quark - dcs - pdf - workaround

[beermonster]

as we all know quark sucks.

if you have a quack file with a dcs 2 in there, and you try to pdf out - it wont keep the spot colours - they get turned to process - wonderful.

simply resaving the dcs as a psd is not always the best alternative either - quark and psd can be an issue too. resaving as a pdf will screw up too as quark wont take the version of pdf needed anyway.

so...

resave the dcs as a psd, place that in illy, save the file as an eps, drop that in quark and pdf away - works a dream.

yes you could buy some other software like dcs merger - but why should you when you have this lil trick and all the tools to do it.

[Tracy]

im trying this trick, illy tells me the psd is in a format that cant be placed what am i doing wrong?

[Joe]

Version of Illy and PShop? Maybe?

[born2print]

yeah, older Illy's won't take .psd format...

[delooch]

i could never place a "duotone" .psd file in Illy..

[Tracy]

cs2

[born2print]

hmmm, I don't run cs2 anymore, but I thought it does import .psd
I just made a duotone and saved as .psd then "placed" in Illy cs3 without any trouble...

[delooch]

not that i do anything with duotones, but now im intrigued..

Im running CS2,

I created a greyscale image in PS, changed colormode to Duotone, chose Process Black and PMS 370C (olive greenish).  Saved as a .psd, and an .eps. I can place the .eps, but when i go to output, its all process.  When I try to place the .psd, i get an error message saying its in a format which cannot be placed..

I usually just place a greyscale image in illy, then color it there with no problems - seperates as expected.

The whole "duotone .psd" file not being able to be placed is what im curious about..

Sorry this is off-topic, but it sparked my interest

[Joe]

not that i do anything with duotones, but now im intrigued..

Im running CS2,

I created a greyscale image in PS, changed colormode to Duotone, chose Process Black and PMS 370C (olive greenish).  Saved as a .psd, and an .eps. I can place the .eps, but when i go to output, its all process.  When I try to place the .psd, i get an error message saying its in a format which cannot be placed..

I usually just place a greyscale image in illy, then color it there with no problems - seperates as expected.

The whole "duotone .psd" file not being able to be placed is what im curious about..

Sorry this is off-topic, but it sparked my interest

Tried the same thing in CS2. I can place a CMYK PSD, a grayscale PSD, a grayscale with spot channel PSD, but not a duotone PSD.

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I don't have any problems with duotones, 5 color images, whatever. It's all about file formats and knowing what to do with each one. I think the integration of all these new file formats have really confused the issue as to what they were intended to do. I stick with what works, or am shown a better way, and I experiment with file formats almost daily. Here's some things to do and look for when making duotones, DCS 2.0, and multi-channeled files that I have learned.

I am a big fan of duotones, it really makes a 2 color job look a little classier. To create them: Convert image to greyscale and adjust highlights and shadows, midtones. Convert the image to duotone picking whatever PMS color you wish. The image MUST be flattened. You can have a clipping path resident, but no extra channels, or layers. Save the file as an EPS with 8bit Mac/PC preview, no halftone screens, and no tranfer function. Doesn't matter what version of ID, it will work.

For the more complicated DCS 2.0 file... I have mixed workarounds depending on app. I start by taking a CMYK PS file and add a 5th spot channel, whatever PMS. I then convert the file to a Multi-Channeled file. I save this as a DCS 2.0, with Single file DCS, no Composite, again click off all options on the bottom.

Now, funny enough Quark will handle these files, and so will ID CS2, but I can't get them to work in CS3. I usually go 5 channeled CMYK PSD file for those in CS3 and that usually works. Make sure the spot color option is clicked on when saving it as a PSD.

What I find most intriguing about your above statements was the fact that everyone of you use PSD as a valid file format for duotones. Believe me I love PSD! By far the most versatile File Format in a long time, but it don't work too hot in older apps, especially before the days of transparency. And it don't work too hot for Duotones. Stick with what works, EPS, break it down Old School!!! I have no doubt this will be a way of the past soon, but for now, it is the way.

[Joe]

Actually I would do duotones in the page layouot app. I was just trying the PSD because others said it wouldn't work for them and sure enough it does not work in CS2.

PS: EPS is a dead file format. :wink:

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

I know Joe, I know, I use it only for the reasons above - and I only do it because it works. I know what you are saying, and I know you were just being helpful with some confirmations, really! I was just playing Devil's Advocate! ...and throwing some tips out if anyone has any issues.

[Joe]

LOL...I can never get enough of telling people postscript is dead. :laugh:

[DigitalCrapShoveler]

Very, very sadistic Joe. I like telling newbies Publisher is by far the best application ever created, and if they tried it, they would never stop. It's funny to see them hammer away trying to create a new document. We all laugh. After a few hours, I drop the hammer and hear a lot of colorful metaphors. Hahaha

[almaink]

If you can get a hold of the old Creo Kodak pxt extension for Quack, you can use it to write proper postscript, and successfully make a PDF containing DCS 2.0. Don't think it was ever updated for Quack 7 tho.