CMYK vs RGB RE: PDF query

[Heiko Haida]

Hi Craig, 

whatever the theoretical and technical differences of RGB and CMYK
colours are: 

The FrameMaker RGB output of CMYK-colours is not even close to how the
CMYK output looks like. I am (still) using FM 10, btw. 

Therefore I always produce CMYK pdfs first and use Acrobat preflighting
to get correct RGB pdfs (even if these pdfs are only for the screen).
The other way round would not work at all: 
The "interpretation" of colours in the RGB output by FrameMaker is quite
strange (a colleague who only uses Indesign called these colours
"tawdry"). 

I am very glad that FM 10 (unlike FM 12) still seems to work with my
CMYK graphic files and CMYK colours.
I hope that as part of the Adobe products family, FrameMaker will soon
be able to handle colours like Indesign does, with colour profiles and
direct (error-free) PDF-X3/PDF-X4 compatible output. 

Best regards - Tino H. Haida, Berlin 

Craig Ede: 

> Do you need the CMYK option checked? (In other words, are you sending your
> PDF out to a service bureau using a high-quality printer so it can be
> printed and bound? That's usually why people are checking the CMYK option.)
> 
> From some of the discussion here, I get the idea that people think CMYK is
> just something you pick on a whim. And in response to an earlier comment
> that CMYK affects color vividness in the PDF, that happens because CMYK is
> limited to producing colors by mixing printing inks (a subtractive process
> that is quite different from the additive mixing of pixels on the screen,
> i.e. RGB). 
> 
> Additive mixing produces white by its max values (256,256,256). Mixing C, M,
> and Y inks at max values produces black (albeit not a lovely black, which is
> why the K is there).
> 
> If your PDF is only going to the screen or a cheap printer (with minimal
> control of the color space desired), then RGB is fine and choosing CMYK is
> really not a smart idea since it takes much longer to distill and would have
> little or no benefit.
> 
> Craig
> P.S. Forgive any simplifications in the above. CMYK printing is a rather
> complex issue.
> P.P.S. The color space that can be produced by Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and K
> (black) printing inks on paper is much more restricted than the color space
> produced by RGB pixels on a computer screen. If you've ever mixed watercolor
> paint you know that you can't mix colors with pigment that result in colors
> that are lighter or more vivid than the colors you start with. Any mixing
> reduces both the value (lightness/darkness) as well as the vividness
> (saturation) of the color. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
> [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Syed Zaeem Hosain
> (Syed.Hosain at aeris.net)
> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2014 6:32 PM
> To: Robert Lauriston; framers at lists.frameusers.comSubject: RE: PDF query
> 
> Same here with "Save as PDF", except that with FM 12, it seems that I also
> need to select the "RGB" checkbox option to make it work correctly. The
> "CMYK" option does _not_ work properly.
> 
> I will see if I can find the test documents I sent to Adobe and post them
> here later ...
> 
> Z
> 
> Robert Lauriston said:
> 
>> At least from FM6 on, I had zero problems with Save as PDF so long as
> 
> Distiller / Adobe PDF was selected as the printer and I used the same file
> name as the .book I was saving.
> 
> Mike Wickham wrote:
> 
>> Actually, Frame print to PDF was the gold standard. Save as PDF was so
> 
> buggy that all experts recommended against using it.
> 
> _______________________________________________
 
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