Converting seperated files to composite

[ramins]

Is it possible to output a composite colour file from a seperated input file (DSC2)? maybe by changing the BeginPage/EndPage settings!? What I mean by this if you get the 4 pages of CMYK to print in their respected colour imposed on top of each other. Would this work? If not is there any other way of doing it by using Postscript codes?

 

[tgreer]

Wow, I've never thought of that. It would be a challenge. Yes, you'd have to suppress showpage, for one thing. I'd like to see some sample output, to see how it uses the setcmykcolor operator. Perhaps you could combine the relative values of that operator from the four files into one.

Post a link to your sample?

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[ramins]

It should be quite challanging, specially if allowing for the spot colours pages and overprint!

I would first try to use a similar approach to N-up routines usually used in BeginPage/EndPage setup. Of course it is a bit easier as you don't need to change the CTM for any of the pages and as you rightly said an EndPage that 'executes' a showpage on the last page only.

Also need to convert the greyscale pages to their respective separation's colour by modifying the setcmykcolor operator for each page.

That's the theory anyway! I am sure I must be missing some important points here.

I have sample Quark Xpress 4 DSC2 sample file for testing I can email.

 

[tgreer]

You can get my email address from my website.

My hope would be that all non-spot colors would be set with setcmykcolor. Spots colors would use /Separation or /DeviceN. There shouldn't be any setgray or setrgbcolors.



Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[GolanTrevize]

When dealing with Pre-Separtated or DCS you can make an assumption that all the data inside is gray or separation black.

You will need to overload all painting operators to paint in a separation colorspace according to the current separation being handled.

For processing Pre-Separated Postscript you will need to capture %%PlateColor and %%Page: some extras are needed for Quark files so as to keep logical pages consitent in the case of multi-page files.

For DCS get a handle of the file Passe it and run each plate with overprint on for all plates but the first one laid down.

I've built a system like this before that worked in Distiller and it's fun to build.

The result is really overlapping pages with overprint on and the correct separation colorspace and when viewing inside acrobat with separation preview on you will see the correct image.

Golan Trevize.

 

[ramins]

That sounds interesting. I will be very interested to look at the work you've done with the Distiler. Could you email this to me please.

 

[GolanTrevize]

Hi,

Sorry the code is not available.

Golan