Ink Coverage Issues

[maxineja39130385]

Hi folks - I'm a UK based designer currently pulling a brochure together - content is split over editorial/adverts. I work in InDesign.

The query I have is with the adverts - some I design, but some are artwork supplied (as a PDF). For these supplied by the individual advertisers - I check that fonts are embedded (in Acrobat) and then when I've placed on the InDesign page, check that the ink saturation is less than 300%. The problem comes when some adverts are flagged as having areas that are over this amount. What's the best way to deal with this?

When I prep images in Photoshop for inclusion in anything printed, I have a colour profile that I apply which limits the ink saturation and pretty much works 95% of the time. I've tested opening the supplied artwork PDF in Photoshop, applying the colour profile and re-saving as a Photoshop PDF. This sorts the saturation out but on re-checking the PDF in Acrobat the fonts are no longer embedded (they aren't even listed on the Fonts tab). Is this because they aren't embedded (which is obviously a big issue!) or is it just the way Adobe Photoshop is processing it and that its now not reading them as 'font' (much like if you were to outline a font and then create a PDF - there are no fonts listed).

The client isn't getting a hard copy proof and so I have to sign off on an online digital proofing system - obviously I'd hate to get 20,000 copies back and realise that it's not worked how I thought!!!

Any assistance/help/ideas/direction greatly appreciated.

Thank you. 🙂

p.s. Print PDF requirements from printer are that it uses preset PDF/X4 and output profile Coated Fogra 39.

[Laubender]

That's a job for special software using Device-Link technology.

You may find a service that is doing this for you for a fee per PDF file.

Talk to your printers if they could handle this.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you - I'll look into this and I will contact the printer too.

[Jumpenjax]

When I prepare a job to go to the printer. I do not embed the fonts. I leave the dot gain as default, Which I believe is no more than 20 percent dot gain. I use the package feature in InDesign. This way you can look and see if there are any potential problems. You can set your pdf preferences in this area and it saves in a neat little folder. I only send my pdf to my printer via one drive. So size is not an issue. The printing company will send a pdf proof back. The color is spot on as proofs when printed. Here is a link with step by step instructions.

https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/how-to-package-indesign-file

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you!

[Eugene Tyson]

Opening supplied artwork PDFs in Photoshop is why your fonts are going missing. 

Opening a PDF in Photoshop completely rasterises the entire file! It really shouldn't be done.

The only way it's possible if the PDF was created in Photoshop and saved with it's editing capabilities turned on.

When you open a PDF you can check which program created it by hitting CMD or CTRL D and then viewing the PDF properties.

In the Desription it tells you what program created it.

In this instance - the Application is Acrobat Editor 8.0 - not Photoshop - so opening this in Photoshop would rasterise the entire document.

Not all PDFs are editable in Illustrator or Photoshop - and opening PDFs in these programmes when it's not supposed to is doing terrible damage to your artwork files.

If you are supplied files with Ink Limits above what you need you should return the artwork and ask them to fix it and send you an amended PDF.

If they cannot do this you should fix the error and send them a Proof asking if it's ok to proceed and what you have done. 

You can edit the original supplied PDF to reduce to the Ink Limit

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/color-conversion-ink-management-acrobat.html

But I stress to resend this back on proof and have it signed off. 

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you - I thought that the disappearing fonts maybe to do with how Photoshop was processing and as you've said is rasterizing the whole file. On the one I was experimenting with, the advert text still looked quite sharp but at 400% you could see that the text was a little pixellated and not as crisp as the original PDF.  Supplying advertisers with a stricter specification is the obvious answer - the advertisers adverts seem to come from a variety of sources, some produce their own and others come from design agencies. Stricter guidelines help us but will be more problematic for some and of course we want to make the whole experience as easy and straightforward as possible! 

Thanks for the link - I will take a look and deepen my knowledge in the technical aspects of commercial print and the settings/utilities in Acrobat.

I really appreciate the input and insight - thank you!

[Laubender]

To get you an idea what DeviceLink technology is about and who is doing this as service, just one example from Germany: https://shop.proof.de/de/druckdaten-konvertierung-mit-devicelink-profil.html

Here the English version: https://shop.proof.de/en/Profile-Conversion-via-DeviceLink.html

Obviously they are using sofware from ColorLogic: https://colorlogic.de/en/dls/

Also a source of information:

https://www.heidelberg.com/global/media/en/global_media/products___prinect_modules/pdf/color_and_qua...

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

EDIT: Added an English language source.

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you - I'll have a look at these. Much appreciated.

[Eugene Tyson]

Also - don't open PDFs in Photoshop - that's how you're losing the font information - it's being rasterised. 

[rob day]

As Uwe suggests device link profiles are designed to deal with total ink problems, but the ideal would be to ask your advertisers not to make conversions to CMYK. Your spec sheet should request that the advertisers place RGB images with embedded profiles and export to PDF/X-4.

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you - stricter specs would resolve most of our problems I feel! Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[Willi Adelberger]

You should never open any PDF in Photoshop or Illustrator what you get from a client as.

But you should provide a PDF standard according it they have to create PDFs:

1. PDF/X-4, use only that standard as it allows to export in any other standard.
2. Bleed
3. Color Output Profile which includes the maximum coverage
4. Minimum resolution
5. Minimum stroke width
6. Recommend the use of RGB images in that file.

[maxineja39130385]

Thank you - appreciate the input. Tighter specs seem to be the way to go 🙂

Much appreciated.

[Eugene Tyson]

It's like my posts are invisible 🙂