Grayscale Images are RGB

[Scott White]

Dov
Thanks for your reply.
Here's the history. We've been using these same images for years with older versions of frame without problems. These images are grayscale .tif files that we painstakingly processed over the years. More than 1,000,000 images.
We have done all our catalogs with Frame, first on the mac and then of course on windows when the mac was no longer supported. I still keep my mac running classic so I can run Frame 7 just in case.

So I don't think the images are in question.

We first started seeing some issues arise in Framemaker 8 and it has since moved along to Framemaker 9. The print-quality PDF results with the same acrobat settings we had used in the past were no longer giving us valid results.
Our printer has recently been converting our outputs to grayscale and 4-color for no charge since that was a simple fix. But for my clients who choose to use a different printer, there is a charge for this.

What I have decided to do is find out why settings we used to use for Acrobat no longer work in later versions of Frame or Acrobat. I know technology changes so I need to find out what I need to do. So far I have made sure I have the latest updates for Frame 9, installed the hotfix that Art suggested on the xp drive of our iMac, and will incorporate your suggestions as well.

I'm studying your first point about anything other than EPS will come out as RGB. I find that interesting that a desktop publishing software app from Adobe would not output the correct image results like InDesign. I know our .tif images were  output correctly in older versions. I never had the printer give me an alert about my images before.

I know we will get to the bottom of this so I can truly understand what is happening with files so I can relay that to the clients who use Framemaker with our software to print their 1,000-page catalogs.



Scott White
Media Production & EBC Manager
Implementation Coordinator
210-704-8239
swhite at alamark.com




On Jan 28, 2010, at 11:04 AM, Dov Isaacs wrote:

> Two possibilities here ...
> 
> (1)	Assuming you are using the "RGB option" for "save as PDF" or printing to the Adobe PDF
> PostScript printer driver instance, except for images are in EPS format, all grayscale and
> CMYK images imported into FrameMaker will come out as RGB. FrameMaker is a GDI application
> except when NOT using the "save as PDF" without the RGB option.
> 
> (2)	Many images that users THINK are grayscale are actually RGB. When using the various
> options in Photoshop to convert a color image to black and white, unless you ALSO apply
> the option to convert what looks like a grayscale image to actual grayscale, you will end
> up with an RGB image in which for every pixel R=G=B in value.
> 
> R=G=B "grayscale" RGB images typically do not properly print with only the K (black) channel
> on most devices and/or with most drivers.
> 
> So, UNFORTUNATELY, with FrameMaker you have two options, both assuming that the image really
> is grayscale and not an R=G=B RGB image:
> 
> The first option is to use "save as PDF" and don't select the RGB option. This only works for
> FrameMaker 9 and may be problematic if you run into one of the bugs associated with NOT using
> the RGB option. (When you don't select the RGB option, FrameMaker uses the PostScript Level 1
> generator from the older UNIX versions of FrameMaker to generate PostScript for distilling.
> I won't comment on that further! :-(  )
> 
> The second option is to open the images in question in Photoshop and resave as EPS (ASCII with
> TIFF header). This option also could be used to "fix" any R=G=B RGB grayscale images; simply
> convert to grayscale in Photoshop before saving as EPS.
> 
> 	- Dov
> 
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of
>> Scott White
>> Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 6:55 AM
>> To: framers at lists.frameusers.com List
>> Subject: Grayscale Images are RGB
>> 
>> I've been playing with the settings with Acrobat Distiller 9 and Framemaker 9 trying to fix my
>> grayscale images coming out rgb. I have been sending samples to my printer and each and every sample
>> he is telling me my text is black but the images are rgb. These are the same images we have used for
>> years in other catalogs with them and they were fine.
>> 
>> I have followed his step-by-step acrobat distiller settings for 9 and the results are not what I
>> expect. He said he can convert the files for me at no charge, but I would like to find out why this is
>> happening.
>> 
>> I print my Frame file to the acrobat printer option. I have a specific, press-quality print setting
>> within distiller 9 using my printers recommendation. Create the pdf.
>> 
>> What I did in the past with older versions of Frame is I would print to postscript and then distill
>> and generate my pdf that way. No problems.
>> 
>> We are running this on a mac through parallels. Windows XP Pro and Framemaker 9 with all the updates.
>> 
>> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Scott White
>> Media Production & EBC Manager
>> Implementation Coordinator
>> 210-704-8239
>> swhite at alamark.com
> 
>