Recombining separated PDF's

Started by madbugger, August 09, 2023, 04:24:31 PM

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madbugger

August 09, 2023, 04:24:31 PM
I have one client who occasionally sends in separated pdf's, apparently that is all he has access to. Major pain in ass to process to plate. 

Anyone know of an easy way to recombine back to single composite pdf.

Only way I have been able to find to do it is to take into photoshop and do it there, but lose all vector and end with only raster file.

I can make a separated file from composite, there just seems no way to go back the other way that I can find in Acrobat or Pitstop.

Cheers.
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Joe

#1
August 09, 2023, 04:31:13 PM
Have you tried placing the 4 seps on the same page in InDesign and setting the background for each as transparent when you import it and then exporting as a PDF? I have not tried it but it seems like it should work.
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DigiCorn

#2
August 09, 2023, 11:56:36 PM
Quote from: Joe on August 09, 2023, 04:31:13 PMHave you tried placing the 4 seps on the same page in InDesign and setting the background for each as transparent when you import it and then exporting as a PDF? I have not tried it but it seems like it should work.
Ditto this, but also, shouldn't each layer also be set to overprint, and layered in press order? Assuming of course, the separated PDF is a) NOT Trapped or b) Trapped perfectly. It'd be like an electronic color key.
"There's been a lot of research recently on how hard it is to dislodge an impression once it's been implanted in someone's mind. (This is why political attack ads don't have to be true to be effective. The other side can point out their inaccuracies, but the voter's mind privileges the memory of the original accusation, which was juicier than any counterargument ever could be.)"
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madbugger

#3
August 10, 2023, 04:31:57 AM
Quote from: Joe on August 09, 2023, 04:31:13 PMHave you tried placing the 4 seps on the same page in InDesign and setting the background for each as transparent when you import it and then exporting as a PDF? I have not tried it but it seems like it should work.
I will give that a try, I think each will need to be set to overprint as well. Each separation views as black in the pdf, so It might end up looking like a big black blob.

might be time to tell client our rip no longer handles separated pdfs and they need to supply a proper file 
If you don't like my comment, ignore it. If you don't know how to ignore it, message me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate how.
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Some people say you gotta die some day, I got news, you never gotta go
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Joe

#4
August 10, 2023, 06:14:32 AM
Oh yeah that is going to be a problem. It will just be a black blob that way. At some point in my life many years ago we had a software package that would combine them back into a single 4C PDF but that was a long time ago with a product called Shira that ran on Windows 98

Also importing them as transparent will make them overprint.
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The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

Joe

#5
August 10, 2023, 06:25:52 AM
On 2nd thought...you could open the C-M-Y seps in Acrobat and remap the seps via Pitstop to their respective channel...if you have Pitstop, and save them and then put them together in InDesign. At that point though you are working way too hard for an idiot customer that is sending you separated PDF's.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

David

#6
August 10, 2023, 09:10:30 AM
Quote from: madbugger on August 09, 2023, 04:24:31 PMI have one client who occasionally sends in separated pdf's, apparently that is all he has access to.
just curious, what program are they using to make the separated pdfs?
I would think it would be easy enough to just deselect the option to make separations.


do these come like an old fashioned DCS file (5 parts, low res main with hi res seps)?
Prepress guy - Retired - Working from home
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Joe

#7
August 10, 2023, 09:36:19 AM
Quote from: David on August 10, 2023, 09:10:30 AMjust curious, what program are they using to make the separated pdfs?
Curious about that too. I think you used to be able to makes seps from InDesign but you can't via export. If you have the Adobe PDF Printer on your system I think you could. But I don't have it so can't verify it.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

born2print

#8
August 10, 2023, 10:33:15 AM
Always inventing a better idiot, eh?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but...

Tracy

#9
August 10, 2023, 11:03:08 AM
Holy cow! that is insane! if they can make seps they can make pdfs. what the heck!

born2print

#10
August 10, 2023, 11:11:23 AM
Back in the earliest of CTP days, there was a whiz-bang device that scanned and digitized film, reminds me of that weird time.
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but...

Joe

#11
August 10, 2023, 12:38:55 PM
Quote from: born2print on August 10, 2023, 11:11:23 AMBack in the earliest of CTP days, there was a whiz-bang device that scanned and digitized film, reminds me of that weird time.
Yes we had that Linotype Topaz scanner. Scanned many a film seps to a Scitex CT file on a Mac and then registered the colors in Photoshop which was faster than registering the film seps and putting them on pins in the scanner.
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The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

scottrsimons

#12
August 10, 2023, 12:56:02 PM
Quote from: Joe on August 10, 2023, 09:36:19 AMjust curious, what program are they using to make the separated pdfs?
Curious about that too. I think you used to be able to makes seps from InDesign but you can't via export. If you have the Adobe PDF Printer on your system I think you could. But I don't have it so can't verify it.
Yes, Joe it can still be done. I/we still have a postscript printer option in InDesign just for this. As every once in a while we need to send seps out to a vendor or even more rare to a customer as they don't believe us about the spot color. And it still works great, except for the fact that you get a PS file that you have to run through Distiller to get a PDF. But at least it's doable.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!" - Homer J. Simpson

Joe

#13
August 10, 2023, 01:09:33 PM

I made a separated .ps file from ID last night to try it but it would not distill.
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The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

pabney

#14
August 10, 2023, 03:13:00 PM
Oddly enough XMF has a way to recombine and spit out a pdf with the vectors and fonts intact.
I can't say I have ever used it, but I just gave it a try and it seems to work pretty good, at least I got a pdf with everything showing up.

You have to create a master template, as that is the only place you can turn the function on, and you also have to respect the documents overprints. Let me know if you want more info.

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