So After Alma Offset closed I was on unemployment for 4 months. It was a nice vacation but was looking like I would never find another job. By chance I saw a job listed on craigslist for a Production Assistant and figured I give it a shot. They sent me an email asking me to call the manager of the shop to set up an interview so I did. I've ben here 5 weeks now and it's nothing like prepress that's for sure. It's a repro shop that does digital B&W large and small format, color digital also large and small and online file storage using the Planwell system.  They hired me to learn everyones job so I can fill in if someone is sick or goes on vacation. So far so good although it's more hands on than prepress ever was. I rip, print and bind everything that comes in and some of these jobs are huge. The moneys the same as I was getting but the commute really sucks. It takes on average a 45 minutes to get home and I'm only going 12 miles. I just hope it lasts till I retire in 7 years. Not much time to post like my last job but I'll hand when I can. Just nice to be working again, as at 58 finding work isn't easy.

So after almost 28 years Alma Offset is officially shutting down on March 2nd. What sucks the most is being 58 and almost to retirement age. What sucks second is not much out there in this area in the way of printing jobs. Mostly Flexo and low paying copy jobs. No idea how we are going to pay the bills but hopefully something will turn up soon. 

So I saw this online at http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ and wondered WTF isn't it seen by the Adobe update manager? Has anyone else seen and done this already? You have to download this "fix" and install it yourself it seems. Real nice of Adobe to let everyone know about this, I guess they only send emails to sell things. BTW it looks like Acrobat also has a security update.

http://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb14-11.html
http://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/reader/apsb14-15.html

Customer sent a 32 page book in that used RGB black on a few pages. I deleted that swatch from the pallet and replaced it with black only to watch the text reflow right off the pages. I've never seen that happen before. If I selected the text and changed it to black no reflow. The only way it will reflow is to delete that swatch. I ended up using Ink Manager to remap that RGB black to real black. Anyone else see this yet? I googled it and got one hit but no answer as to WTF is going on. I did suspect a text or paragraph style and when I looked sure enough that where the problem is but if I change it to black there I get the same reflow as if I had deleted the swatch. I'm guessing the only fix is to do what I did, remap the RGB black.

http://50.adobe-indesign-macintosh.overzone.net/text-reflow-when-converting-from-rgb-spot-color-to-process-black-t3945.html

So I get a rush job in today that was done in Illustrator CS6. Since I have not I tried to place the ai in InDesign and low and behold I get not the ai file I expected but a text message telling me to open the ai in Illustrator 6 and resave it with PDF content checked. WTF? Now I can't work with a file because a checkbox is left unchecked by default now and Adobe doesn't tell anyone until you get a file you can't use?

Well Irene as some of you may know wiped out our shop almost completely with 36" of water. We were insured and I'm getting all the new equipment installed. Got my new Mac up and running except for Pit Stop Pro 10. I have my key numbers my serial numbers and my account name and password but I can't use Pit Stop because the license is "Broken". I tried to reactivate it like I did successfully with every other application I have, BUT NO GO. Enfocus has no phone number to talk to a live person it's all email BS. When I login to their website it says my copy of Pit Stop is active so thats no help. Anyone got a clue what to do? I did send an email but I don't have days to wait for a response.

Got this Quark PDF. Opened in Acrobat but didn't notice images were a spot color black, alternate color space Gray? I got burned watch out for it to make sure you don't. I should have checked the PDF out of InDesign better but it was a super rush. The fix was to convert the color to grayscale in the original PDF placed in InDesign. Picture one is PitStop. Picture two is how it ripped. Picture three is the rip after the fix.

Anyone try the new Snow Leopard update yet to see if it really does fix the type one font issue?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874

Just bought a new iMac for the shop because we needed a new machine as our G5 is getting long in the tooth. I ran the Eye one calibration on it but it doesn't come anywhere near my Diamond Pro 2070SB that is connected to the G5. In general color looks great on the iMac but PMS colors are not even close. I noticed if I change to different profiles in preferences I really don't see much change unless I select Generic RGB or wide gamut RGB. Do I need a special device to calibrate the iMac or is that as good as it gets?

Is it even compatible? My G5 has died (I'm hoping it can be fixed) and I get to buy a new Mac. But the new ones only come with Snow leopard and I want to make sure it will run Rampage. If it won't I'll have to buy a refurbished one. Those still come with the older leopard on them.

Low and behold. Neo can now open PDF files! Just downloaded and installed version 3. It opened a 32 page PDF in about 60 seconds. Unbelievable but maybe we do have a chance getting Adobe to get their act together after all.

http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php

No idea WTF happened but I can't get this site to load at work no matter what I do. I think it may have to do with the last security update as everything was working just fine before I installed that. Since I've been busy as hell at home and didn't install that update yet, and I also have the message "another application has changed your network settings" when ever I open Network Preferences, An error many Mac PPC users are getting Google it, I'm guessing the two are somehow related. I tried a few of the fixes that are out there on the net but still can't connect here or to Break.com. Every other web site seems unaffected.

CS4 is now shipping, and if you are an ASN member it's available for download.

It started shipping today and is up on the Partners download page. Give it a shot Joe, I think you will he pleasantly surprised.

It's here.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/?promoid=BPDDU

I looked, but didn't see a new download for it on Adobes Partners page.

Got a 184 page perfect bound book in Indy CS3. All black text no graphics at all. I export to PDF and impose in CS2 as 32 page singatures. Try to export that as a PDF and it won't work. Get no real error just Failed to export to PDF. I can export to EPS and write a PS file. It also will export to PDF from CS3. It crashes CS(LOL) if I try it from there using the INX file. This is the first time I've ever seen this in CS2 I remember it happening in CS tho. I guess CS3 must do something odd to the PDF it exports but no idea WTF that could be. BTW I opened another job I did last week just to make sure it wasn't an application issue and it PDF'ed no problem. I also cleaned out the font caches and ran fsck -fy and optimized the PDF to a lower version. Just won't export to PDF from CS2 no matter WTF I try. I hate CS3, hope this doesn't become a constant issue.

Yet more goodness from your friends at Adobe.
http://tv.adobe.com/

Good one on Transparency in Indy CS3
http://tv.adobe.com/#v=http%3A//adobe.edgeboss.net/flash/adobe/adobetvprod/escaping_murphys_law/56_eml_001.flv%3Frss_feedid%3D1071%26xmlvers%3D2

Something to kill time or perhaps actually build your own fonts.

http://fontstruct.fontshop.com/

It's up and pretty cool IMO.
Check it out here-
http://www.photoshop.com/express

Just found this and thought I'd pass it along.
http://www.stcassociates.com/lab/fontbrowser.html