In addition to printing state materials for all of CalTrans, we also do archival scanning. We have something like a 5 year backlog of scanning to do (we hope to be expanding and at least doubling our capability in the next year). Some of the documents we recently received for scanning were plans hand drawn on an onion-skin like paper, and held together with... they're kind of like rivets, but they're rings... not grommets.... but grommets, I guess. They are not meant to be removed, but to best scan them, we need to remove them, and ideally replace them. I'll see if I can snap a picture in a bit. Has anyone come across these before and do you know where to get replacements, or how to remove them without damage?

While looking for some paper to special order this morning, came across this. Now I ask you, honestly, as a manufacturer of paper for digital reproduction, is this what you want to name your company?

Also, econosource is a shitty brand, and I don't recommend it.

We have a forms department, and they created a PDF form that allows you to attach files within. When we receive an order form, the art is located in a field box where you click on the file name and extract the file. I've included a screenshot. Well, I got one with a .zip and I can't extract it, open it or anything else. Any idea how to pull the .zip file out of a PDF to work it?

We have a legal team that needs documents printed from time-to-time. It's not often, but when they need stuff, they need it before now. Monday they brought in close to 50,000 documents spread out over several thousand files they need printed ASAP. They added Bates Numbering to all their documents for reference... problem is, they way they did it, they added 1/4" to the bottom of every sheet (or to the left and right on landscape documents) and some of the stuff mixed in is 17 x 11, and it has the same problem. All the page geometry is set to letter or ledger size, so when it goes through the RIP, the numbering gets cut off.

Prisma has the ability to batch resize all the 8.5 x 11.25 and 17.25 x 11 (or 17 x 11.25) documents to proper size, but with the Acrobat art/trim box set to cut off the numbering, it's still a problem that has to be fixed. On top of that, the legal team markups up their pdfs using Acrobat highlighter tools and markups.

Since I don't have PitStop, I use PDF fixups. I wrote one fixup to first strip the document of all it's page box designations, so that it technically has no page boxes. Then I wrote a second fixup to add the page boxes back in as defined by the page size. I wrote a third to "flatten" the highlighting and markups (because the RIP strips those off too).

The way we sometimes fix this is to "print to Microsoft PDF" and select the dropdown tool for "print document and markups," but if you have multiple page sizes within the same document, it makes them all one size only, and there's no work around for that. It's also a pain to open each document, run fixup a, fixup b and then fixup c, save, close and open the next one.

I figured this out. If you export the fixups as profiles, and then reimport them to a custom profile, you can create an action that runs the fixups in your predetermined order and then add a save command. Basically, you open the first file, and then open the action panel. From here you can select multiple files (I tested it with the first 50) and it will run them all (in the background, too so you can work on other stuff). It took about 10 minutes to process the first 50, but a lot of those were single pagers. I have 950 more to go in this one folder, but so far it's working, and a huge stress/time saver.

We're in the market for a new folder. Currently looking at a Duplo for $9600. Needs to be in the $10000 price range new. The largest sheets we print (that need folding) is 12x18. An MBO is probably overkill for what we do, and also probably too expensive. Any recommendations? Nothing fancy... usually just fold in half or brochure/letter folding (and engineer/z folds).

Here's an interesting one... I have a job created by the forms department on another floor. It's a certificate with the honoree's name printed on it. I have 47 different files. Rather than open each one and select, "print to Microsoft pdf" (to flatten it) or have to open each file individually, I thought I would combine them all into a single document, however, when I do this it sees the variable Acrobat form field as the same and changes the name on all 47 pages. Any ideas, or do I just have to bite it and open and flatten each one? I have no RIP or imposition software, so it's pretty much a direct to print situation.

I have a 55" 4k Sony TV (2015), and last month I bought a PS5. I have a Directv receiver, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, XBox 360, XBox One and a Roku all connected to that TV, which has 4 HDMI inputs. I bought two (different brands so no IR crossover) HDMI switches - 1 4 port and 1 5 port. Until last Wednesday, they were all connected and working. I went on vacation for 4 days, and when I came back Sunday night, nothing worked.

I disconnected EVERYTHING and reconnected Directv and the PS5. Neither one worked. The PS5 had a black screen, and Directv kept saying, "Your TV does not support this program's content protection. Replacing the TV's HDMI cable with component cables will allow you to view the program." I unplugged the PS5 and plugged it back in, and it showed a message on screen to the effect of, "rebuilding damaged storage. PS5 will restart when completed." Then a black screen again. I connected both sevices directly to the TV (not using the switches at all) and the same messages appeared.

I factory reset Directv and I factory reset the TV and I unplugged the PS5 again. After I restarted the TV (and set up the network connection and enabled 4k) and after I restarted Directv (and set up the network connection and enabled 4k) and plugged the PS5 back in, everything worked like brand new. I reconnected the switches (PS5 on the 5 port switch, Directv on the 4 port switch) and they worked fine. They worked the rest of Sunday, all day Monday and now today, they don't work again. Same PS5 black screen. Directv still works (AFAIK). WTH?

I swapped switches (I had a new unused one that I tried too), connected direct to the TV with no switch and nothing. It's less than a month old. Any suggestions? Is it the PS5? Is it the switch? Is it my TV? I'm using 4k compliant HDMI cables on all connections. The PS4, PS3, XBox 360, XBox One, Wii U and Roku all work when connected to the switches (The Wii is on component cables).

Can I see some examples of what's being used out there to get a signed off proof? They never had a proof sign off form here before, but I'd like to see what kind of details you provide to your customers via proof form.

For anyone out there struggling like me without PitStop, here's some tools (you can modify as needed) to help.

In Acrobat click on Tools --> Print Production --> Preflight

Go to Import Profiles

Add the files attached here to this post

Run them in order 0-1-2-3 (highlight and click "Analyze and fix" or "Fix")

You have now taken an 8.5x11 that should bleed without and added bleeds (clip and flip style) and crop marks, and your page geometry is perfect.

I have a job I need to fix bleed on (392 pages) and the bleed is there in the file, but it's masked. I need to use a PDF Fixup to remove the masks, but can't figure it out. Is it even possible? The file originated in PDFium.

I have a spreadsheet I'm creating in Excel to track jobs through the shop. In it I have some formulas to math for me. Problem is, it's really easy to accidentally delete or erase the formula and screw up the cell, so is there a way (without locking or requiring a password) to protect the formula inside that cell so it doesn't lose it's format and can still be typed in to? I know how to lock it, but then you can't add any new information, and the only other trick I know requires a password every time you want to add new information. Also, without the use of a 3rd party plug-in, is there a way to make a cell have a date finder calendar?

On the latest build of Illustrator, I am trying to create a new document and I set the bleed to 0 all around, and when it creates the new page, it's adding 1/8" of bleed to the top. You can't set the document defaults like you can in InDesign, so how do I fix? It's not a deal-breaker, but it really is an annoyance.

Having been out of the game a few years, I ran into a couple issues today and discovered two new (to me anyway) cool tricks.

If you need an image from an Acrobat file (without any of the text or crap someone might have included in the file), open the file in Photoshop. When you get the preview window, tic the radio button that says, "images," (it defaults to whatever you did last). Voila - an unmolested image.

#2, in InDesign, which was freshly installed on my machine, the default setting for image handling was set to Auto-Fit "on." This meant every time I tried to edit the frame on a placed image, the image would resize and/or distort. To turn the default Auto-Fit, "off," it's not in the preferences - you have to go to Object --> Fitting --> Frame Fitting Options and turn it off there.

Anyone know where I can get Xerox production scanner parts other than from Xerox directly? We have several W130 production scanners, and we need to AF rollers for it. It's $108 from Xerox, but I can't find anyone else who might sell this part. Not available from Amazon, OfficeDepot or Staples. 

Looking for something like Printsmith but cheaper. Any suggestions?

Second day on the job and run into my first major issue. Using Prisma to feed a canon 10,000 VP and it lost its ability to offset stacks. Yes, we turned it off and turned it on again.

There's a cross promotion going on right now between Wyze and Google Nest Home. (There's also this). You can get a 7" Google Home smartscreen and an indoor/outdoor video surveilance camera for $79.99 (50% off). Google Home integrates with ADT and if you have Wyze it does that (and Arlo). I dropped Xfinity ($165/mo for 2gb cable internet, home phone and alarm/monitoring) to get Fidium ($69.99/mo for home phone and 2gb fibre-optic internet but no alarm) and I have 5 Arlo cams and 4 Wyze cams and Google Home monitors it all. I have Arlo cloud recording and Wyze SD recording and I programmed Home, Away and Night time modes with push alerts. If I'm Away from Home and something trips a camera, I get video immediately (and recorded) and I can 1-touch activate an alarm/call for help. 

I also have a Ring doorbell and motion floodlight, but Google Home doesn't integrate with Ring.

I am using CS 5.1 at home; it's all I got anymore that works. I can't remember how to set file preferences so that it goes to the most recently browsed folder. I have 74 signature tif scans I need to place on to vector art for a T-shirt, and it sucks.

I have 8gb RAM... just for fucking around with at home. Should I spend a few bucks and upgrade it to 16gb RAM?

I have an issue at home on one of my Windows 10 machines. This one happens to be an AMD Phenom 8450 Triple-Core 2.10Ghz with 8gb RAM 64-bit. It appears, so far, that it ONLY hangs on internet and NOT on games or other apps. I have Google Chrome AND MS Edge, and it appears to hang more on Chrome and less on Edge, but does hang on both. By *hang,* I mean it just totally locks up and stops functioning for several minutes, usually resulting in a 2nd window stating, "Page Unresponsive." I've pretty much attempted every internet fix short of doing a Win10 reset. It happened just now typing this message for 3-4 minutes

During the *hang,* for lack of a better term, I can still access other Windows 10 functions... if Chrome hangs, I can still browse on Edge, and vice-versa. I can still play music, or games, or access features like the calculator, etc. It's super annoying, and I'd like to fix it without resorting to the reset. I've run Malwarebyters, Windows Defender, Stinger, etc. and come up blank. I did do an Event Viewer and found a recurring problematic event, schannel error 36871, but it also does hang in the Event Viewer. I have taken every step imaginable to eliminate this issue, including Registry level adjustments, and for 48 hours there have been no schannel errors, but it still hangs.

It *may* be an MS Windows security 5379 error, but event viewer doesn't show this as a catastrophic error. Any ideas?