OH HELP! HELP! "Can't Print Illustration Error."

[Erin...@adobeforums.com]

I have been working on a 24" x 36" document using Illustrator CS2. When I try to print (i am using an HP 4500 PS plotter) The file begins the transfer to the printer and half way through stops with the error "Can't Print Illustration" The error occurred in the same document once before, but I solved the problem by eliminating all spot colors.

The problem reocurred when I replaced a linked image with one I had edited in Photoshop. The files size and type are still the same.

I have an Intel Core 2CPU 6600 @ 2.39 GHz and 3.25G of RAM

I've included a summary of my document info. I AM STUMPED. Please help.

Name: 18870-egretlanding_d2.ai

Color Mode: RGB color
Color Profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Ruler Units: inches
Artboard Dimensions: 24 in x 36 in
Show Images in Outline Mode: OFF
Highlight Substituted Fonts: OFF
Highlight Substituted Glyphs: OFF
Preserve Text Editability
Simulate Colored Paper: OFF

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objects:

Paths: 706 (513 open, 193 closed, 2365 points, length = 1325.5983 in)
Compound Paths: NONE
Gradient Meshes: 1
Symbol Instances: 603

Compound Shapes: 2

All Type Objects: 38
Point Type Objects: 33
Area Type Objects: 4
Type on Path Objects: 1

Clipping Masks: 1
Opacity Masks: NONE
Transparent Groups: 10
Transparent Objects: 49
RGB Objects: 690
CMYK Objects: NONE
Grayscale Objects: NONE

Spot Color Objects: NONE
Pattern Objects: 7
Gradient Objects: 60
Brushed Objects: 386
Styled Objects: 3

Fonts: 3
Linked Images: 1
Embedded Images: NONE
Non-Native Art Objects: NONE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphic Styles:

brickpath: 1
dock: 2

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brushes:

3 pt Round (Calligraphic Brush)
6 pt Flat (Calligraphic Brush)
Chalk Scribble (Art Brush)
Charcoal - Feather (Art Brush)
Charcoal - Thin (Art Brush)
Dry Ink 2 (Art Brush)
Fire Ash (Art Brush)
Ink Spatter (Art Brush)
Light Wash - Thick (Art Brush)
Marker (Art Brush)
Marker - Rough 1 (Art Brush)
Scroll Pen 7 (Art Brush)
Tapered Stroke (Art Brush)
Watercolor - Blend (Art Brush)
Watercolor - Wet (Art Brush)
Watercolor - Wet 1 (Art Brush)
Watercolor Stroke 3 (Art Brush)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spot Colors:

NONE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patterns:

brick
tree

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gradients:

dock (linear) (RGB)
New Gradient Swatch 2 (radial) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 1 (radial) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 11 (linear) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 12 (linear) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 13 (linear) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 14 (radial) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 15 (linear) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 16 (radial) (RGB)
Unnamed gradient 9 (linear) (RGB)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fonts:

ArialRoundedMTBold (OTF)
Myriad-Roman (Type 1)
TimesNewRomanPSMT (OTF)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Linked Images:

\\th-sav-fs07\CRS-CNTX\Graphics Department\Engineering\18870\progress\aibase\saltmarsh.jpg
Type: RGB
Bits per Pixel: 24
Channels: 3
Size: 197226K, 6600 by 10200 pixels
Dimensions: 1584 by 2448 points
Resolution: 300 by 300 pixels per inch

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Embedded Images:

NONE

[MisterOwl]

It's a long shot, but try outlining all your fonts and embedding that
JPG instead of printing it as a linked image. Also you might want to
try re-saving that JPG as a TIF or EPS and embedding / linking it that
way. I hear wierd things sometimes happen when JPGs are linked in
Illustrator.

I'm not sure any of that will help, but those are the first things I'd
try. Also maybe converting your images and document color mode to CMYK
might help. Again, it's a long shot.

Be sure to save backups of the original.

[Jacob...@adobeforums.com]

Erin,

Some suggestions:

When you print, are you using a PS printer driver (you should)?
Are you printing to a network printer (you should try not to)?
Have you tried printing to PDF?
Have you tried moving your Adobe Illustrator CS2 Settings folder to the Desktop with Illy closed (you can move it back and regain your preferences)?

[Larissa Rodriguez]

Don't you need to have everything in CMYK? RGB is for monitors, while CMYK is for printing.

[LenH...@adobeforums.com]

Larissa,

>>RGB is for monitors, while CMYK is for printing.<<

That isn't true for MOST printers. Most desktop printers are seen by the
Operating System as RGB devices and when you send them CMYK data,
Illustrator has to do an on-the-fly conversion to RGB before passing the
data to the printer driver, which can *only* accept RGB data. THe
printer firmware then converts that RGB data back into the CMYK (or
CcMmYK or CMYKk or whatever the print heads need). This
double-conversion can often lead to poor colour fidelity.

However, in Erin's case the printer is a PostScript device and
PostScript printer drivers will accept both CMYK and RGB data.

CMYK data is only required for separation printing.

[Erin...@adobeforums.com]

I do realize that CMYK is for printing but I have been working back and forth between Auto CAD and Illy. CAD as far as I know doesn't have an option to work with CMYK.

I ended up deleting a third party plug in and defragmenting my hard drive as my final solution.

anyone know the best way to optimize my scratch disk space??

[LenH...@adobeforums.com]

>>anyone know the best way to optimize my scratch disk space?<<

Erin,

Scratch should ideally be on a different drive to the Pagefile, and on
the fastest drive available.

If you can create a partition used solely for the Scratch drive, so much
the better as it will remain unfragmented.