Adobe Illustrator - printing problem

Author

printing problem

Bob Hansen

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

Hi Group,
I'm having a problem with a map I created in Illustrator CS. It has a lot of
layers and a lot of objects. When I try to print it, some of the objects
(but not all) are darker in a band around the outside of the page. About
1/2" on each side, 1" at the bottom, not at the top, and not all the
objects. I've tried flattening the file and it's still the same. It's also
the same printing it from a PDF. I've been through all the layers and all
the objects and there's nothing in the file that is that shape. Any ideas?
I'll try to post a link somewhere.
Thanks,
Bob

Bob Hansen

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

Yes, here is a link. http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/map.jpg

"Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message
news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...

quote:

> Hi Group,
> I'm having a problem with a map I created in Illustrator CS. It has a lot

quote:

> layers and a lot of objects. When I try to print it, some of the objects
> (but not all) are darker in a band around the outside of the page. About
> 1/2" on each side, 1" at the bottom, not at the top, and not all the
> objects. I've tried flattening the file and it's still the same. It's also
> the same printing it from a PDF. I've been through all the layers and all
> the objects and there's nothing in the file that is that shape. Any ideas?
> I'll try to post a link somewhere.
> Thanks,
> Bob
>
>

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

Bob Hansen wrote:[QUOTE][color=darkred]
>
> Yes, here is a link. http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/map.jpg
>
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...
> of

Sounds like a hardware (printer) problem to me.
--
Peter

LauraK

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

>When I try to print it, some of the objects

quote:

>(but not all) are darker in a band around the outside of the page. About
>1/2" on each side, 1" at the bottom, not at the top, and not all the
>objects.

It looks like there might be something that's transparent on the screen but the
printer is reading as about a 5% grey.
Go into the layers palette and look for the objects that aren't covered by it
and the objects that are. The problem is somewhere between the two.
Look inside groups in particular. I'd ungroup everything at this point.
Check for any locked layers/objects in the palette.
Then try selecting (lasso, cursor, whatever) below the bottom of the edges
defining the print space and see if that turns up anything.
It may be just the top half of a square or large rectangle.
Also try a cleanup.

laurak@madmousergraphics.com
http://www.madmousergraphics.com
web design, print design, photography

WharfRat

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

in article pVLDb.22335$m83.5036@fed1read01, Bob Hansen at wildtrout@cox.net
wrote on 12/16/03 2:44 PM:
[QUOTE][color=darkred]
> Yes, here is a link. http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/map.jpg
>
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...
> of
---
Can't really tell anything from being crunched to a jpeg.
Maybe you could save it as a PDF ....
then we could get in there and evaluate the individual parts.
-
I don't think it as a gray problem though.
Other colors are way more effected.

MSD

stupid_idiot

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

far from knowing the real issues at hand, I always open my illy documents in Photoshop and print from there with much better
results.

"Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...

quote:

> Hi Group,
> I'm having a problem with a map I created in Illustrator CS. It has a lot of
> layers and a lot of objects. When I try to print it, some of the objects
> (but not all) are darker in a band around the outside of the page. About
> 1/2" on each side, 1" at the bottom, not at the top, and not all the
> objects. I've tried flattening the file and it's still the same. It's also
> the same printing it from a PDF. I've been through all the layers and all
> the objects and there's nothing in the file that is that shape. Any ideas?
> I'll try to post a link somewhere.
> Thanks,
> Bob
>
>

Yitz

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

Stupid idiot has a great method that I have been using for a while. I was
forced to avoid drop shadows, opacity masks and transparencies because of
the messed up PDF files via Illustrator.

That was until I decided to reopen them in Photoshop. Keep in mind that the
Photoshop file will open the Illustrator file within crop marks if you are
using them. Same goes for the 'save for web' in illustrator.

Not to mention (I like saying that) - you avoid the whole font headache with
your inexpensive (ie. incompetent) printers and those fonts that can't be
embedded in PDFs.

I highly reccommend this process when things like this happen.

Yitz

Paul Asente

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

In article <sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01>,
"Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote:

quote:

> Hi Group,
> I'm having a problem with a map I created in Illustrator CS. It has a lot of
> layers and a lot of objects. When I try to print it, some of the objects
> (but not all) are darker in a band around the outside of the page. About
> 1/2" on each side, 1" at the bottom, not at the top, and not all the
> objects. I've tried flattening the file and it's still the same. It's also
> the same printing it from a PDF. I've been through all the layers and all
> the objects and there's nothing in the file that is that shape. Any ideas?
> I'll try to post a link somewhere.
> Thanks,
> Bob

Well, that's just wierd. Some questions:

If you select everything, scale it down by 10%, and print, does the dark
band scale down also, or does it stay in the same place on the page?

Do the dark areas appear in the PDF if you view it on screen, or only
when you print it?

I would guess from the symptoms that there is something in the file that
is triggering a bug in the PDF print code (which Illustrator CS is also
using, I believe). You might try binary search to narrow down just what
it is: hide half the layers, then print; if the problem still occurs
hide half of the remaining ones, if not hide those layers and show the
other half, etc, and see if you can narrow it down to the layer that is
causing the problem. Then see if you can narrow it down do an object on
the layer.

Also try the Illustrator user forums on adobe.com. In general, they're
read by more people who can get things done in the event that this is a
real Illustrator bug than this newsgroup is.

Nice map, btw. Well laid out, and a good level of detail to show the
point.

-- paul asente
To reply, make the host be the same as my last name

Yitz

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

quote:

> far from knowing the real issues at hand, I always open my illy documents

in Photoshop and print from there with much better

quote:

> results.
>
>
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message

news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...

quote:

lot of[QUOTE][color=darkred]
also[QUOTE][color=darkred]
all[QUOTE][color=darkred]
ideas?[QUOTE][color=darkred]
>
>

Stuart

2003-12-17, 9:24 am

Bob Hansen wrote:
[QUOTE][color=darkred]
> Yes, here is a link. http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/map.jpg
>
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01...
>
> of
>

Can you see these 'problems' on screen or is it just when you print, if
it is only when you print then how did you get the jpeg example? Just
wondering because the jpeg also has a vertical white (light coloured)
line running down near the left side, is that supposed to be there?

Looks to me like some kind of transparency problem, there could be
hidden and/or grouped objects that are transparency masks. Look in the
object menu, if unlock all or show all are not greyed out then you still
have hidden or locked objects, click on either/both options then ctrl-a
to select all.

You have not mentioned which system you are using windows or mac? Also
is this a one off with this particular diagram or have any others shown
the same 'problem'. Have you considered whether it could be a printer
driver problem/corruption or a printhead problem, this would be
justifiable if it only does it when printing this and other files.

Stuart

P.S. You may want to look at moving and knocking out some text to make
it more legible. The light coloured text on the blue areas needs to be
more contrasting.

Bob Hansen

2003-12-18, 8:26 pm

Thanks to all for your replies. I posted a PDF file, it's at:
http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/cleveland4.pdf I used the choice to
preserve Illustrator editing capabilities. I've viewed all the layers
individually and selected all on each one. Cant find anything that size or
shape.It does not show up on the monitor in either Illustrator or Acrobat.
To post the Jpeg I did yesterday, I scanned the print so the problem would
show. The final output for this is a 36" x 48" poster. I've tried printing
several other things out of Illustrator with no problem. Paul, I appreciate
the complement. You're the one who created the "scribble" filter, aren't
you? That's really a neat tool. I'll continue to play with this and get back
here soon.
Bob

"Paul Asente" <usenet@not-asente.com> wrote in message
news:usenet-D79B07.22355216122003@news04.west.earthlink.net...

quote:

> In article <sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01>,
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote:
>
lot of[QUOTE][color=darkred]
also[QUOTE][color=darkred]
all[QUOTE][color=darkred]
ideas?[QUOTE][color=darkred]
>
> Well, that's just wierd. Some questions:
>
> If you select everything, scale it down by 10%, and print, does the dark
> band scale down also, or does it stay in the same place on the page?
>
> Do the dark areas appear in the PDF if you view it on screen, or only
> when you print it?
>
> I would guess from the symptoms that there is something in the file that
> is triggering a bug in the PDF print code (which Illustrator CS is also
> using, I believe). You might try binary search to narrow down just what
> it is: hide half the layers, then print; if the problem still occurs
> hide half of the remaining ones, if not hide those layers and show the
> other half, etc, and see if you can narrow it down to the layer that is
> causing the problem. Then see if you can narrow it down do an object on
> the layer.
>
> Also try the Illustrator user forums on adobe.com. In general, they're
> read by more people who can get things done in the event that this is a
> real Illustrator bug than this newsgroup is.
>
> Nice map, btw. Well laid out, and a good level of detail to show the
> point.
>
> -- paul asente
> To reply, make the host be the same as my last name

Stuart

2003-12-19, 9:33 pm

Bob Hansen wrote:

quote:

> Thanks to all for your replies. I posted a PDF file, it's at:
> http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/cleveland4.pdf I used the choice to
> preserve Illustrator editing capabilities. I've viewed all the layers
> individually and selected all on each one. Cant find anything that size or
> shape.It does not show up on the monitor in either Illustrator or Acrobat.
> To post the Jpeg I did yesterday, I scanned the print so the problem would
> show. The final output for this is a 36" x 48" poster. I've tried printing
> several other things out of Illustrator with no problem. Paul, I appreciate
> the complement. You're the one who created the "scribble" filter, aren't
> you? That's really a neat tool. I'll continue to play with this and get back
> here soon.
> Bob

I had a quick look at your map and printed it, I do have areas of
differing shades in the same place as yours but mine are reversed, they
are in fact lighter but I am using AI10. So I selected everything and
found your reason why, how to fix it will not be as simple. I noticed
that you have a few images representing fills, these are causing the
problem, the grey and the green ones. If you select them you will see
their bounding box matches the edge of the darker areas on your printout.

Stuart

Poul Solbjerg

2003-12-19, 9:33 pm

Hello Bob..

Try to open your two images in Photoshop (the grey and the brown one)
and save them as .psd files with transparent background, then replace in
AI. Also remove the big rectangular compound path on the layer "Lake".

Poul Solbjerg

Bob Hansen wrote:

quote:

> Thanks to all for your replies. I posted a PDF file, it's at:
> http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/cleveland4.pdf I used the choice to
> preserve Illustrator editing capabilities. I've viewed all the layers
> individually and selected all on each one. Cant find anything that size or
> shape.It does not show up on the monitor in either Illustrator or Acrobat.
> To post the Jpeg I did yesterday, I scanned the print so the problem would
> show. The final output for this is a 36" x 48" poster. I've tried printing
> several other things out of Illustrator with no problem. Paul, I appreciate
> the complement. You're the one who created the "scribble" filter, aren't
> you? That's really a neat tool. I'll continue to play with this and get back
> here soon.
> Bob
>
>
>
> "Paul Asente" <usenet@not-asente.com> wrote in message
> news:usenet-D79B07.22355216122003@news04.west.earthlink.net...
>
>
> lot of
>
>
> also
>
>
> all
>
>
> ideas?
>
>
>
>

Poul Solbjerg

2003-12-19, 9:33 pm

Just noticed an odd thing... If you toggle overprint prewiev on and of,
you can see the darker areas when the screen updates...

Poul Solbjerg

Paul Asente wrote:

quote:

> In article <sELDb.22289$m83.20114@fed1read01>,
> "Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Well, that's just wierd. Some questions:
>
> If you select everything, scale it down by 10%, and print, does the dark
> band scale down also, or does it stay in the same place on the page?
>
> Do the dark areas appear in the PDF if you view it on screen, or only
> when you print it?
>
> I would guess from the symptoms that there is something in the file that
> is triggering a bug in the PDF print code (which Illustrator CS is also
> using, I believe). You might try binary search to narrow down just what
> it is: hide half the layers, then print; if the problem still occurs
> hide half of the remaining ones, if not hide those layers and show the
> other half, etc, and see if you can narrow it down to the layer that is
> causing the problem. Then see if you can narrow it down do an object on
> the layer.
>
> Also try the Illustrator user forums on adobe.com. In general, they're
> read by more people who can get things done in the event that this is a
> real Illustrator bug than this newsgroup is.
>
> Nice map, btw. Well laid out, and a good level of detail to show the
> point.
>
> -- paul asente
> To reply, make the host be the same as my last name

Paul Asente

2003-12-19, 9:34 pm

In article <gW2Eb.24273$m83.8117@fed1read01>,
"Bob Hansen" <wildtrout@cox.net> wrote:

quote:

> Thanks to all for your replies. I posted a PDF file, it's at:
> http://angeles.sierraclub.org/sam/cleveland4.pdf I used the choice to
> preserve Illustrator editing capabilities. I've viewed all the layers
> individually and selected all on each one. Cant find anything that size or
> shape.It does not show up on the monitor in either Illustrator or Acrobat.
> To post the Jpeg I did yesterday, I scanned the print so the problem would
> show. The final output for this is a 36" x 48" poster. I've tried printing
> several other things out of Illustrator with no problem. Paul, I appreciate
> the complement. You're the one who created the "scribble" filter, aren't
> you? That's really a neat tool. I'll continue to play with this and get back
> here soon.
> Bob

I believe I've narrowed down the problem somewhat.

There is a compound path at the bottom of the "Cleveland NF" layer that
has a Rasterize effect. The boundaries of the resulting raster
correspond to the artifacts that cross over the left and right blue
Preserve areas. I don't see that this rasterize effect is doing
anything constructive, so it can probably be removed.

The lower artifact corresponds to the edge of the mauve raster for
Populated Areas. Try printing with this layer removed. If that solves
the problem, try creating a vector clipping mask for this layer and see
if that works.

*Why* it isn't printing correctly, I still don't know. It prints ok on
my home b&w PostScript Laserwriter, and I don't have a color printer to
try it on, so I can't tell for sure. I don't see any change in
Overprint Preview mode, as someone suggested. One thing to check is
whether you see the artifacts on screen if you select all and Flatten
Transparency (I don't, but since I'm not seeing it in Overprint Preview,
something else may be going on.)

Hopefully, these suggestions will get you through your current problem.
I'll follow up on it some more though.

Yes, I created the Scribble effect for CS. I'm glad you think it's
neat--I'm looking forward to seeing what people end up doing with it.
My contributions to Illustrator were comparatively small for the CS
release.

-- paul asente
To reply, make the host be the same as my last name
[QUOTE][color=darkred]
> "Paul Asente" <usenet@not-asente.com> wrote in message
> news:usenet-D79B07.22355216122003@news04.west.earthlink.net...
> lot of
> also
> all
> ideas?

Bob Hansen

2003-12-21, 11:32 pm

Thanks again to all of you who replied. I've read all of your posts and
learned a lot. I'm now getting a good print. You were right. I had taken 2
of the layers into photoshop and added a texture to them to give them some
interest. The problem may have been the format I saved them in in photoshop.
Can't remember what what it was, maybe EPS. It never dawned on me that the
transparent areas of those layers would be a problem. The "cleveland" layer,
I simply recreated and that solved that problem. I wasn't able to apply a
texture to an object within Illustrator. I tried to rasterize an object
first and then apply a texture, but the options were always greyed out. I
guess an image has to be RGB for those filters to work. Maybe I could switch
to RGB, apply the effects, then switch back to CMYK to print. Would that
work?
Thanks again,
Bob

"Poul Solbjerg" <poul.solbjerg@mail.dk> wrote in message
news:3fe33be1$0$9829$edfadb0f@dread14.news.tele.dk...

quote:

> Just noticed an odd thing... If you toggle overprint prewiev on and of,
> you can see the darker areas when the screen updates...
>
> Poul Solbjerg
>
> Paul Asente wrote:
>
lot of[QUOTE][color=darkred]
also[QUOTE][color=darkred]
all[QUOTE][color=darkred]
ideas?[QUOTE][color=darkred]
>

Stuart

2003-12-22, 5:28 am

Bob Hansen wrote:

quote:

> Thanks again to all of you who replied. I've read all of your posts and
> learned a lot. I'm now getting a good print. You were right. I had taken 2
> of the layers into photoshop and added a texture to them to give them some
> interest. The problem may have been the format I saved them in in photoshop.
> Can't remember what what it was, maybe EPS. It never dawned on me that the
> transparent areas of those layers would be a problem. The "cleveland" layer,
> I simply recreated and that solved that problem. I wasn't able to apply a
> texture to an object within Illustrator. I tried to rasterize an object
> first and then apply a texture, but the options were always greyed out. I
> guess an image has to be RGB for those filters to work. Maybe I could switch
> to RGB, apply the effects, then switch back to CMYK to print. Would that
> work?
> Thanks again,
> Bob

I tried that before but as soon as I changed the work space back to CMYK
it lost the texture. Is there a way around that?

Stuart

Paul Asente

2003-12-23, 7:28 am

In article <3FE6B436.6090505@nospam.uk>, Stuart <stuart@nospam.uk>
wrote:

quote:

> Bob Hansen wrote:
>
>
>
> I tried that before but as soon as I changed the work space back to CMYK
> it lost the texture. Is there a way around that?

Expand the appearance of the object before switching back to CMYK. Many
of the Photoshop filters can only operate in RGB.

-- paul asente
To reply, make the host be the same as my last name