1 color job - 2 linescreens on 1 plate?

DCurry · June 17, 2009, 08:15:11 AM

Is there a way to image 2 different linescreens on one plate using Prinergy? I don't have Dotshop, and this only comes up once a year so I won't be buying it.

Double-burning the plate is not an option, either, as they are positive plates. In the past (using a Brisque) I have simply made the 1-color job into a 2-color job and imaged each plate at the desired linescreen. I can still do that now, but I was wondering if there was a better way.

DigitalCrapShoveler · June 17, 2009, 08:26:36 AM

What if you were to do it at the software level BEFORE Prinergy? For example, I haven't done it in a while, but in Freehand I could set a specific halftone dot on an image or graphic and it would hold, regardless of the output LPI.

DCurry · June 17, 2009, 08:31:30 AM

Yeah, I remember looking into this years ago and that being an option, but I'm not sure I want to get Freehand involved. It's an Illustrator piece.

DigitalCrapShoveler · June 17, 2009, 08:36:49 AM

Quote from: DCurry on June 17, 2009, 08:31:30 AMYeah, I remember looking into this years ago and that being an option, but I'm not sure I want to get Freehand involved. It's an Illustrator piece.

I wasn't saying that. I'll dig around and see if I can find you an alternate option. I just wanted to make sure you were open to it.

DCurry · June 17, 2009, 08:56:03 AM

I could probably make a Photoshop 1-bit TIFF of the oddball screen pattern, then place it into Illustrator and colorize it. That way, no further screening is applied to that item.

Hmmm, yeah -- that's the ticket!

DigitalCrapShoveler · June 17, 2009, 09:06:06 AM

Further reading, it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a halftone in AI numerically. TO get a specific Halftone you will need a 3rd party plug-in like Phantasm. Or do it Old School like you are. I would use Freehand, but that's just me. Good luck Bro.

Tracy · June 17, 2009, 09:18:30 AM

I might not be understanding correctly but, can you output the 2 different plates at different line screens?

Tracy · June 17, 2009, 09:19:23 AM

nevermind i see you want it on the same plate :embarrassed:

Joe · June 17, 2009, 09:23:07 AM

After going over all of the Prinergy options for the past 6 months too many times to think about...I know this can be done in Prinergy because I remember them talking about it. I just can't remember if it was a standard option or an extra. But it sounds like your way will work fine anyway.

mattbeals · June 17, 2009, 02:17:32 PM

I'm pretty confident that you need Dot Shop to do this. Last version of Prinergy that I used, v4, the screening information was ignored at the refining stage. So if that is still the case then the idea of using FreeHand would be out the door. It was a wonderful trick to use when we used to run level 2 and level 3 RIP's and send PostScript direct. The Brisque and PS/M's I used always ignored screening information that came down.

DCurry · June 17, 2009, 04:36:49 PM

Actually, Matt, you can tell Prinergy 5 to honor application-set screens. I did a little test with Freehand and it worked as long as during the output to plate stage you edit the Process Template to do so. It's pretty cool -- you can have it honor frequency, dot shape and one other thing (can't remember) or any combination of the three.

Sadly, this particular job is not in Freehand and I don't really want to rebuild it in Freehand. My earlier idea of creating a 1-bit tif and masking it doesn't work either because the shape that needs to mask it is too complex and Illy won't do it.

One other method I tried was I output the final screened 1-bit tifs that normally get sent to the platesetter, but I simply redirected it to disc instead of to the platesetter. Then I opened each separation in Photoshop and combined them into 1, thereby incorporating both screens. Now I just need to figure out how to get Xpo to see it and output it to the Lotem.

PrepressN00b · June 17, 2009, 07:19:05 PM

I know for a fact that this can be done before it gets to the prinergy. I have set object based screening in artpro and export a PDF to prinergy, prinergy kept the information and output properly. Not sure what other apps are out there that you can do object based screening with.

DigitalCrapShoveler · June 17, 2009, 08:39:43 PM

Dan, if you let me have the file, I will do some Freehand magic with it. Without seeing it, I can't tell you for certain, however, I am not the average user.

Up to you.

DCurry · June 18, 2009, 06:17:03 AM

Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on June 17, 2009, 08:39:43 PMDan, if you let me have the file, I will do some Freehand magic with it. Without seeing it, I can't tell you for certain, however, I am not the average user.

Up to you.

Thanks, DCS - I can get it to work in FH if I need to -- I also am not the average user!

DigitalCrapShoveler · June 18, 2009, 06:54:41 AM

Quote from: DCurry on June 18, 2009, 06:17:03 AM
Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on June 17, 2009, 08:39:43 PMDan, if you let me have the file, I will do some Freehand magic with it. Without seeing it, I can't tell you for certain, however, I am not the average user.

Up to you.

Thanks, DCS - I can get it to work in FH if I need to -- I also am not the average user!

Hahahahahaha, excellent. Then, if you don't have time... I'm dead over here and going crazy!

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1 color job - 2 linescreens on 1 plate?