Disapearing Vingnette

[Farabomb]

I was sent a PDF today. Job spec 4c but as usual the designer can care less about specs and it's 7c. I do the normal thing of letting Prinergy covert it, proof it and send to the customer. He responds back saying there is a vignette missing from the piece. I look at the PDFs he sent and I don't see anything. I check the low res ones sent and sure enough I can see it. Go back to the files to check the separations and it shows up. Seems it's getting lost in the 4c conversion and I don't know why. Of course no natives, only PDFs and the guy sends me a RGB PSD of the vignette and wants me to fix it. Don't know how but I will dick with it.

Sendspace link for the brave.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ey3rmo

[frailer]

Are the PDFs out of Indy, Farabomb? I'll certainly have a look when in there today. First thing I'll do is chuck it into XMF, but I think if anything, Prinergy's slightly better at rendering such stuff safely. It'll be interesting.
I don't mind stuff like that occasionally, as long as you pick it up 1st. But how often is that?    :rolleyes:

[Joe]

So which spot is missing in the PDF's you posted?

And a PDF 1.3 out of CS4? Epic fail.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

From what I can see, you can convert the file in Acrobat, locally. Unfortunately, the strength of the gradient weakens on conversion. In other words, it looks like it disappears. Not too much you can do because of the degraded condition of the PDF. Rasterizing yields the same results, but at least you can manipulate the image to simulate the lost gradient.

[frailer]

Am I game to touch it now....without gloves?   

[Joe]

If it's the PMS 1545 that is getting lost it is probably because he has the spot overprinting the process background. And then when everything gets flattened it breaks up everything into small chunks. This file was destined to fail from the start. People just do not understand transparency but they want to use it. Idiots.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I can get it to look okay, but I'm losing the drop shadow on the text. Stand by...

[Joe]

It's losing the drop shadow because when Prinergy converts it to CMYK the spot conversion to CMYK knocks out the CMYK underneath of it. In your refine settings you should have an option to keep spot overprints and it should work.

[Farabomb]

When I was looking at the wireframe in acrobat I knew something was up. I'm requesting the natives and hopefully I will get them. Almost every time I have some issue with the files. I will talk to the brother to make sure I get natives from now on.

[Joe]

PDF's will work if done properly. And made to the X4A specification. #1...anyone sending you 1.3 PDF's need to be smacked. #2...spots and transparency/overprint are a no no. Smacked again.

[Farabomb]

It's the done properly part I have to worry about. I'm trying everything I can in prinergy but not having much success. I'm going to request the natives, make a real PDF and then inform the client how to make a proper PDF.

[Joe]

You need to throw in a lesson on "How to use InDesign" as well. :wink:

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I have an option... I you don't get the natives.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/32y3l4

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

If you think they will work, I'll do the other one.

[Farabomb]

Shit, sometimes I feel I need that lesson too.

How did you do that DCS? I've been dicking with it on and off for a hour and got nowhere. I'm still going to try and get the natives becasue we get a fair amount of work from them and I want to fix the issue but the PDFs you made look great.