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Participating Frequently
June 8, 2023
Answered

Overprint Layers

  • June 8, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 2592 views

Hi.  I have a problem.  In the last 2 weeks, I've had 5 different logos (all .ai files, from 3 different, unassociated clients) where (seemingly) random layers are set to overprint. It's too conincidental to be a designer error at the source, so suspect its being caused at my end somehow(!?).  I've already had one print job go wrong (client signed off proof without noticing the error) and other print jobs currently on press (uh-oh!) … so quite concerning!! Any thoughts anyone as to the cause, and a solution (beyond manually reviewing every layer in every logo I recieve hereafter)? Thanks, Barn

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Correct answer Monika Gause

Hiya … did you get a chance to look at this? … I've got artwork piling up waiting to go to print, and more and more related problems stacking up as I examine each file and discover the next weirdity (for example, I've got a different job with 6 black logos overprinting a coloured photo. All overprint except one, which is knocking out … but nothing obvious to suggest why!(?).


Sorry for answering so late.

So far the display in the Attributes panel is normal. When there is no fill on the object, there is a strikethrough.

 

In your situation this is getting so difficult to check, because your black is a muddy black. It's been set up in RGB. Same goes for the color objects.  So usually for check the overprint you could just turn off the black (or other single inks) in the Separations panel and you know whether it will overprint. Overprinting objects that have more than one single ink applied is usually problematic (which might be why you are asking about this in the first place). Could it be that the artwork originated in a CAD application? Because that would somewhat explain the swatches setup in RGB.

 

I'm not fully updated about issues in Acrobat. So there may be some warnings in Acrobat that just appear without a reason and I would recommend that you ask about them in the Acrobat forum.

 

In Illustrator you could use the Astute Graphics plugin InkQuest. It offers an Overprint preview that highlights overprinting objects:

 

You could also use the free plugin Select Menu to select just the strokes objects and just the filled objects and then check the overprint separately:

 

3 replies

CarlosCanto
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 8, 2023

you could use the script to troubleshoot, check the original files to make sure there's no overprint, then start making your usual changes one at the time to see if something is setting overprint unintentionally.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 8, 2023

Did you inspect those files directly after they have been delivered to you? And was the overprint already inside of them?

Participating Frequently
June 8, 2023

Initially they were 'placed' into an Indesign file, and then the problem (on the first job) not discoverd until £1000 worth of print arrived. On subequent jobs (having paid more attention during a latter artworking stage) the same problem has been caught (with different logos).  If I open all the original Illustrator files (as originally supplied by clients), then the overprint can be seen to be applied to some layers.  Interestingly, if I drop those same original .ai files directly into Acrobat Pro, it immediately highlights that the file contains 'overprint' within the 'Print Production/Output Preview' pane, suggesting the overprint setting is not getting automatically, or randomly, applied within Illustrator at my end, but exists as a feature already within the original file (I would suggest!?).  So I'm left wondering why multiple (disassociated) designers would be applying overprint to select layers within their logo files (it's a pretty strange thing to do), and why they've all arrived with me at the same time (from difference sources). I haven't seen anyone else reporting the same problem.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 8, 2023

People could have worked on black versions of the logo (which might overprint). They didn't notice and just changed the colors.

CarlosCanto
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 8, 2023
Participating Frequently
June 8, 2023

Thanks, will explore this to help indentify problems.  I'm most interested in how/why the situation is arising though … something must be causing it.