FM9: Unable to create PDF when "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" is not selected

Wed Dec 9 12:21:40 PST 2009

Yves Barbion wrote:
< I don't want to select the "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" option. In fact, I
never want to "convert" colors ... >

I agree. However, remapping with what-ever tool is also lossy, but NOT as lossy as the Windows FrameMaker generated CMYK -> RGB conversion (which generates highly oversaturated images with the CMYK-K component nearly evenly added to a canonical CMY -> RGB conversion). This conversion IS performed by FrameMaker, NOT Windows GDI.

Windows GDI does NOT support CMYK as input, *but* it can output CMYK according to ICC profiles as long as the input is RGB. That's not common knowledge, but is a fact afterall. Windows GDI also fully support "custom" data injection, which FrameMaker *does* support for EPS streams, but *doesn't* for CMYK bitmap streams. Loading CMYK bitmaps in Windows GDI requires a hack anyway, so why not make this hack complete?

The omission in this regard articulate in my view lazy programming, but I'm sure Adobe has a reason for not finalizing this CMYK hack.

Instead of implementing generic routines that inject valid CMYK and SPOT color data into *ALL* output formats that support those color spaces, Adobe has chosen to implement only a single route with (partly) support for this, namely the "Save As PDF" route. You can NOT *print* CMYK or SPOT colours to a CMYK device from FrameMaker, so you can NOT judge colors correctly on printed output. You have to Save As PDF and then print the resulting PDF to do so.

Scott wrote:
< Again we are hoist upon Microsofts petard. Microsoft has NEVER been able to print CMYK. Only Linux and the Mac platform have handled it well. >

Not true. Windoes GDI can output CMYK colour if you activate Colour Management. Windows GDI allow anyone to pass on custom data streams not supported by Windows GDI. Hence, if you write an application that need support for CMYK and SPOT colours, it up to you to inject such "custom" data.

In this case it's a deliberate Adobe-choice NOT to make the required changes in FrameMaker, and Windows GDI is not to blame anymore.

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

-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] På vegne af Yves Barbion
Sendt: 9. december 2009 17:24
Til: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Emne: Re: FM9: Unable to create PDF when "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" is not selected

Hi Jacob

Thank you for your reply.

I don't want to select the "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" option. In fact, I
never want to "convert" colors, because I think that "converting colors"
gives unpredictable results and is therefore a bad idea. Remapping colors,
using tools like Enfocus PitStop, works better. So, if I use CMYK in Frame,
I want CMYK in my PDFs as well, but that's a different (Windows GDI) issue.

-- 
Yves Barbion
www.scripto.nu

On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Jacob Schäffer <js at grafikhuset.dk> wrote:

> Unfortunately the "Save As PDF" function in FM9 has some problems with the
> font handling engine. Sometimes this function substitutes fonts that
> actually are available on the system, and sometimes other weird things
> happen.
>
> Also unfortunately, this is the only way to preserve CMYK colours in placed
> TIFF images, since *printing* to PDF does NOT work this way. Printing to
> PDF
> does not cause the same font problems, however, and since you want "Convert
> CMYK Colors to RGB" turned on you might print to PDF instead.
>
> Printing is *much* faster than "Save As PDF" (which is hopelessly slow).
>
> Btw, the "Save As PDF" function implements PostScript more or less as of
> the
> FrameMaker Unix version, but printing to PDF uses Windows GDI for the same.
> So, there IS a huge difference between the two "to PDF" routes (this is new
> in FM9).
>
> Best regards / Med venlig hilsen
> Jacob Schäffer  |  Chief Developer
> ----------------------------------
> Grafikhuset (House of Graphics)
> Paradis Allé 22, Ramløse
> DK-3200 Helsinge, Denmark
> Phone: +45 4439 4400
> Email: js at grafikhuset.dk
> Web: www.grafikhuset.net
>
>
>
>
> -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> Fra: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
> [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] På vegne af Yves Barbion
> Sendt: 9. december 2009 13:39
> Til: framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Emne: FM9: Unable to create PDF when "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" is not
> selected
>
> Hi group
>
> Has anyone seen the following problem:
>
> Using FM9p250, save the FM file as PDF:
>
>   - With the option "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" selected, the PDF gets
>   generated but the clipping path in EPS graphics is gone (the bounding box
>   gets a white background even when the Fill pattern is set to none).
>   - With the option "Convert CMYK Colors to RGB" not selected, the PDF
>   cannot be generated and the following error message appears "maker:
>   Unknown exception caught in EnumerateFonts routine. Please Restart your
>   machine."
>
>
> Thanks.
>
> --
> Yves Barbion
> www.scripto.nu
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