Distiller not working!...HELP! Need to make color separated pdf files.

[Doofwad]

OK, I am not tech savy like most people on this support community. 

I own a small print shop and do all the pre-press and usually make a ps file to do color separations then I use Adobe distiller to get color separated files to make plate for my offset press. 

Problem is just in the last 20 days or so, for no reason I can think of, I get an offending error when I drag my ps file to distiller.

I don't know if it's the ps file I make or distiller but not working and I really need it. I usually have an indesign file in which I make a pdf then in acrobat make a ps file then distiller to make it a pdf again and use the final separated pdf to make my plates.

Can anyone help me? Please and thank you!

[Dov Isaacs]

This seems like a very overly complex and convoluted workflow.

Why in the world do you need a “pre-separated PDF file” to make plates? I am not aware of any RIP from any reputable provider in the last 18 years of so that can't automatically do separations from a composite color PDF file and especially color-managed ones.

But assuming that you are stuck with a coal-powered steam-driven antique RIP that doesn't support what is known as in-RIP separations, why don't you either:

(1)  Print to your RIP with PostScript directly from InDesign using the Print=>Output=>Color Separations option 

or

(2)  Print to File with PostScript directly from InDesign using the Print=>Output=>Color Separations option and then distill that into preseparated PDF which you can then send to your RIP?

[Doofwad]

Thanks for responding...

I do have a rip called Genie Jet for polyester plates that print on an Epson P800. I choose not to use the rip for most my simple jobs because it can take 10-20 mins. per color per plate. So, I discovered that I can use the same plate material in my Canon C710 in about 30 seconds but there is no rip so I must do the separations myself. Most of the plates I need are simple 1-2 color jobs or simple line art. If there is any trapping to tight registration I will still use my Genie rip.

I do all my layouts in Indesign and for some reason can not make a separated pdf from indesign as you indicate in your response. The Canon will only allow me to import or print a PDF file. So I am forced to output a PDF from Indesign then open the PDF and save as a PS separated file and at that point I would distill it to get a separated PDF file to print to my Canon.

Perhaps I don't have the correct PPD to make the separated file straight from Indesign? When I try to do as you suggested it seems to print but to a non-existant printer, see attached #1. Or it won't let me select separations as a PS file, see attached 2.

I am very willing to try anything you think may work for me. Thanks for your response and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[Jake25567326f91u]

Having similiar issues, was this ever resolved?