Prepressforums.com

RICKSELF · #1 (**permalink**) 10-26-2005, 04:08 PM

Hi y'all
I've been using Preps for a couple of years now and have never quite caught the idea of the 5 and 6 color colorbars. Right now, when I need to print a spot color job, I create a color bar in Freehand with the respective spot color, then import that custom mark into Preps. I have a few dozen custom spot color colorbars. There has to be an easier way...right?
Thanks!

Rick

edit: I should probably add that we have a Fuji CelebraNT RIP that converts the files into 1 bit tiffs and moves that to an AGFA Apogee.

pix3lphr3ak · #2 (**permalink**) 10-26-2005, 05:31 PM

Yeah get rid of preps. I've raised this same question before.

JoePixel · #3 (**permalink**) 10-26-2005, 08:48 PM

I have a 4 color color bar in Preps, a 5 color, 6 color and then an 8 color color bar that I use and have never had an issue.

I think Preps comes with the 4, and 6 color bar. I have never had to create one specifically for a job.

I almost always use the 8 color bar and if the job prints 4, 5, 6, or 7 colors, then the color bar doesn't print out on those.

As for your specific rip, I don't know much about it, but I don't think it's a Preps issue. Preps can definitely handle almost any color bar that is an .eps.

I got my 8 color .eps file from a friend and then made it a few different sizes for the common size sheets we run.

If you have a 28 inch sheet, you can't use a 40 inch color bar and have it extend off the sheet, it will cause files to be offset on the plate - well, at least it does on our Brisque Trendsetter. I use a 28 inch wide color bar for 28 inch sheets, then a 40 inch color bar for 40 inch sheets.

When I open up the .eps in Illustrator, the PMS colors are labeled as "SBI1" and "SBI2" and so forth up to 4. When I place that color bar with any PMS color, the PMS color gets output on the plate where the "SBI1" square is. The 2nd PMS color goes where the "SBI2" square is. I don't have to tell the Brisque anything special.
Now, your rip may be different, and some others may have better options for you, but you should be able to use one common color bar for any job no matter how many colors it is an PMS names.

Let me know if you don't have one, I can forward you mine to use.

jimking · #4 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 08:45 AM

Hey rickself, how's it going! JoePixel nailed it. You should have stock colorbars with preps and I think you have Apogee. You can locate these eps files by placing a stock preps color bar and click it and "get info" a dialog box will appear and in it you should see "spot1--spot2 etc". These are Illy files that you can open and edit even though I never had to. Also in the dialop box will be your center marks and such. You can create takeoff bars (ink eaters) in illy and place them on your press sheet as long as it's the same format as the stock colorbars. You can use these color bars for any size sheet without altering the illy file. See ya around!

RICKSELF · #5 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 11:32 AM

Thanks, guys. HEY jimking.
I guess what you guys are saying is that if my InDD file has Pantone 234, I should rename it to Spot1? I'm missing something here, sorry.
I do like the idea of takeoff bars. I wasn't quite sure of how to attack em.

jimking · #6 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 12:12 PM

I noticed that you have scitex. Our preps is bundled within Apogee. Its interface maybe different. I have atleast 8 stock color bars. They are all Illy files that have 4/cp+Spot1 etc.. and they are all .eps. I would find the name of your stock bars, open them up and you'll understand how they're made which is pretty simple. With that info you'll be able to create
anything for the press sheet. We had this Press Forman who was a big huge fat guy who was a know it all and power mad. I made these register target marks in Preps for the press sheet that looked like him, fat guy eating a doughnut. He didn't like it to well cause they were printed everywhere! Anyway, if I have a 2 spot job I remap the name of the colorbar--"spot1" to Pantone 300 and map "spot2" to pantone 485.

pix3lphr3ak · #7 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 12:13 PM

Pretty much Rick. Creo made it work like it was duct taped on. I make my own color bars instead of causing massive confusion when the plate gets to the pressman and he comes to me and says WTF is a PMS spot 1!?

RICKSELF · #8 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pix3lphr3ak

Pretty much Rick. Creo made it work like it was duct taped on. I make my own color bars instead of causing massive confusion when the plate gets to the pressman and he comes to me and says WTF is a PMS spot 1!?

That's what concerns me is a pressman getting all riled up because his pantone book doesn't have spotcolor1! Then it get's printed green and shoul've been red! :x

jimking · #9 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 12:38 PM

Rick, you map the spot1 to the PMS color not the other way around. When you map spot1 to the pms, that pms color will print on the plate or film not the name of the colorbar itself.

pix3lphr3ak · #10 (**permalink**) 10-27-2005, 12:42 PM

Yes Jim I realize how they intended it to be done with the maping. The point is the software should be intelligent enough to know and generate this on the fly. It's simply lazy.