Postscript or Export to EPS, which is better?

[orthodax]

HI again guys here's another noob question ;-)

Scenario: I made two files from Indesign CS2, one is saved as Postscript and the other is Export to EPS. They have the same checks, like the font embed (subset), size etc. Both are the same.

Problem: After sending both to Distiller and Pitstop Server. The Postscript file fails especially with fonts being a True Type, but i wonder WHY the file exported to EPS passed without any errors or warnings?

Would somebody please shed a light on this!

I'm sure Mattbeals would know this one ;-)

[Mob33]

I would imagine it's got something to do with postscript level 3 and the way it deals with fonts. I know people bang on about having a level 3 RIP blah blah blah but setting the postscript level to 2 will probably solve your problem

[almaink]

If your going to PDF anyway why not just export to PDF from Indy?

[mattbeals]

It's the way that the fonts are encoded in the PostScript stream vs. as an EPS.

There is no logical reason to export PostScript or EPS from InDesign CS2 and then normalize (Distill) it. There are "old" reasons to do so but those come from improper implementation of features in RIP/printers by the manufacturers (as in get the damned upgrade) or as some at Adobe call it "ignorant workflow habits".

[kovachjon]

I am confused and concerned.

Right now my workflow is this:
We get files in - be it InDesign, Illustrator, whatever
We make sure the files are good - bleed, crop marks, size, yada yada
We print, using Adobe PDF printer, to a .PS file
We distill this PS file to a PDF
We drop this PDF in a hot folder on our Onyx RIP
And we print - to two HP 5500 printers.
This is our final output - we do not go to offset or plates or anything like that... our proofs and final prints are all done on the 5500

So you are saying that this workflow is ancient and nobody should be doing this anymore? In the past, we've had font problems, color problems, etc. etc.... can I export straight to PDF now, out of all software? Or just InDesign? If so, what are the settings I'd use? PDF X?

Thanks!
Jon

[almaink]

Most here rip to plates or film, although many use ink-jets for proofs. The point is if you go the distiller route you will flatten transparent objects as Postscript doesn't understand them, if you export directly to PDF version 5 or above you maintain transparency and don't have to fight with flattening.

[kovachjon]

I didn't know I was fighting with flattening. Truth be told - I did have a lot of transparency issues - drop shadows, gradients, etc. etc... but a combination of distilling to a v4 PDF and upgrading my RIP solved all that.

[mattbeals]

Originally Posted by kovachjon

I am confused and concerned.

Right now my workflow is this:
We get files in - be it InDesign, Illustrator, whatever
We make sure the files are good - bleed, crop marks, size, yada yada
We print, using Adobe PDF printer, to a .PS file
We distill this PS file to a PDF
We drop this PDF in a hot folder on our Onyx RIP
And we print - to two HP 5500 printers.
This is our final output - we do not go to offset or plates or anything like that... our proofs and final prints are all done on the 5500

So you are saying that this workflow is ancient and nobody should be doing this anymore? In the past, we've had font problems, color problems, etc. etc.... can I export straight to PDF now, out of all software? Or just InDesign? If so, what are the settings I'd use? PDF X?

Thanks!
Jon

If you are using Illustrator and InDesign then you can direct export to PDF from each of those applications. When you export you can choose which level of PDF compatibility that you want, v1.3 (Acrobat 4 and _NO_ transparency) or PDF v1.4 (Acrobat 5 with transparency). By going to PDF v1.3 you get the same net effect of printing to PostScript in that transparency doesn't exist in PostScript. Transparency also doesn't exist in PDF v1.3 so it has to be flattened to be compatible.

The font problems and color problems are separate issues. The font problems can be attributed to Onyx not processing the fonts as they are encoded properly. As for the color problems that's most likely because ICC profiles are attached to objects on the page or that a color transformation is being done that you don't want or that one is not being done that you do want. That's a bigger workflow issue.

If you do use the PDF/X-1a settings then everything will be converted to SWOP CMYK. You can change the output intent from SWOP to another ICC profile if you like. But exporting to a PDF/X-1a file will force a conversion to "a" CMYK color space.

[orthodax]

Originally Posted by mattbeals

It's the way that the fonts are encoded in the PostScript stream vs. as an EPS.

There is no logical reason to export PostScript or EPS from InDesign CS2 and then normalize (Distill) it. There are "old" reasons to do so but those come from improper implementation of features in RIP/printers by the manufacturers (as in get the damned upgrade) or as some at Adobe call it "ignorant workflow habits".

I see, so it is from how the fonts are encoded. So are you trying to say that it's better to directly export it to PDF?

Okay it all falls down to whatever RIP you are using, am i right?

Would you suggest any workflow based on your experience that would minimize any possible problem that we normally encounter everyday in pre-press/printing works.

Thanks ;-)

[mattbeals]

It is not necessarily "better" but it is "more correct". It's not necessarily which RIP you use but it is how well the RIP vendor has done their work. There are a number of different workflows that work well. But there is no "best". My advice is to look at different RIPs and test your most difficult jobs on those RIPs. The RIP that can produce the best results with those test files is probably the way that you should go.

Any modern RIP should be reliable. I would think that Onyx Postershop could handle this with aplomb.