Color separation when exporting a PDF

[tranceplantt]

It's been driving me nuts, ADOBE seems to have forgotten about color separation when using the export to PDF method.  Even quark has this option.

Anyway I was hoping to know if there is a way that I don't know.

Cheers

[FloppyDisc]

Couldn't agree with you more, DrunkRabbit. I responded to your post earlier, but I'm not sure if was allowed to go through. It may have to do with the fact that I called out a certain "MVP" who seems to love controversy on this forum.

To this day, color separations is something I use everyday/all day. Our printers insist on it, and our partners rely on it. We use Pitstop and other non-Adobe products to get us through.

[Steve Werner]

This is a professional forum. Posting personal insults is not considered appropriate for the forum.

[FloppyDisc]

I understand. It wasn't a personal insult, more of relaying a frustration that a certain user always tells people their workflows are archaic. Not much professionalism in responses like that...

[BobLevine]

I'll be happy to issue a refund.

[Patrick287816632279]

It's wild seeing all of these dismissive replies. Again, folks, we work in publishing. If you have worked in publishing for 10 or 20 years, you would understand that we are constantly republishing books, or trying to extract part of a book, or, as I am doing now, trying to take a press-separated PDF and export it into a flattened TIFF so that I can create the cover for a print-on-demand version of the book. I am sure that you all will have some dismissive things to say about that, but, again, this is happening all over publishing. With all kinds of files.

We are doing this work. Whether you understand it or not doesn't change that. Whether a "beginner" should know how to do this stuff is irrelevant, especially when one is digging through 10 or 15-year-old files. We didn't make these files, we are simply trying to work with them. We would appreciate software that provided the tools we need. 

[littleray_99]

Greetings from a "Luddite" small town print shop!  Adobe, may I assure you that there are reasons both current and archaic to allow for producing separated PDF files. For our internal needs, being able to view separations in Acrobat is adequate (we still run a lot of 2-color offset work and it saves me a trip to the pressroom to check my actual plate previews when creating complex 2-color jobs).

However, when we sub-contract for specialty finishes and products this is still a REQUIREMENT of high-tech, conglomerate trade printing outfits for foil stamping, spot UV, etc.  This is because creating a separate PDF "plate" AVOIDS CONFUSION when sending print jobs out of house. They ask this of me... and I understand why. 

Secondly, Here! Here! to those who point out that being snobby is far from helpful. Yes, I admit that we are not on the bleeding edge of technology here.  But that also allows us to produce high-quality print materials to local clients at a price they can afford.  And we do a damn good job at it.  We would price ourselves out of our market if we had to keep up with every latest development and trend in the industry (that includes software too!). We know how best to do our work and if Adobe doesn't care about the needs of a print shop, then they have lost touch with their roots.