Press Sheet Size

[tapdn]

Our webs have a built in sensor that reads a reg mark (appox .125x.5 solid 4C box) placed same position every plate to keep in register. That and CIP3.

[Joe]

The center marks are still in the center of the sheet as it moves with everything else for the gripper. Side guides should work the same I think as long as you anchor them to the impo and not the plate. Everything stays relevant that way.

The same thing happens when using the punch coordinates, no? Your marks move with everything else for the gripper, right?

[Ear]

Well, the marks and punch coordinates are a little different in my situation. I have tons of templates that I set up years ago, with static marks. My prep setup is a little more old-school. My templates are organized in folders, by press and in order of sheet size so the setback, gripper and all marks are set. All I do is choose a template, change the device and run to the workflow.

[Joe]

Yeah, you are already setup so I wouldn't undo years worth of work if it's working for ya. :laugh:

We're relatively new to Preps (2005) so through trial and error we've come up with this system.

[Ear]

Yep. You know, normally I am all for ditching the old and embracing new ways of doing things (die .ps)  :laugh: but in this case, I have thousands of templates and retraining my co-workers would end badly. Also, we do a lot of strange things off the web presses, 3/4 webs, ribbon decks, plows, burst-apart double parallel, sheeter work, independent pages, etc...  it took a long time and some trial and error to get those impos right and I don't want to mess anything up trying to figure it out again. They like to work the prepress hard to save effort on the press. The dude abides.  :cool:

[frailer]

I think it is a Distiller issue. Happens to me if I print to a PostScript from InDesign using Device Independent and then distill a PDF. I believe there is a setting in the PDF Settings for a default page size that it will use if it is not getting the info it needs from the file itself. Try changing that to your press sheet size (or larger) to see if that helps.

Shall try doing that, D. Just poke around in Distiller settings, right?

We use a similar system to Joe. Only use Press Sheet Size, in a similar way. RIP set up to set grip based on that.
And we're on CTP, but all we had to do when we changed over was set the RIP, working back from Press Sheet Size. Providing all our impos are made up with 20mm all round, grip is correct. (I know what you're saying about the other aspect of grip adjustment, Joe).
Friday, shall make up new Templates for this job, from scratch, (be ready for questions...rusty  :laugh: ). Fortunately not urgent, just annoying.

[Joe]

frailer, I'm still unclear (nothing new there) on why you put a 20 mm border around it?

[Ear]

Metrics, duh Joe! It's easier to do 20mm than 7/8 inch.  :cheesy:

[Joe]

Metrics, duh Joe! It's easier to do 20mm than 7/8 inch.  :cheesy:

Ha Ha! :laugh: Let me rephrase....why do you need a border at all?

[frailer]

frailer, I'm still unclear (nothing new there) on why you put a 20 mm border around it?

Well, my understanding of it, which may be sparse, is that no matter what impo/layout it is, all the Templates/Sigs are made with that around them...i.e. Press Sheet Size. It all seems to work. bear in mind this happened when I were but a starry-eyed 55 year-old.   :cheesy:
We may be just talking at cross porpoises. If you started that at SeaWorld, on our ugly Gold Coast, they'd prolly arrest you... (the last 2 days have been somewhat fraught. Bear with me.    :azn: )

BTW, I think Distiller's in the frame. I sent an unexamined .ps to the RIP, and it's fine. FWIW, I'm uploading a ZIP of the .ps to acrobat.com. I doubt it will reveal anything. If you have download limit worries, maybe don't bother with it... :undecided:

This is all grist for the mill, I guess.

[Joe]

Send me a link and I'll have a stab at it.

[Joe]

This one has me stumped. I can't find any setting in distiller that would cause this issue. And I have my Distiller default page size set to 8.5" x 11" but the size this PDF gets distilled at is 6.74" x 10.28". Where it is getting that size I have no clue. The PS file opens in Illustrator at 26.9035" x 21.0837". It imports into inDesign at 26.9035" x 21.0837" and it opens in Preview at 26.9035" x 21.0837". If I distill the PS file or open it directly with Acrobat it comes out at 6.74" 10.28". I can define the media box using the Pitstop Cropping Tool and tell it to grab the media box from the current page, apply it and I've got the whole thing. Suggestions?

[frailer]

..... Suggestions?

...apart from playing "Twilight Zone" music...no.    :undecided: It's possible, I guess, that there's a corruption in PREPS, as that's now 3 different Distillers get the small-page result. Any suggestions on a "clean-out" of PREPS-related stuff would be welcome. Gotta be something in the .ps. Something not right about the reading of the bounding box to Media Box? It's OK, as long as it doesn't have to talk to Distiller??   

I'll be glad to see the end of this week. Our turn for a Long Weekend. Queen's birfdy or some such crap. Who cares.   :laugh:

[Joe]

Voila...The smaller size is the size of the Crop Box. Acrobat displays the Crop Box I believe. The first attached image is the Acrobat Preflight that shows an error because the Crop Box is different than the Media Box. The 2nd attached image is the Acrobat Crop Dialog. Changing the bottom and left number to 0 fixes the PDF so the whole thing displays. I'm guessing this is a Preps problem of not setting the Crop Box to the correct size and I see no where in Preps to fix it.

[frailer]

Nice one, Joe. Am at home now...look tomorrow. And yeah...how to fix.   :undecided: Maybe a cache clean on that Mac? it's just for PREPS/Black Magic. Most I've ever done is Permissions Repair on it. Might install Cocktail.
But that's a stab in the dark at this stage.

Acrobat 9. Why didn't I think of it...   

I just threw that info on over at GUA/PREPS forum, where I plonked something yesterday, FWIW. At least you've nailed it closer...thanks Joe. As tap says...don't hold your breath.   :laugh:

GUA