PDF>FrameMaker>PDF Color Issue

[Jacob Schäffer]

Framers,

I have now studied the material forwarded by Richard, and the PDF he imports into his FrameMaker document is a perfectly well behaved PDF with correctly defined spot colors and duotone images.

On Page 14 in "Adobe® FrameMaker® 7.2 User Guide Supplement for Windows® and UNIX®" it's stated:
 
<snip>

Importing PDF and Illustrator files (UNIX)
------------------------------------------

You can import Adobe PDF files and Illustrator 9 and 10 files into a FrameMaker document in release 7.1 or later.

When you import a PDF or Illustrator file into FrameMaker, the file is treated as a graphic, and only one page can be imported at a time. You can import it either by copy or by reference.

***Both process and spot colors can be displayed and printed***.

</snip>

This statement seem to be faulty. At least, on Windows spot colors contained in imported PDF documents appear NOT to be retained when output from FrameMaker on Windows, and will -- as far as I can see -- effectively output as defined in their alternate color space, usually CMYK.

Hence, importing spot colored PDF documents is to no avail with FrameMaker on Windows. I haven't tested on other platforms.

Grafikhuset Publi PDF can normally deal with this issue via custom color maps and repair such spot colors. However, it can NOT repair duotone images, since these are output as composite CMYK, which mean they cannot be repaired at all.

To create a custom color map in Grafikhuset Publi PDF you simply right-click the Publi PDF icon in the system tray, select the Attended Queue you want to use, and then turn on automatic creation of color maps in the Optimizer section of the pop-up menu. This will prompt you with an interface that allow you to create new spot colors -- next time you print to the queue.

When the dialog show up do as follows:

(1) Type the spot color name and enter the CMYK values (0-100) in the toolbar.

(2) Click the small button right of the K component field. This this will add the spot color to the drop-down list that appear when you click any field in the "convert to" column of the table.

(3) When a spot color is selected the Tint value can be entered in the corresponding field in the %T column. Be careful NOT to check the OT field, since this will apply Overprint, which you most often do NOT want.

Clicking the "Convert to" field for each listed Gray, RGB, CMYK or other spot color allow you to remap colors exactly as your job require. When finished you can save the color map for later use. You may actually attach it to the queue, so you don't need to enter new information each time you print (If you attach it to the queue you should switch off the automatic color map creation, since its OFF state assure that the analysis phase is skipped and conversion is run directly without prompting).

Hope this helps.


Best regards / Med venlig hilsen
Jacob Schäffer  |  Chief Developer
Paradis Allé 22, Ramløse
DK-3200 Helsinge, Denmark
Phone: +45 4439 4400
Email: js at grafikhuset.dk
Web: www.grafikhuset.net



> -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> Fra: Jacob Schäffer 
> Sendt: 4. marts 2008 17:46
> Til: 'Richard Doll'; framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Cc: strictlybirds at yahoo.com; Dov Isaacs
> Emne: RE: PDF>FrameMaker>PDF Color Issue
> 
> 
> Hi Richard,
> 
> I'd like to see:
> 
> (1) the PDF you try to deal with in FrameMaker
> 
> (2) a simple FrameMaker document that imports the PDF
> 
> (3) The physical output PDF document you have
> 
> (4) a precise description of what you expect to have as output
> 
> Please send it off-list to me as a ZIP archive.
> 
> I'll then study what goes on and report it here.
> 
> All the best
> Jacob
> 
> 
> > -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> > Fra: Richard Doll [mailto:sgmlindy at tds.net]
> > Sendt: 4. marts 2008 17:08
> > Til: framers at lists.frameusers.com
> > Cc: strictlybirds at yahoo.com; Dov Isaacs; Jacob Schäffer
> > Emne: PDF>FrameMaker>PDF Color Issue
> > 
> > 
> > Why is the color within ".pdf" files containing ".eps"
> > objects totally 
> > ravaged by the Windows RGB GDI upon "Import>File".
> > Upon "Print" for output, black and grayscale images yield 
> > some % of yellow 
> > and Pantone SPOT is no longer accurately definable by any 
> > pre-press software 
> > "PDF to printing-plate system".
> > 
> > Adobe does own the copyrights to all the applications
> > involved with this 
> > issue.
> > Can you divine a wholly complete solution within FrameMaker 
> > other than "Tech 
> > Note" ID 324220 
> > http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=324220
> >  which in a 
> > name is a "kluge"
> > 
> > What could induce the creators of the software that provides
> > us livelihood 
> > and compensation, to have this seemingly small issue 
> > resolved? So . . . it isn't a small issue . . .  Adobe isn't 
> > a small corporation 
> > either.
> > Adobe has denied access to CMYK GDI OS hardware/applications 
> > while denying 
> > RGB GDI OS hardware/applications to correctly interpret color 
> > for printing.
> > 
> > My customers are depending on color to help market their
> > products. What path do you suggest that I take to enable them 
> > in reaching their goals.
> > 
> > Adobe is depending on their customers to sell their products.
> > Come-on Adobe guys and gals . . . suck it up and make 
> > FrameMaker colorful 
> > and happy!
> > 
> > I am a Windows XP user of  MSWord,Excel,VisBasic,etc,
> > AdobeFrameMaker,InDesign,PShop,Illust AcroPro,etc, My thanks 
> > to Grafikhuset Publi PDF and Ghostscript. for 6 years of enableing 
> > the solution of  all the color issues
> > except for this one of  IMPORTING PDF INTO FrameMaker.
> > 
> > best to all,
> > 
> > dick doll
> > 317.539.4857
> > sgmlindy at tds.net
> > 
> > 
> > 
>