I'm trying to publish a local street map with Illustrator and InDesign. My local maps have black and gray lines with black type, red highways and blue water (spot colors). When I import my Illustrator file into InDesign, it breaks down the gray lines and black type and puts them on all four color plates. I suppose it thinks these are colors instead of black and tints of black. Can anyone offer help on this? I'm sure the printer does not want to use four plates to print black.
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Illustrator files in InDesign
- Thread starter brmckelvy
- Start date
...if your imported blacks are on more than one plate, then your illustrator artwork is either not using pure black (in CMYK mode), or is in RGB color mode...
...you will need to fix the illustrator file, check the document color mode in illustrator (file > document color mode)...
...if it is RGB, change to CMYK and fix the black elements...
andrew
- Thread starter
- #3
apepp,
Thanks for the help. I'm closer. I have converted all Illustrator files to CMYK, got rid of any spot colors and used CMYK colors. However, the black still comes out on every plate, in about equal density on each plate. For black, I am using the first black in the CMYK palette. It is labeled just "black" not "pure black" or "cmyk black." Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help. I'm closer. I have converted all Illustrator files to CMYK, got rid of any spot colors and used CMYK colors. However, the black still comes out on every plate, in about equal density on each plate. For black, I am using the first black in the CMYK palette. It is labeled just "black" not "pure black" or "cmyk black." Any suggestions?
...as long as you are sure your illustrator file is using black only in CMYK mode, then you have to also ensure InDesign isn't making a conversion upon export to PDF...
...in InDesign, ensure you have that in CMYK mode by checking "Edit > Transparency Blend Space > Document CMYK"...
...if you export to PDF as Acrobat 1.3, using "Document RGB" and using a transparent effect anywhere on a page (like a drop shadow), the WHOLE page gets converted and blacks end up on more than one plate...
andrew
...if after checking indesign is in CMYK transparency and you still end up with black on more than one plate, regardless of what PDF version you export to, then you still have a problem with the illustrator file...
...would help greatly if you can provide which version of indesign you are using...
...and also posting a download link back to tek-tips of the problem illustrator file, you can use for this...
...you don't need to use a "recipient" address. Just copy and paste the resulting sendspace download link back to tek-tips...
andrew
...would help greatly if you can provide which version of indesign you are using...
...and also posting a download link back to tek-tips of the problem illustrator file, you can use for this...
...you don't need to use a "recipient" address. Just copy and paste the resulting sendspace download link back to tek-tips...
andrew
- Thread starter
- #6
Andrew,
Thanks for your help. I think I have figured it out. For my blacks, I used the black in the basic CMYK palette. Apparently, that is a process black, made up of all four colors. I changed these blacks to the black in the gray scale bar (CMYK value, 0,0,0,100) and all the black ink shows up on the black plate. I think that will solve my problem. I certainly appreciate your willingness to help someone who is learning!
B R McKelvy
Thanks for your help. I think I have figured it out. For my blacks, I used the black in the basic CMYK palette. Apparently, that is a process black, made up of all four colors. I changed these blacks to the black in the gray scale bar (CMYK value, 0,0,0,100) and all the black ink shows up on the black plate. I think that will solve my problem. I certainly appreciate your willingness to help someone who is learning!
B R McKelvy
...that is the problem when you have an illustrator file set in document RGB color mode. Simply changing the color mode to CMYK renders all the colors in the swatches palette to CMYK equivalents...
...how those CMYK values end up differs depending on what color profiles are being used in "edit > color settings" dialog, and also what rendering intent is used (relative, perceptual etc)...
andrew
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