Ticket Options

Question Details

TICKET ARCHIVE -> Illustrator Printing Serparations to Pdf After 10.4 Install

Nedster - May 3, 2005 - 10:16 pm

Installed Tiger 10.4, running perfect except... Illustrator printing color seps to PDF, I had the same issue in Panther 10.3, the fix for it was just installing Norton antivirus, not that I needed an antivirus, but it fixed the issue.

Now it is acting the same way, press print, printer icon comes up in the dock, looks like it prints, icon disappears but no PDF, tried the Norton Antivirus install to see if that would be the same fix but it had no effect.

Oh yeah, this is using both Acrobat pro 6 and 7, I switched back to 6 to see if it would work but nothing either

Desperate, any ideas

Thanks in advance

Natobasso - May 4, 2005 - 12:34 am

If I understand your question correctly, it sounds like you're printing a color separated pdf instead of printing on your printer itself?

It's not necessarily bad that you're printing pdfs, color sep'ed, but I'm sure you want control over it.

You should check to see if you have your printer set to "Acrobat PDF" by default. If it is, go to System Prefs/Printers and change your default printer. Also check every time you print to make sure your printer doesn't get changed back to Acrobat PDF.

Are you on a printer network with a server, etc? If so, check to see if any printers have their "Print Sharing" on. Also found in System Prefs/Printers.

Let us know what happens after you follow this advice.


--------
Nat(at)
flikworld(dot)com

Nedster - May 4, 2005 - 12:53 am

Thanks for the response. What it is that I am doing lets say, is I have a 3 color PMS logo that I need separated to go to a print house so they can make plates for each color.

When I choose print from the file menu, the print window comes up and I can choose Adobe PDF as my printer, and then choose separations in that menu. I have tried to change the driver to Distiller and others but to no avail. This was an issue in Panther upgrade, but the fix for it is not working in Tiger.

This upgrade went on a brand new Hard Drive and used migration assistant to transfer files, It did not work, so I tried a few things then uninstalled it and reinstalled, same problem....

I really need a fix, Please help
Thanks

Natobasso - May 4, 2005 - 1:46 am

Ok. I see. I'm still not sure what Norton Antivirus has to do with your separations, though. Hmmm.

However, the best way to get separations, as long as all colors are in fact called out as PMS colors, is to save out the document as a pdf from Illustrator, don't print it as a pdf because you won't get all the advanced color options you need to get 3 separations from your illustrator doc.

The pdf from this save will contain not only CMYK but any PMS colors. You can see these colors by opening up your pdf in Acrobat (not reader, but the Professional version).

Now the real answer to your question, if you must make separate plates, is to place the Illustrator file in InDesign (or, gulp, quark!) and you can print separate colors as their own "plates" or pdfs. A printer, though, can do the seps themselves if provided with a properly colored file, in PDF/X-1a.

The crudest way of all is to physically place each PMS color on a separate layer in your Illusrator file, hide the other two layers, and save out separate pdfs of each. I prefer letting InDesign do my seps for me.

Remember to set your overprints in ilustrator correctly. If you set your colors to overprint, they will basically mix instead of "knocking" out. It depends on the effect you want. Most of the time we want our colors to NOT over print so they are clean and clear.

Hope this helps. Keep posting if not.
--------
Nat(at)
flikworld(dot)com

Nedster - May 4, 2005 - 2:03 am

The Norton part of the conversation is I had the same issue with the PDF printer in Panther 10.3, the fix for the problem then, was to install Norton Anti-Virus and it did fix the issue- not sure why but it did.

I have been working in the print industy for some time, It is a huge convienence for me and my time to create my logos or designs in Illustrator and print the separations right from Illustrator. This is why it is important to me and my everyday work habit.

I know this seems confusing but to get this fixed saves a lot of hastle moving from one program to the next when I don't need to - or should I say didn't.

Thanks

Natobasso - May 4, 2005 - 3:41 am

Did any of my advice help at all? Just want to make sure to eliminate whatever train of thought isn't working.

I'm just not sure if Norton has anything to do with your problem. I use 10.2 Jaguar at home and 10.3 Panther at several on-site contract jobs (some of those 10.3 contract jobs use Norton) and I've never seen a conflict with PDF separations caused by Norton. Doesn't mean it can't happen. I think it's just the fact that you're upgrading your op system, maybe that's wiping your printer settings. The color seps are determined by your printer setting.

I tried saving separations out of Illustrator and it technically does it when you save to PDF, the printer can take any separation he/she wants from that file.

If you want illustrator to do it when you "print" you just have to make sure your correct destination printer is selected.

You can try saving your illustrator file to .pdf, then open it in Acrobat Pro and view Separations. You'll see all your PMS colors on separate plates in the document. This is the easiest and quickest way to do it.


--------
Nat(at)
flikworld(dot)com