spot colors

[KatWoman]

"KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Wx0Re.18965$7F.16130@bignews3.bellsouth.net... "tacit" <tacitr@aol.com> wrote in message news:tacitr-C51768.21215729082005@news-server2.tampabay.rr.com... In article <EIIQe.17655$HM2.864@bignews5.bellsouth.net>, "KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote: I have been asked to make a presentation folder design to be printed in 5 color. The background will be a specific spot color I have to add a photo on top and some text with drop shadows. They are asking for the file to be in PhotoShop format. I thought they would ask for Illustrator but did not. Good because I know PS better than Illy. What? Who is "they"? Anyone asking for a final piece designed completely in Photoshop is being foolish. They should be asking for the final layout to be done in a page layout program, with the vector elements done in Illustrator and photographs done in Photoshop. My question is, do I have to do anything special to the artwork other than indicate the spot color for the background? You must make the spot color as a spot channel. Should the photo be placed upon the spot color or leave white behind it? does it matter? If you do not make a white knockout for the photograph, the spot color will print right over the photograph. It will look OK on your screen but will not print OK on press. Will I have problems with he drop shadow of the text? The drop shadows will be fine provided they are set to "multiply," which will make them overprint the spot color. I am thinking the text will be embedded as a graphic, it has a lot of effects layers on it. If it is not set as text, it will be rasterized (broken up into pixels) and will not print smoothly. This is what I received as instructions Here are the answers to your other questions. We do not have any set...snip> Wow. You're dealing with a SFUP. That explains a lot... :) yeah think this is gonna be a messy one I should do this in ILLY and then PDF it but so far I only made one job for print in Illy and the photos came out with too much black, so I am nervous about it. Dammit I am not an AD and this may be beyond my expertise.

I tried opening the PDF template in Illy and pasting the text from PS but it
only shows an empty box.

I went to PS and opened the template, put a photo and some text layers with
effects layers on those.
made a selection around the photo leaving a bit of overlap of spot color
over the photo. But now the spot color covers the text.
I saved them as PDF in layers the files are 45 MB. So I tried flattening the
whole and it's about 12 MB. If I open the PDF in PS or Acrobat it looks
perfect. In Illy the colors are disastrous!!!! All the turquoise spot color
is aqua, the flesh is pinkish in the photo. The extremely weird part is the
swatch in the PDF file opened in Illy looks exactly as it should and does
not match it's own file on the screen. I can't find any color management
tools in ILLY. When the file opens it only allows convert or cancel. The
files are already in CMYK. (default pre press PS 5? I think)

so now I'm totally confused.............

[steggy]

KatWoman wrote: "KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:Wx0Re.18965$7F.16130@bignews3.bellsouth.net... "tacit" <tacitr@aol.com> wrote in message news:tacitr-C51768.21215729082005@news-server2.tampabay.rr.com... In article <EIIQe.17655$HM2.864@bignews5.bellsouth.net>, "KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote:> I have been asked to make a presentation folder design to be printed in> 5> color.> The background will be a specific spot color> I have to add a photo on top and some text with drop shadows.>> They are asking for the file to be in PhotoShop format. I thought they> would> ask for Illustrator but did not. Good because I know PS better than> Illy. What? Who is "they"? Anyone asking for a final piece designed completely in Photoshop is being foolish. They should be asking for the final layout to be done in a page layout program, with the vector elements done in Illustrator and photographs done in Photoshop.> My question is, do I have to do anything special to the artwork other> than> indicate the spot color for the background? You must make the spot color as a spot channel.> Should the photo be placed upon the spot color or leave white behind it?> does it matter? If you do not make a white knockout for the photograph, the spot color will print right over the photograph. It will look OK on your screen but will not print OK on press.> Will I have problems with he drop shadow of the text? The drop shadows will be fine provided they are set to "multiply," which will make them overprint the spot color.> I am thinking the text will be embedded as a graphic, it has a lot of> effects layers on it. If it is not set as text, it will be rasterized (broken up into pixels) and will not print smoothly.> This is what I received as instructions> Here are the answers to your other questions. We do not have any set...snip> Wow. You're dealing with a SFUP. That explains a lot... :) yeah think this is gonna be a messy one I should do this in ILLY and then PDF it but so far I only made one job for print in Illy and the photos came out with too much black, so I am nervous about it. Dammit I am not an AD and this may be beyond my expertise. I tried opening the PDF template in Illy and pasting the text from PS but it only shows an empty box. I went to PS and opened the template, put a photo and some text layers with effects layers on those. made a selection around the photo leaving a bit of overlap of spot color over the photo. But now the spot color covers the text. I saved them as PDF in layers the files are 45 MB. So I tried flattening the whole and it's about 12 MB. If I open the PDF in PS or Acrobat it looks perfect. In Illy the colors are disastrous!!!! All the turquoise spot color is aqua, the flesh is pinkish in the photo. The extremely weird part is the swatch in the PDF file opened in Illy looks exactly as it should and does not match it's own file on the screen. I can't find any color management tools in ILLY. When the file opens it only allows convert or cancel. The files are already in CMYK. (default pre press PS 5? I think) so now I'm totally confused.............

I am not a Color Management expert.....by far I am, that is
why I am so happy with CS2. It is all so well organized.

In your case (I am on Illy 10) look under Edit >> Color Settings.

Make sure they are set the same as in Photoshop.

What you really need to do is what has been said: use a page
lay out program. Edit the photo in Photoshop, make whatever
you need in Illustrator (for instance the drop shadow) place
it in InDesign or Xpress or Pagemaker (why not) and there
you should place the spot background and lay out the text.

But OK. I read your posting (thats why I did not cut any).
You need to set the photo in PS to kick out the background
(the spot color). Forget about the overlap of the spot color
on the photo, that is not the way and I do not think it is
important in this case.

You might do it all in Illustrator, but maybe I do not
follow you?
Import the photo in Illustrator, give it a background and
add the text? But make sure the color settings are the same
as in PS. And import the Photo as an EPS.

After you are done (whether in a page lay out program or in
Illustrator) save it as a PDF. If you can not do that
directly, print it as a Postscript file to your HD and then
Distill it to PDF. The last method gives you a much smaller file.
--
steg

[KatWoman]

"steggy" <steggy2001@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4314E02E.BE42E5FE@hotmail.com... KatWoman wrote: "KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:Wx0Re.18965$7F.16130@bignews3.bellsouth.net... "tacit" <tacitr@aol.com> wrote in message news:tacitr-C51768.21215729082005@news-server2.tampabay.rr.com...> In article <EIIQe.17655$HM2.864@bignews5.bellsouth.net>,> "KatWoman" <JolieXPrincessXKatanaXXX@hotmail.com> wrote:>>> I have been asked to make a presentation folder design to be printed>> in>> 5>> color.>> The background will be a specific spot color>> I have to add a photo on top and some text with drop shadows.>>>> They are asking for the file to be in PhotoShop format. I thought>> they>> would>> ask for Illustrator but did not. Good because I know PS better than>> Illy.>> What? Who is "they"? Anyone asking for a final piece designed> completely> in Photoshop is being foolish. They should be asking for the final> layout to be done in a page layout program, with the vector elements> done in Illustrator and photographs done in Photoshop.>>> My question is, do I have to do anything special to the artwork other>> than>> indicate the spot color for the background?>> You must make the spot color as a spot channel.>>> Should the photo be placed upon the spot color or leave white behind>> it?>> does it matter?>> If you do not make a white knockout for the photograph, the spot color> will print right over the photograph. It will look OK on your screen> but> will not print OK on press.>>> Will I have problems with he drop shadow of the text?>> The drop shadows will be fine provided they are set to "multiply,"> which> will make them overprint the spot color.>>> I am thinking the text will be embedded as a graphic, it has a lot of>> effects layers on it.>> If it is not set as text, it will be rasterized (broken up into> pixels)> and will not print smoothly.>>> This is what I received as instructions>> Here are the answers to your other questions. We do not have any set>...snip>> Wow. You're dealing with a SFUP. That explains a lot... :) yeah think this is gonna be a messy one I should do this in ILLY and then PDF it but so far I only made one job for print in Illy and the photos came out with too much black, so I am nervous about it. Dammit I am not an AD and this may be beyond my expertise. I tried opening the PDF template in Illy and pasting the text from PS but it only shows an empty box. I went to PS and opened the template, put a photo and some text layers with effects layers on those. made a selection around the photo leaving a bit of overlap of spot color over the photo. But now the spot color covers the text. I saved them as PDF in layers the files are 45 MB. So I tried flattening the whole and it's about 12 MB. If I open the PDF in PS or Acrobat it looks perfect. In Illy the colors are disastrous!!!! All the turquoise spot color is aqua, the flesh is pinkish in the photo. The extremely weird part is the swatch in the PDF file opened in Illy looks exactly as it should and does not match it's own file on the screen. I can't find any color management tools in ILLY. When the file opens it only allows convert or cancel. The files are already in CMYK. (default pre press PS 5? I think) so now I'm totally confused............. I am not a Color Management expert.....by far I am, that is why I am so happy with CS2. It is all so well organized. In your case (I am on Illy 10) look under Edit >> Color Settings. Make sure they are set the same as in Photoshop. What you really need to do is what has been said: use a page lay out program. Edit the photo in Photoshop, make whatever you need in Illustrator (for instance the drop shadow) place it in InDesign or Xpress or Pagemaker (why not) and there you should place the spot background and lay out the text. But OK. I read your posting (thats why I did not cut any). You need to set the photo in PS to kick out the background (the spot color). Forget about the overlap of the spot color on the photo, that is not the way and I do not think it is important in this case. You might do it all in Illustrator, but maybe I do not follow you? Import the photo in Illustrator, give it a background and add the text? But make sure the color settings are the same as in PS. And import the Photo as an EPS. After you are done (whether in a page lay out program or in Illustrator) save it as a PDF. If you can not do that directly, print it as a Postscript file to your HD and then Distill it to PDF. The last method gives you a much smaller file. -- steg

thanks for your help and advice
see my latest post, the print place says they can handle it from my psd
file. I also sent them the fonts and the photo files in case they have to
make it for me from the layout.

I seem to have not exactly described the layout
background color to match the CMYK spot color (I thought it had to actually
be a spot color but I was mistaken)
on top of that I had one photo with stroke and outer glow
then the text (with effects and outer glow) had to be overlap the photo with
the rest above the "spot" color.