This is a first for me. I was supplied files from someone that thinks they know what they are doing... circa 1999. I received a CD that I had to find a computer with a working drive to get the files off. There were PDFs and EPSs, I used the PDF.

It has mostly 100% k type with some 4c grey drop shadows, remember 1999. I run it through EVO and it turns all the 100% k to 4c for some unknown reason. I know I have it set to convert 4c K to 100% k but I've never seen this.

It's not a big deal as since it's one big picture complete with pixelated fonts nothing is trapping so I'll just use the original file. I can't select anything in pitstop as it's one element.

I think I know the answer to this but I have an EU customer asking a ICC question. They want to know what profile they should use. They are insisting they need to use the EXACT ICC profile because they are EU and it's being printed in the US.

As far as I know Prinergy just tosses the ICC profile and applies it's own color profiles to match the press. Is this right? The designers have no clue so they bounced the question to us.

My thought is it doesn't matter what profile that's applied. Why are the EU designers asking? Would there be a scenario where the ICC profile would matter in printing?

So I have a PDF here of a single page PDF calendar. It's a 2015 one that I have to convert to 2016. The boss thinks it's just clicking buttons but I don't think it's that easy.

I'm thinking I have to reflow the whole thing, add the holidays and do the other edits the customer wants by hand. Does anyone else have an idea on how to do it?

The calendar part looks like this.

I know we sure are not. The boss and I just got into it because he didn't like my comment of maybe when he was talking about having us build stuff for the solar company. I'm not alone in being a little scared here.

Just wondering if anyone else is dead/busy. I've heard that most shops in our area have work, I'm just wondering where ours is.

So our press repair guy just dropped off a Horizon FC-20 trimmer, SPF-20 folder/stitcher and 2 VAC-100m vertical pockets.

The problem is it didn't come with manuals. I'm searching on the goog but I figured maybe someone here might have a PDF kicking around. Also if anyone happens to have one how does it work and what should we be looking out for? We haven't made a commitment on it yet but we will have to eventually.

I have been experiencing some severe delays on apple mail. I'm not sure if it's being caused at the email server or the program itself. There are times I will get the email on my phone but not on apple mail. Then 3 days later it pops up. It only seems to happen to work related emails, the spam has no issue getting through. Oh, yea that email address and only that one gets hammered with spam. One day I watched my junk and spam catcher get wacked with 300 emails between them in 8 hours.

I do have spam assassin set to 1.5 and a few filters set up but still a fair amount of spam goes through. I've been deleting things in the inbox and sent folders hoping that might help, is there anything else I should be looking at? I have a ticket in with HG but I'm not sure it's on their end. 

I was wondering if anyone has experience with VMs on PC. What I am looking to do to be able to run Snow lepoard, whatever current OSX and windows 7 as the main OS. Maybe win 10 in the future.

Virtual box is free and I am probably going to play around with that today. There is also parallels, VMware, Windows Virtual PC and others I'm probably missing.

I'm looking to upgrade my workstation soon and I want to see if it's possible to make one computer do it all. Apple just wants too much money for their hardware.

Does anyone have a newer metallic book with the mixing formula for 10347? I'm trying to use up some old ink and I want to see how close the mix is to 8381.

What is amusing is earlier this week we found that color and the old pressman and the boss flat out told me that that color does not exist. I had to show them that in fact, pantone does add more colors and because it didn't exist in 1986, doesn't mean it can't exist now.

So I wasn't paying attention and set up a PB job as 16 page forms instead of parallel 8's. Seems when there are jobs with many cross overs we do them as parallel 8's. The bindery guy can't give me a straight answer as to why we do this. He tells me that yea it helps some times and doesn't in others.

What does everyone else do? Is it really that some folding patterns are better than others or is there a way to impose jobs (creep and other things) to compensate for the issues?

We are a sheetfed shop but I won't discount wise words from the web world. It seems we have 1000000000000 ways to do something and I'm looking to trim down things to just a few to lessen issues post press.

Or am I just screwed and printing is just a pain in the ass?

I've found some info online but none have gotten me to the "clear counters" part. I'm getting a 0040 error so it's the cleaner pump reaching end of life. I just need to clear it to get some proofs out so I can go home. Figures.

Well it's coming time where 10.6.8 is getting a bit long in the tooth. I can't run Pitstop 13 and I see more software issues coming. The Mac Pro tower will still have to be here for running everything, I don't see us upgrading the whole RIP as we are still on preps 5.

I'm going to pitch a new laptop to the boss. I have a good chance I'll get it. My question is what one to go for. Obviously, the biggest, best display, best card, ect. Macbook pro is what comes to mind but in reality, what should I get?

I expect memory and better vid card would be best but do I really need a retina display?

I'm pitching it as my home/work laptop. Yes I can do jobs through remote desktop but it's not optimal. This would allow me to use my Adobe programs I have here legally on the laptop and just pass the files through FTP or dropbox Instead of waiting for the cursor to respond like I'm working on a quadra.

We have been having more and more issues with our platesetter and it is quite old. I may have convinved the boss that a new, used one might be a good idea. We have a guy that we buy a lot of equipment from that has a trendsetter. There is also a local guy that has a screen device. Both are about the same price and age. If you had the choice, what one would you go with?

I have limited experience with the trendsetter back when we were using it for proofing and it had issues. I'd have to assume it's more refined now but it is a Kodak device so money could have been not allocated to developing the device.

Screen is rebadged by everyone and their mother and is in a lot of shops. Everyone I talk to says that's the one to get, even salesmen.

Now, to the people in the trenches, what is the real story. I expect there to be minor issues with any device but if you had to choose, what one would you pick and why?

I expect I can have E Z High-tec service either one without issue but I expect I will be the one making the first fix attempt.

That or a way where I can get the proofer closer to what we have on press. In some aspects it's better with the new plates and sometimes it's totally off. I have an idea why as the proofer was calibrated to different media, plates, ink and just about everything.

I know little about harmony so I don't have a clue how to begin. Would it be possible to print something on the press and generate a .icc profile that will get us closer to what we are putting down?

I have a PS document that actually has layers that make sense. I need to convert a color to a spot. I can select it, choose the spot color in fill but it applies it to CMYK, not the spot channel I made. There is also a gradient that is giving issues but same deal, I have to make it a spot.

I told the customer I probably wouldn't be able to change it, even with the natives. Guess what I got when came in? The natives.

I can probably beat it to death and maybe get it but of course, it's a rush. I know spots are possible in PS but it's not the easiest thing to do.

So we are in the testing faze of these plates. We have the COU and they sent someone in to set up the CAT88. The guy knew little to nothing about it (surprise, it's ancient) but we seem to have the exposures right.

We have 2 issues so far. One is framing on press. The pressman operator is insisting it's on my end but since it's a write to image plate (background just washed away instead of the LH-PJ that burns out the background) it really doesn't make sense. Not saying it's impossible, just not probable.

We do have minor framing issues with the LH-PJ. The AGFA guy said to add another oz. of fountain solution. That should help things. I'm not all that familiar with pressroom chemistry but what does fountain solution do? Does it help lessen ink stick to the non-image areas?

The bigger issue has me stumped. We had a job, 4 out on a 19x25. In one place toward the gripper the dot was not there. I read it with the plate reader and there was nothing. The other placement towards the tail, the dot was there. I made another plate to see if was just a fluke and it swapped. The image toward the tail was now missing dot and the one near the gripper had dot. I checked the preview on the CAT and the dot was definitely there.

It was a 2-3% dot so my thought was the plate's resolution couldn't hold it. I tried to adjust the curve so It didn't cut any from the highlights and it got slightly better. Has anyone else had issue with light screens? I'm quite worried that if we go to these plates and it happens again that we won't catch it and the job will get rejected.

Is there anything else I should watch out for? I was assured by the salesman we would have no issues with this plate but that's not been proven to be the case.

Besides Frailer is anyone here running violet system? I had a salesman come in blowing smoke how his violet plate is amazing and what have you.

I see almost no talk about violet plates, everything is thermal. The last time I used a V plate it was back in 99 with the LAP-V. Nasty chemistry, a bitch to clean and the resolution wasn't amazing.

I know, it's a salesman and his lips are moving so he's lying... but is it really the case?

This is the first I've seen prinergy do this. I have a cover and an insert. Both 4c and both have 80% K type for the text elements.

Cover RIPs fine, 80% remains 80%. On the insert the same 80% text turns into a 4c breakdown K for the text elements. Strange for the rip to run one file fine and screw up the other.

I don't want to post up the file, NDA's and all that but if you want to give it a go I can PM it.

For some reason this year there is nothing I really want for xmas that's obtainable so I figure a new knife is a good idea. I use a Kershaw NRG-II for a EDC now but it's discontinued. I'd get another but the ones I found they want a dumb amount of money for them.

I know there are a few knife people on here so I'd like opinions. Looking for a closed length around 4.5-5", g-10 handle or the like and a non-gloss finish. Also Ti scales are a bonus, one handed opening (but not assisted, I live in the rebublik of NJ. They are legal but I don't need any extra hassles from uninformed cops) and lightweight.

Price is only a minor issue. I have no issue paying for quality but I don't feel like loosing a $300+ knife. Benchmade are real nice for I feel you are paying a little bit for the name. Spyderco is another. I'm sure they are quality blades but they look cheap. I'd rather spend extra on the benchmade and have a great looking knife rather than what looks like a QVC plastic special.

Liner lock, back lock and roller lock are all fine. For some reason the liner locks always confuse people for some reason. Smooth, one handed opening with limited maintenance is what I'm looking for.

I'm doing a logo for a friend's shop and I need some font ideas. I have a shitload of fonts but going through all of them will take days.

Thoughts?

It's archive time so I'm trying to go through and clean up some things that will never be needed again. I've noticed on my 3TB drive almost all the really old files I have, most fonts are toast. That doesn't matter much as the jobs are 5+ years old (and quark).

My question is about going forward. If I zip all the folders that contain fonts and native files with that prevent the fonts from getting toasted? The 3TB is on a PC so I know that's where the fonts got broken.

The people running prinergy/EVO, what do you archive? I've been keeping the for print files, the refined files and the preps .job files. I trash the JDFMarksFlats folder and .vps files. Since reprints get new numbers I just rename, relink to the refined files and create a new .jdf file. The one issue I do see is I don't know exactly what the old sheet looked like. Most of the time that's not a problem as we save presssheets. I'm wondering if saving the old .vps files might be worth the space so I can know exactly how it was laid out the last time. It's extremely rare that I do an exact reprint so it's rarely an issue.