Press Printing, black type, CMYK mode

[DonLo]

Hi,

I know the real answer to this question is to use Pagemaker, but I've only got Photoshop 6.0, so I'm trying to make it work. Here's my situation:

I'm creating a brochure which uses a color line drawing, a color image (a watercolor painting) and black type. I've kept the type in type layers, so they should remain vector images. I sent my files to the printer, and I've got two problems I need help with.

First, he says that the type is rasterized. I don't know how this would have happened, since I just copied the .psd files onto a zip disk using NT Explorer. Any thoughts on how to keep the type as vectors?

Second, he says the black type is not pure black, but "built black" using all of the CMYK colors, because the image mode is CMYK. How can I make the type pure black, while retaining the color for the rest of the file? Do I need to create two separate files - one with just text and one with just graphics? If so, what mode should the text file be?

Thanks for your help!

Don

 

[carlow]

Hi

On the problem with the rasterizing of the type The photoshop help file tells us that the vector output of the type will only be kept if you output your file as a pdf or an eps.

The question of the pure black is easily changed.
Make a new colour with the C M Y channels empty and the K channel 100%. Select your type and fill it with this colour.

If you wan't a rich black put 20% Cyan and 20% magenta to it. These percentages can change because of the way your printer uses his printer.

Hope this helps
..) Grillhouse

 

[DonLo]

Thanks Grillhouse,

For your advice. I'm pretty sure the pdf format will work for the type, and I've recolored all my type to be 0/0/0/100. (The printer advised me against the rich black, as it can cause misregistration problems during printing.)

So here is a similar question which I bet you can also answer. The back of this brochure is line art with a highlight, and it will be just black and 1 spot color. The printer told me to clean out two chanels, just keeping the K and one other for the highlight color. If I keep the K and M channels, is "emptying" or "cleaning out" the C and Y channels as simple as just deleting them?

Thanks!

Don

 

[carlow]

Hi


No, it's better to go to the channels select all and delete the content of the channel.
If you delete a channel this can cause problems when printing

..)

 

[DonLo]

Hi Grillhouse,

Now I feel like a complete idiot. What do you mean by channels select all? If I select a channel, then do Select All, then hit delete, I get a warning: "Could not complete your request because the pixels in a type layer cannot be edited without first rasterizing the layer." Well I don't want to rasterize the type layer.

I'm using Photoshop 6.01 on Windows NT 4.0

Thanks, and please pardon my ignorance.

Don

 

[carlow]

Hi

Sorry, I thought that the same instructions applied for text layers as for picture layers.

I think the only work around for this problem is to put the filling of text layer to 100% Cyan or magenta for that mather.

This way in your cmyk channels only the magenta channel will be filled with something.
A spot color is just a pot of ink used. When you do the separations for this page you will get a black film and a magenta film, You can use any spot color gor the magenta film.

Hope this a better idea

..)