Publisher and EPS files

[Sparky]

I feel like the man stepping into the ladies room on this one. Being a predominately Mac work envirornment.
Being the all around-take-anything-on-any-platform kind of company we are I have a PC running Win2K with Publisher 2002 on it.
For the life of me and (my boss and a few Microsoft technicians) I can't seem to get Publisher to recognize and print separations of a 2/color (spot colors) eps file. What I've had to do is create individual .tif files of the image and place one over the top of the other to get my 2 colors to print.
Does anyone out there know how to make this work?

Thanks Sparky, Capital Printing New York

[SlaveToTheMan]

Depends on what's in the PublishWhore file and which parts you're trying to sep. If there are items created in the POS application, you can make spots & they should separate correctly. (Text, funky boxes, etc.) If they are items placed/embedded it's pretty hit-and-miss on what comes out the other end. I believe it's supposed to maintain spots from Illustrator EPS files, but since it's not likely that's what was put in the page layout, I can't say if that "feature" works or not.

Maybe PDF the thing & adjust accordingly in Pitstop?

Arg, I'm getting a migraine just thinking about it! Let me know if you want me to look at the file though, I'll take a stab on this end.

[Guenevere]

I've always found the pdf/adjust in pitstop to be the best route for any Microsoft stuff. It makes for a much more stable and flexible file with which to work.

Just for kicks, the other day I tried to get accurate seps from a customer's Publisher file. It was pain and I ended up going back to my usual workflow.


I miss the days when we could send those kind of files away

[almaink]

I don't think anyone outputs from Micro-crap anymore. It's PDF, PitStopPro, imposition, rip. Why create headaches when there is no need to anymore?

[Sparky]

Excuse me all you money-is-no-object people. I wanted to hear from somebody who had a resolve for the issue. My boss won't shell out a dime for any software (and I mean a "dime") so "Pitstop" is not an option. His idea of upgrading our PC system was to bring in his old HP Pavilion from home when he bought a new DELL for himself. Our RIP is an old version of Harlequin (5.1 I believe). I understand I'm in the stone age but I have no choice. He also holds me responsible to find out these answers, after all? "that's what I pay you for..."
Trust me If I had my way I'd put MSP so far up where the sun don't shine... but hey I don't pay the bills so I need an answer.

The files in question are Illustrator 10.0 eps files created on a Mac, then opened in Illustrator on the PC and saved that way (PC vs 10.0 tiff preview etc.) the colors involved are PMS 187, Process black.
The file in question is the Masthead logo for a customer who supplies us with the Publisher document.
If there is anyone out there who knows the answer please let me know. The rest of you keep your cute little sarcastic remarks to yourself

[almaink]

Didn't mean to sound condescending Sparky, sorry.
I have zero work so if you want to email me a PDF I'll be glad to convert to 2/c for you as I'm sure Slave to the Man would do too. If you think your rip is old I've been outputting to a Harlequin v1.1, the boss always talks about upgrading but money talks BS walks and I haven't seen any money yet and wonder if I ever will the way business is going...

[Sparky]

I kinda spoke a little angry myself, sorry back.

Outsorcing is out of the question. This is an issue we are dealing with as I mentioned by converting the eps file into 2 separate tif files and colorizing them in Publisher.

Funny though, many years ago when I read about this "consortium" of Print shop owners and Graphics Professionals getting together to create Publisher I kind of thought they might produce something that would work. Know I see they got a group of Monkeys together who knew nothing about commercial printing and then turned their collective backs on the product :cry:
Even when we try to contact Microsoft techs they don't have an answer either. The problem is that so many of our customers out their who are completely cluless as to Desktop Publishing get this $29.95 special software or in some cases it's bundled with something, and, get this, my BOSS even gives it away to our customers, touting it as the "coolest thing since sliced bread.."
And he wonders why I'm looking for another job :twisted:

Well I'll keep the offer under consideration, and if I ever find out how to make it work I'll report back.

Thanks, Sparky

Mac's forever!!! 8)

PS we have zero work also, that's why I'm online, normally I would be here after work on my home computer (it works better with Road Runner and OS X) Sooooo on with surfing....

[jim_t]

Sparky - if the file was done in pub as slave said and not a graphic imported. Don't drive yourself crazy just change the 2 spot colors to 2 of the primarys and rename the plates. The other area you can check if you don't want to go with this option is to see what print driver is currently being used it may be an old version. I'm going on the assumption that you've already checked in the custom print settings when you tried to print the file.

[Sparky]

Jim, the files in question are not generated in Publisher, they are imported Illustrator eps files built in Illustrator with the Mac version 10. They customer logos are used on other various jobs that are normaly done on the Mac. The customer in this case wants their logo used on the newsletter they supply us to print. (see above post) I know how to set all the custom color settings in printing dialog and custom color setup menus and have successfully printed 2 spot colors and process black to our RIP. But for some reason Publisher will not rcognize the imported eps file.
And as Stated before the numb-nuts at Microsoft can't figure it out :x

[jim_t]

might be a long shot but if you haven't tried this already - open up the eps file in illustrator on the pc and do a save as - I've experienced similar issues with some other apps coming from mac to a pc.