CS3 PDFs_ongoing problema

[frailer]

Today I am one mighty PO'd old prepress op. Why should life get harder in this biz? I have proven that the culprit in causing my woes are CS3 PDFs

Have a 92 page yearbook, mono except for 3pp. GD has done a pretty good job; supplied everything...ready to go PDFs, source docs. PDFs should be usable.
All Dyna impos failing to interpret on RIP. I think it's Helvetica colour/rego numbers causing it, but will have to re-visit tomorrow.

How am I sure that it's CS3 PDFs? Had to open the guy's Indy doc to cut and paste/format new text...flick 2 pics...on one page.
Was under the belief at that stage that it was Indy CS2 doc, so opened it there, Exported said page. As a test I placed my exported [CS2] page in a 4 pp Dyna flat 4 times; and it RIP'd like a bought one.

Aaahhhgggh!    :angry:

Looks like I'll havbe to open his 2 part Indy docs, which I'll do in CS2, Export from there, place in Dyna. No bg deal, [nice docs, no fancy tranny stuff[, but who needs it?

Rant over, I'm off to an InDes Users Group seminar, with somewhat dampened enthusiasm.   :sad:

BTW, his CS3 single page PDFs don't RIP either, so am leaving Dyna out of the frame for now.

...maybe I can ask the Adobe rep while I'm there.   :evil:  ...or Cari.... :kiss:

[Joe]

There is no doubt in my mind that CS3 PDF's are different but...I'm not having too many issues now after several RIP updates. Have you kept up with the RIP updates?

[frailer]

Think I'm gonna self-impose a 24 hr. time-delay on posting for the rest of the week.    :embarrassed:

Sitting in InDes Users Group seminar, had a flash that, maybe, when I looked at Doc Properties it read CS[3.0], not CS3. This person may have an old, possibly never updated, version. Dunno.
Strategy for tomorrow, methinks, is open InDes docs, [there are two], in CS2, and Export. Don't expect further trouble. May also try lowering Dyna's PDF compatibility level, [tend to use 1.6, but have options to 1.3].

Pretty sure our RIP is as upgradeable as poss., Joe, but will certainly make a call tomorrow on that, to double-check. They've gone all gooey over XMF, [APPE]; so it's a bit old hat asking stuff like that... :rolleyes:

BTW, one presentation was on Acro 9. Certainly has a lot of print/prepress stuff in there. Blurring the border between PSP and Acrobat as well.  Adobe certainly give out the feeling of "confidence"...leaves me a little uneasy, admirable as their products are.    :undecided:

Interesting reminder, though, from the Adobe guy there, just how important Acrobat and PDF are to Adobe in the broader corporate market; outside of printing/design. Shit-boring areas like banking and mining...

[RiotMac]

What type of PDF are you exporting to? PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-4? Also, have you tried going out to PostScript first. I have not had any problems creating PDFs from InDesign CS3. We have Prinergy here though. What workflow software are you using?

[almaink]

I've had all kinds of issues with CS3 PDF's here. If you place some of them in Indy CS2 they won't re-export to PDF.
No idea why. I've been doing my Impo in CS2 then after I'm done opening it in CS3 to export to PDF. PITFA.
I have found a workaround tho. Save the PDF from CS3 and drop that PDF on RAMPage rip as single pages and make fpo's for impo in CS2. That seems to work although it's a PITA to place single page PDF's when relinking to my multipage Impo master is way faster. I sent a few problem files via email to Dov over on Print Planet, to check out, but never got a reply from him. Been to busy lately to bother asking him again about those files...

[frailer]

RiotMac, we have a Fuji Celebrant RIP, but don't use the "workflow" capability of it. Just use it as a drop-on RIP for fully imposed. It's a long story. It's only 1 yr. and 8 months old. Umm...I was trying to use the supplied PDFs. I discovered it would have been really smart, in this case, to use the native files. But don't you always find out afterwards...  :rolleyes:

Alma, I don't think now, much to my embarrassment, that I was dealing with CS3. A mis-read on my part, I'm thinking. Not to say I don't have  trouble with CS3 PDFs.

Anyways, I managed to wrap this cursed job, and, much to my disgust, ended up printing .ps from Indy CS2, Distill/Extract, take those into Dynastrip. This was the only route that didn't make the RIP and/or Dyna spit the dummy. I'm not sure still what the problem was. I think it was "phantom" Helveticas, cos kept getting the odd error to that effect. You all know that wave of relief when the friggin' thing finally prints/RIPs, I'm sure.   :cheesy:

The weird thing is I PDF'd all the way on about 23 flats, but the second last one failed on RIP. Also another one I had to replace a page in wouldn't RIP either. It was as though it "tripped" something nasty in the RIP. Just wouldn't play ball after that. Too weird.   
I'll resort to .ps a bit earlier next time.

Freakin' prepress... :angry:  It's 9PM here, and I'm about to attack sticky date pudding the better half has made. Y'know, health food 'n stuff.   :laugh:  That'll make it all better!