Exporting jpgs from Illustrator 10 - colour problems

[lisatektips]

I make a cmyk Illustrator file. ALL the colours are CMYK (I double checked). When it gets exported as a CMYK jpg file - and then I place that jpg into Pagemaker or Word etc, it changes colour - not just on-screen but in print as well.

Help?!

 

[askIllustrator]

Don't print JPEGs, it is a lossy format built for the web. In fact, dont rasterize at all. Just save as .eps and place those, that way you can retain all your vector data.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Einstein

 

[lisatektips]

I'm not sure how to change my initial posting.

Actually, I would use the eps but its colour also changes when I place it into Pagemaker or Word (I don't have Quark).

I'm sure its a colour profile problem but I can't figure it out... I suspect this because when I "export for the web" the jpg retains the colour of the eps file.

 

[askIllustrator]

You are just looking a preview of the actual image when it is placed. Im pretty sure Pagemaker has a setting to display hi-res links. Your print should look fine regardless of the display setting.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Einstein

 

[Eggles]

Yes, PM's default graphics display is a low-rez version. You can change it to high rez under Preferences, but this will slow the computer down. Also, the EPS cannot be directly displayed in PM, it shows only a TIF preview, the specifications of which you set (1-bit, 8-bits etc) when you create the EPS. Even if you set it at 8-bit, it will still display fuzzy, unless you activate the high-rez graphics display feature as well. I wouldn't worry too much about the colour change of the preview, as it will still print OK (on a postscript printer). Don't attempt to use EPS for importing into Word - it won't accept that format. Use TIF instead - avoid JPGs at all cost for any printed material.

 

[greenteaplease]

On asimilar vein . . .when i set up an.ai file in cmyk how can i be sure all of the colours are definately CMYK and stay true to what i see on screen for the printers.

also do you think it is wise/unwise to create brochures in illustrator
thanks

 

[Eggles]

Firstly - you must understand that the colours you see on screen will not necessarily match the printed version. They use two entirely different colour spaces - RGB on screen and CMYK in print. So there are no guarantees - unless you use Pantone spot colours (which still may look different on screen) but they will print true to how they are displayed in the printed swatch book. You can also buy a Pantone comparison book (not too sure of its correct name) which will give the CMYK equivalent to the Pantone spot colour you want to use (if you want the piece printed in process colour [4C] rather than in spot, which can be more expensive if you use more than two colours throughout). This is why if you are having something commercially printed and the colours are important, then you ask for a press proof.

Creating brochures in Illustrator? Illustrator is more or less confined to single page layouts, and as a brochure would have two sides, this would need two layouts and two separate files, or you can use a page size twice that of the printed piece and let the printer know this. I must admit I am not keen on using AI for anything more than single page layouts e.g. ads, posters but I know there are people who use it exclusively. But if you have PM - why? Anything you can create in AI that you can't in PM (such as outlined text) you can save and bring into PM as an EPS file (or even as a TIF if you want).