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screen angles in duotones

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Sheila Hoffman

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May 30, 2002, 3:34:31 PM5/30/02
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I'm wondering if there's there a way to set screen angles in Photoshop
(using 6) and at what stage? I found the place in print options/screen to
set the angles but do those get stored in the EPS file and used during
distilling? The images are already multi-channel. Should I have set these
angles when it was still a regular duotone first?

Here's my situation: I'm using InD 2.01 I created a 2-page tabloid in 2 PMS
colors using some DCS/2 EPS duotones. The printer took my hi res PDF already
separated. I made sure I generated them with screen angles set 45 and 75
degrees in the output section for inks. This was done printing to distiller.
The printer tells me both plates are at 45 degrees. I'm at a loss. I tried a
postscript dump and then used distiller (Acrobat v 5) and had preserve
halftone settings marked (tried it unmarked too). I also looked at doing an
Export but couldn't find a way to do separations that way. What am I
missing? Help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

--
Sheila Hoffman
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Sheila Hoffman

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May 30, 2002, 5:28:15 PM5/30/02
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Gustavo:

Thanks for your response. I'm not seeing exactly where you mean. Where is
"adjust page"? What I did do was go into File/Print Options and then set
screens there. However I'm not clear that that info is saved with the image.
I think it's just for printing from PS. I think you may be speaking of the
same place. Maybe someone else knows if that screen setting sticks with the
file.

Meanwhile the printer just told me that the newly updated version I sent
didn't work. I had adjusted each image using the method mentioned above.
He's got a couple of work-around ideas at his end so hopefully we'll be OK
this time around. But I need to figure out how to make this work for the
future too.

Gustavo Sanchez

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May 30, 2002, 5:23:32 PM5/30/02
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Sheila

Excuse me, I'm not an InDesign user (just played with it a bit) but have you set the screen angle of the EPS pictures in Photoshop? I mean, may be I'm telling you the obvious but, just in case:

In "File Adjust page" you have there "Screen" and "transfer" options. There you can set any kind of screen you like (and if it should prevail over the printer settings). Then when you save the EPS with "Include screen halftone", the info is supposed to stick there (but you have had to mark it before). BTW: any spot ink, Pantone included, get's by default black screen ruling (45º). So if you don't change that, all you'll save will be two 45º screen angled plates.

I think this kind of setting would prevail over the layout preferences (at least in Quark XPress, don't know in ID2). That's why it's usually a highly discouraged practice among designers.

However, I thought there were ways (tools) of overruling PDF screen / trapping settings . Mike and other people around here should know better, of course.

Gustavo Sánchez

(Posted from Spain)

Gustavo Sanchez

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May 31, 2002, 4:19:43 AM5/31/02
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Sheila,

Oh. Don't know... I'd take a look to http://users.belgacom.net/prepresspanic/pdf/problem/samescreenangle.htm <http://users.belgacom.net/prepresspanic/pdf/problem/samescreenangle.htm> to see if any idea there sheds more light (hope Mr. Leurs finishes his pages on PDF and spot colours [vbg]).

Sheila Hoffman

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May 31, 2002, 9:25:24 AM5/31/02
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Gustavo:

This link was quite helpful. Thanks so much. I still don't have the problem
solved but it gave me some more to work with. I'm also on hold right now
with Adobe tech for InDesign.

Sheila

Sheila Hoffman

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May 31, 2002, 11:56:50 AM5/31/02
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UPDATE: The printer was able to use the postscript dump file to output the
proper screens. So fortunately the job is now at blue line (hurray!) and the
problem is solved for this job. My printer discovered something in the
knowledge base that says to move Distiller's prologue.ps & epilogue.ps files
from the Data folder to the Distiller folder then check to use them in the
first box of the Advanced tab. We're going to test that out and see if then
the rip recoginizes the plates with proper sceen angles instead of all as
black. Will let you know.

Sheila Hoffman

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May 31, 2002, 3:07:39 PM5/31/02
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MORE: Someone in the Photoshop group tells me:
"Moving the prologue and epilogue files only applies when using Distiller
3.x.
Avoid using DCS at all, since it is a) antiquated, and b)intended solely for
a separated workflow. You can make duotones from Photoshop without having to
save them in DCS format."

Can anyone here tell me how I'm suppose to save duotones in Photoshop so
they'll separate correctly AND show as duotones when I make PDF proofs?

Sheila

Gene Trujillo

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May 31, 2002, 4:22:11 PM5/31/02
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Sheila,

Did you already try saving as PS EPS? What happened?

Gene

Sheila Hoffman

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May 31, 2002, 4:59:28 PM5/31/02
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Yeap...
If you save in PS-EPS the resulting image is a CMYK NOT a multi-channel spot
color. The only way to get the 2 spot colors (that I know of) is the use the
DCS version of EPS. When saving it there IS an option to preserve printer
halftones (and therefore screen angles) however I'm still not seeing where
in Photoshop one can set those angles. I'll keep exploring. I've been
reading the manul (p 360).

Thanks ALL.

Gene Trujillo

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May 31, 2002, 6:03:58 PM5/31/02
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Sheila,

I created a PS EPS duotone and it separated out to two channels just fine. Actually, it just showed one channel in PS labeled "Duotone", but I took it into ID and printed to file and distilled.

It separated out to to correct channels. Worked great for composite .pdf, too.

How did you make the .eps duotone? Did you use a grayscale image and change mode to Duotone?

Or were you trying to use spot channels (doesn't work for PS EPS duotone).

I think I need more info.

As far as the screens, it does save it into the file, although now that I take a look, ID isn't paying attention to the embedded screen angles. Not all apps can use the data; apparently ID2 is one of them?

But it allows you to override the image screen data in the output dialog anyways.

But my most burning question about the screens is, why the heck is your printer making you worry about it? Can't he override that stuff with his RIP? Most printers I've worked with don't even *want* the designer-types mucking about with printer functions!

Gene

Sheila Hoffman

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Jun 2, 2002, 12:45:29 AM6/2/02
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Gene: My files were separating correctly it was only the screen angles that
were the problem. I've since learned that while InD was setting them and the
postscript dump showed them as preserved, when that dump is distilled into
separated PDFs the RIP only sees each separation as black and prints it at
45 degrees. The printer's RIP wasn't dealing with it correctly so I was
trying to get my client's job through to print. Meanwhile, he was able to
make the screens correctly using the postscript dump files so we're fine
now. THANKS!

Gustavo Sanchez

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Jun 3, 2002, 3:40:03 AM6/3/02
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Sheila,

Glad to see you (both) solved it and thanks to you for posting back the "reason why". That helps everybody too.

Have a nice day :)

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