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lillith_thr · #1 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:55 PM

We receive pdfs from outside agencies and in the processing of the pdfs through our new system which is Harris Baseview with InDesign/InCopy we are finding that outline type from Illustrator and images from Photoshop are somehow portraying with masks incorrectly. Has anyone found similar issues.

Joe · #2 (**permalink**) 05-08-2006, 02:58 PM

You'll probably have better luck if you post this question in the InDesign forum:

http://prepressforums.com/forum-6.html

David · #3 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lillith_thr

We receive pdfs from outside agencies and in the processing of the pdfs through our new system which is Harris Baseview with InDesign/InCopy we are finding that outline type from Illustrator and images from Photoshop are somehow portraying with masks incorrectly. Has anyone found similar issues.

Do you preflight the PDF files before processing through your system?
Do you have access to Pitstop?
What OS and what version of InDesign?

lillith_thr · #4 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 06:29 AM

We use both Pitstop Professional and Quite A Box of Tricks to preflight and we have CS for our InDesign.

David · #5 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 06:35 AM

Do the PDFs pass preflight using Pitstop?
Do they view okay before processing?
Are you placing the PDf files in Indesign?
and then what?
Do you make another PDF or .ps?

lillith_thr · #6 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 06:57 AM

OS - Windows 2000

Yes, the pdfs display and output fine in the preflight stage and begining processing stage of our pagiantion system which is SCS Ad Track. We eletronically import a pdf into ad track, preflight with Pitstop and Quite A Box the pdf is then paginated creating an eps from the preflighted pdf which is then distilled again and input into the database for Harris Baseview to be placed on final InDesign page for output.

David · #7 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 08:02 AM

I've never heard of this system (SCS Ad Track) so I did a little research this morning.

From what I know, it runs on Linux, with direct connections to MultiAd, Quark and Indesign.

Their web site states:

Quote:

Launches, sizes and names ads automatically with Multi-Ad Creator? (2, 4 and 6) - an application for production of advertising and marketing materials, QuarkXPress? (3, 4, 5 and soon 6), InDesign? (both Macintosh and PC), FreeHand and others

There seems to be quite a bit of "refrying" going on in your workflow.
You say:
1. the pdf is imported
2. then paginated (an eps is generated here)
3. the eps is distilled again to generate a PDF
4. then this PDF is placed in Indesign

In step 2, when you say "paginated", are you referring to imposing the pdf?
So you are generating an "imposed" .eps file which is converted to a pdf through distiller?
And then placing the "imposed" pdf into Indesign for output? Is this simply done by a file/print to your output device?

The masking you're speaking of may be an artifact of the multi-refry of the original pdf. If it was made from MultiAd Creator, then that may be the source of your problems. MultiAd makes some weird pdf files that allot of systems do strange things to. My Esko/Barco system mucks some of them up pretty bad, not all the time, just occasionally.

I thought of something after I posted this, do any of these pdf files contain transparency of any kind?

lillith_thr · #8 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 08:41 AM

Yes, these pdf files contain transparency. That has been an area we have been looking into. An odd thing with placing pdfs in InDesign is that when we "crop" mask an ad in Acrobat to remove crop marks and color bars etc. the masked items return in InDesign. Does InDesign remove masks on import?

In house our SCS Ad Track system works with Quark 5. We do not use MultiAd for in house creation, not to say that any of our electronically submitted ads are not. The bulk of our outside submitted ads are created with Quark and InDesign.

We do not have page imposition software, that process is done manually in InDesign. The pagination process I referred to is for the placement and archiving of our ad material on single page layout.

David · #9 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lillith_thr

Yes, these pdf files contain transparency. That has been an area we have been looking into. An odd thing with placing pdfs in InDesign is that when we "crop" mask an ad in Acrobat to remove crop marks and color bars etc. the masked items return in InDesign.
Does InDesign remove masks on import?

The masks in question,

Quote:

outline type from Illustrator and images from Photoshop are somehow portraying with masks incorrectly

are these transparency masks (masks generated in the flattening process) or the crop mask you say you do the rid the pdf of trims and such?

Yes, the "cropping" done in Acrobat is removed when you place a pdf into Indesign. You can eliminate this by cropping the pdf, then print to file (.ps or .prn), and distill (refry) the newly generated .ps file to a new pdf.

seetomtype · #10 (**permalink**) 05-09-2006, 09:16 AM

You can make InDesign honor your cropped PDF file by
checking the box to Show Import Options in the Import
dialog box, then in the next dialog box you will have the
option to import the file according to the Bounding Box,
Trim box, Crop box, Media size, etc in a drop down menu.
I think it's easier than David's method, though his is
probably more technically sound.

At least that sounds like what is happening on import.