like the printers weren't
helpful, they offered guidance and suggestions, but them converting the whole
publication would just have been impossibly expensive...

So I blamed it on my ignorance and, well, re-did everything in InDesign
(which took me 1 week...). I had never,ever used InDesign before, but as you
say, it is optimised for such publications... So in a way it was a great
learning experience.

But all that was not after having spent 2 days fiddling with every possible
setting I could think of in Publisher (I was using 2007Beta2 which did not
help either). No matter how much I tried to play with colour settings, it
just did not do justice to the original graphics I had spent so long doing.
That's when I decided to redo everything in PS... Otherwise I just had 100s
of errors in my PDF/X-1a preflight... By doing what I did, I produced a much
cleaner pdf at the end, which, well, is a shame that I had to drift away from
Publisher, as I have always been a fervent user and promoter...

Of course, as you conclude, it ultimately doesn't matter what program you
use to create it. The important thing is the result... What angers me
occasionally though is the 'public' awareness in what goes on 'behind the
scenes' to produce these flashy, beautiful publications. Many people take for
granted, or don't even know about the professional work that people like you,
for example, do in helping us sort out our problems, and credit often falls
on the "graphics" designers... But well...

As much as I love doing this as a hobby, I now, after having spent all
evening on the newsgroups, need to actually get some work done to try and
pass my degree!
Thanks again for your useful posts on these topics. Much appreciated.

 

[Gary B]

I totally agree with all your comments. Thank you by the way for taking the
time to reply in such depth to my comments.

"Plain ignorance on your printers part"
I agree... but it's difficult to say anything when they have the best price
(this as a publication for a school, so budget is limited), and also the fact
that they are one of the largest, and most reliable printing companies in my
area. To be honest, it was one of my first major commercial printing
projects, during which I learnt a lot about the whole process. I had done a
few before, but had never managed to achieve the perfect results, the perfect
colours, just as I wanted. And the publication I was working on is one of the
major marketing schools for the largest British School in Holland, which made
it even more important to get right... It's not like the printers weren't
helpful, they offered guidance and suggestions, but them converting the whole
publication would just have been impossibly expensive...

So I blamed it on my ignorance and, well, re-did everything in InDesign
(which took me 1 week...). I had never,ever used InDesign before, but as you
say, it is optimised for such publications... So in a way it was a great
learning experience.

But all that was not after having spent 2 days fiddling with every possible
setting I could think of in Publisher (I was using 2007Beta2 which did not
help either). No matter how much I tried to play with colour settings, it
just did not do justice to the original graphics I had spent so long doing.
That's when I decided to redo everything in PS... Otherwise I just had 100s
of errors in my PDF/X-1a preflight... By doing what I did, I produced a much
cleaner pdf at the end, which, well, is a shame that I had to drift away from
Publisher, as I have always been a fervent user and promoter...

Of course, as you conclude, it ultimately doesn't matter what program you
use to create it. The important thing is the result... What angers me
occasionally though is the 'public' awareness in what goes on 'behind the
scenes' to produce these flashy, beautiful publications. Many people take for
granted, or don't even know about the professional work that people like you,
for example, do in helping us sort out our problems, and credit often falls
on the "graphics" designers... But well...

As much as I love doing this as a hobby, I now, after having spent all
evening on the newsgroups, need to actually get some work done to try and
pass my degree!
Thanks again for your useful posts on these topics. Much appreciated.

 

[Gary B]

Very well stated Warren, and thank you Matt.

I am just wondering Matt (or anybody else) if you could recommend the best
solution for me. In reading your comments I seem to read that Acrobat
Professional will accomplish conversion from RGB to CMYK? An upgrade from my
Standard (< $150) is in my ball park. However, I don't think this would let
me retouch specific areas of the image from RGB into CMYK?

Ideally, all I usually do is create from a 1 to 4 page flyer to send to a
printer to have them print a CMYK four color spread. These printers are very
good about accepting MS publisher files and doing all the conversions for me.
Recently however I want to put a one page, 4 color advertisment in a trade
journal and this is where I have really ran into headaches, as they are very
rigid in what they will accept.

If there is something that you could recommend in my ballpark price range
that I can use going forward to convert and/or create everything to CMYK, I'd
greatly appreciate it. BTW...if Warren is ignorant (as he states which he is
not) than I am a moron when it comes to all this...I don't even know what a
PDF/X-1a preflight is.

Many thanks,

Gary

 

[Matt Beals]

Get the upgrade to Pro is probably the best way to go. For $150 you can get
a plug-in for Acrobat to make the color conversions. It, Callas
pdfColorConvert, does a better job than Acrobat does but it also does only
one thing. With Acrobat Pro you can do a lot more. So it's more of a value
to YOU to get the upgrade. Although I'd like to sell you the plug-in... You
won't be able to "retouch" an area, just make a RGB to CMYK transformation.

Magazines are *very* specific about what they want. They generally want a
PDF/X-1a:2001 file. Which is a ISO standard format for sending art between
different parties. It basically makes sure that certain basic rules are
followed and defines the criteria.

Getting into PDF/X-1a can take a bit more time than I have right now. But it
is *the* standard, as in a real accredited ISO standard, way of sending art
between different parties using what is called "blind exchange". Meaning
neither party needs to know anything about the other and that all the
necessary components to reproduce the art are present in the PDF. Also, that
no RGB, LAB or ICC based colors be present. Only spot colors, device gray
and CMYK are allowed.

Matt Beals
Consultant
Enfocus Certified Trainer
Apago, Calls, Gradual & Markzware Recognized Trainer
(206) 618-2537 - Cell
(720) 367-3869 - eFax
mailto:[email protected]

Come visit me at:

http://www.mattbeals.com
http://www.actionlistexchange.net
http://www.mattbeals.com/blog/

Friends don't let friends write HTML email

 

[Gary B]

Thanks for your time Matt. I'll be running down the street soon to purchase
the upgrade.

Cheers and best wishes for a happy & properous holiday season.

Gary