Computer Graphics with Photoshop - Converting PDF to CMYK from RGB

Author

Converting PDF to CMYK from RGB

2004-01-26, 2:28 pm

Perhaps someone could let me know if this will solve my problem:

I have a client who designed a flyer in Microsoft Publisher 2002, and
using Acrobat 6.0 printed it to PDF.

I need to take this file to an offset printer, but do not have Quite
software's "Quite a box of tricks" or Pitstop, which I could use to
convert the file to CMYK.

Can I open the file in Photoshop, change the setting to CMYK and then
save it as a PDF again, thereby converting the document to CMYK?

I tried it, and it seems to do the job.

Anyone know for sure?

Thanks,

Jody

Tacit

2004-01-26, 3:28 pm

>Can I open the file in Photoshop, change the setting to CMYK and then

quote:

>save it as a PDF again, thereby converting the document to CMYK?

If you do that, the PDF will be unprintable. Separating the entire PDF in
Photoshop will cause black text and other elements to separate to 4-color
black--that is, the black text will have cyan, magenta, yellow,a nd black inks
in it, which is not what you want. The PDF will also be "rasterized" (broken up
into pixels), which means that the type and logos will not print smoothly.

You need to do one of three things:

1. Use Enfocus PitStop, Quite a Box of Tricks, or some other PDF tool to
separate the images in the PDF; or

2. Have your client pull his head out of his XXX, separate the RGB images to
CMYK, place the CMYK images in Publisher, and create the PDF properly; or

3. Have your service bureau use in-RIP separation (if they have a Level 3
PostScript RIP) to separate the RGB images to CMYK. (This works, but does not
exactly produce stellar results. Most in-RIP separation isn't the best.)

This would be a wonderful industry if it weren't for the clients... :)

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