trap settings

[maxpower]

what trap settings are you guys using? I find that spread works best on most jobs especially with transparency, it defaults to centre but ive seen it fatten up text over transparency when trapping objects to images.

[Farabomb]

Stock Prinergy settings here. Have never had to change them.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Every job is different. We do a little bit of everything here, so packaging, or a catalog will probably trap different. When you start adding spot colors, metallics especially, regular "out-of-the-box" traps probably aren't going to work.

The real issue is, do you know how to trap? I was fortunate to to start off in Prepress before auto-trapping was a viable option, so I learned the hard way. Identifying what chokes, what spreads and what overprints is really the key to traps and how to set them up.

There's a trap test around here somewhere, take it and do it in Illustrator. The answers are also posted as well, so check your work and see if you really do know how to recognize traps and if you're doing them correctly.

When you can do that, settings on any workflow are pretty elementary.

[David]

similar to DCS, depends on the job. Are the colors dry trap or wet trap?
We do metallics, coatings, web and sheetfed, all kinds of stuff.
Our basic settings are .002", center with bevel. We alter from there based on the needs of the pressroom.

[Farabomb]

We have a customer that loves 300% black and metallic gold. In the past (AGFA) we would have trapping issues. Now running .144, Bevel on prinergy and I haven't had any issues.

We punch plates 2x so the register is not the best to begin with but our guys make it work.

[DigiCorn]

I figure industry standard is never spread or choke metallics. Metallics ALWAYS stay the same size. We trap 3mil for everything else.

We used to make large black solids 20-30-30-100 but I felt it was going red-brown, so I switched it to 60-40-40-100 which if anything is a little blue, but it looks better.

I don't usually have problems with transparencies, but sometimes drop shadows fatten up on me. Pdf x-1a usually resolves the issue, but if it's really an issue and I can't fix it any other way, I'll rasterize it in photoshop, and drop it back in.

[Farabomb]

I use the same breakdown for rich black.

Only time I see transparency issues is with quark PDFs and text but it's unnoticeable on press. I also rarely get Quark PDFs now.

[David]

I figure industry standard is never spread or choke metallics. Metallics ALWAYS stay the same size. We trap 3mil for everything else.

depends, we will sometimes put the metallics down first, sometimes last on press. The laydown on press will dictate the direction of trap.

[Farabomb]

Agreed, we normally lay them down first but if we switch rotation that's one of the rare times I change the trap.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I use 75-68-67-90 for rich black. It made my life SOOOO much easier. That is Photoshop's 300% rich black combination. It prints well, it stays in line with images and makes a nice BLACK black.

Think about it. I used to use all those combinations in the past, when merging with raster images, blacks look different.

[Farabomb]

Just wrote that formula down and will try it next time the issue presents itself.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

If you ever have a hard time remembering it, just go in to Photoshop, go to your color picker and drag it all the way down to the very bottom-most right. Wallah.

[DigiCorn]

I use 75-68-67-90 for rich black. It made my life SOOOO much easier. That is Photoshop's 300% rich black combination. It prints well, it stays in line with images and makes a nice BLACK black.

Think about it. I used to use all those combinations in the past, when merging with raster images, blacks look different.

When that happens, I either edit the raster image to make it my build, and, failing that, change my rich black to match. I don't just make a rich black blindly.

[DCurry]

I use 75-68-67-90 for rich black. It made my life SOOOO much easier. That is Photoshop's 300% rich black combination. It prints well, it stays in line with images and makes a nice BLACK black.

Think about it. I used to use all those combinations in the past, when merging with raster images, blacks look different.

So then how does your trapping handle the keepaway on that? Does it put a trap of 90%K around white type? If so, then you have a screened edge. If I run into that scenario, I have to edit the traps to be 100k so the edge of the knockout type remains nice and clean.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

It's exactly the same as if you have white text over a 4 color black raster image. And yes, you have to edit your traps accordingly. Like I said, every job is different. I have settings to deal with just about every situation. Some, I have to do manually and honor traps in my workflow. Regardless, I don't have half as many problems with blacks using this combo. Blacks are consistent and a lot of times, especially with packaging, designers like to merge vector blacks with raster blacks, causing massive color shifts.