Save as PDF feature creates extra frame around the tables

[JCHPetter]

I am creating a large catalog with black + 1PMS color.

If I use the Save As PDF feature in Frame 9, I get an extra line around the Price portion of MOST (not all) of my tables.  If I use the Distiller process, the extra line is not there, but the PDF file does not hold the color separations.

Has anyone else come across these issues or have any ideas what I could be doing wrong?

Thank you,

[Art_Campbell1]

Is your version of 9 fully patched? I believe the released updates have addressed some of the problems with SaveAs...

Also, I'd try Distilling using the Press Job Options -- I'm remembering that they're set up better for separations, but it's been a couple years and a different version since I had to use them.

Art

[JCHPetter]

I have all of the patches uploaded - through 9.0.3.  I hoped that would take care of it, but it hasn't helped that issue.

I tried the Press job option, but it doesn't hold the color separations.  It is still converting everything to CMYK colors even though I only have black as my process color and Pantone 294 as my spot color.

Any other ideas I could try?

Thank you for such a quick response.

[Art_Campbell1]

Sorry, not off the top of my head. I'll defer to Arnis, the forum moderator, who has more depth in CMYK than I do.

You may want to do a more extensive search for CMYK topics though -- I know it's been discussed before, and may pop in the archives while you wait for him to come online...

Cheers,

Art

[JCHPetter]

Thank you.  I will try to search for more of the CMYK topics.

[Arnis Gubins]

If you are trying to use the new SaveAsPDF CMYK option, forget it. It is sorely broken in many aspects (just search this forum), especially when dealing with tables and OTFPro fonts.

Go back to an RGB based workflow (i.e. ensure that the "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" option is checked in the PDF Setup) and use a third-party tool to deal with the results. Some choices would be:

- Acrobat 9 Pro has some even stronger pre-flighting and colour handling features now, but Acrobat 8was no slouch either

- Enfocus' PitStopPro is extremely powerful for fixing up colours: http://www.enfocus.com/product.php?id=855

- Grafikhuset's PubliPDF tool allows you to set up conversions for the RGB by printing to a queue and then post-processing the postscript prior to handing off to Distiller for PDF creation: http://www.grafikhuset.net/PubliPDF/

- Quite Software's Quite a Box of Tricks let's yuou do colour conversions: http://www.quite.com/box/features.htm

[JCHPetter]

Thank you for the response.  So the short of it is - if I want a finished file with no errors, such as an extra box around my Price portion of the tables AND I need it to be Black + 1PMS color, I will have to go with a third party tool?  Shucks!  I was really hoping the upgraded Frame would take care of this.

Thank you for the information.  I will check out the third party tools you mentioned.

[Arnis Gubins]

Yes, in short, the new CMYK feature is not reliable for production press work.

I too was hoping that the marketing hype was completely true.

[JCHPetter]

Thank you so much for the suggestion to try Acrobat Professional for the fix.  If I use the Save As PDF feature, the file holds my colors - Black+1PMS, but the converted file has the extra line around the Price Portion of some of my tables.  With the Advanced Fix Hairlines Feature in Acrobat Professional that extra line went away.  Now maybe I can put this 1300 page catalog to rest.

Thanks again!

[Arnis Gubins]

Glad to hear that it was a simple fix in your case.

You might want to use Acrobat's Output Preview to check what's on the various plates as well.

There is a FM bug when using tints of spot colours in table cells for CMYK PDF output. They all render at 100%. This only stands out in the previews, as many a time the colour composite looks correct in Acrobat.

[JCHPetter]

Thank you for the tip.

Yes, I have actually come across that nasty little bug - yet another frustrating little critter.

Thanks again