In Design CS2 DCS or PSD which one works? 1

[janisav]

We are using InDesign as our desktop publishing software. We switched a year ago from Quark. We are placing in a photoshop rastor artwork in our In Design doc. The photoshop file is built with a spot channel. The artwork has a soft drop shadow on an area of the spot color. When we place a DCS image (save as single file 72 dpi composite) in the InDesign doc. it prints with a hard edge shadow instead of the soft shadow. We print to color laser copiers. It will print correctly if the file is a tiff file (flat) The problem is that file doesn't generate a spot channel. How can we get In Design to print these files correctly? There is also a problem with the spot color get changed to a lab color. We have also tried to place the layered PSD file in the doc which gives us the same hard edge. Is there anything anyone can offer to getting around this?

 

[jmgalvin]

DCS is probably not the best with indesign. 8 bit photoshop dcs without any vector info are supposed to be ok for printing, but that's it. You can use tiff or psd - just make sure that you check "preserve spots" in the save box. That way you should get the spot. The spot should show up in your swatches pallette when you place the pic.

For other color problems, make sure that you're in the correct mode in photoshop, generally cmyk, and that you have the color management the same in all apps - or off.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[janisav]

Thanks for your reply. But, my question wasn't really answered I need to have spot color and transparency work into InDesign. When I import PSD instead of DCS files it still prints wrong (hard edge on soft shadows) Anybody???

 

[jmgalvin]

TIFF supports spot channels. Just make sure that you have "save spots" checked in the Photoshop save as window. If that's not available in the save as window, the spot channel is not properly saved and you should check the channels window in PS. I just finished using pantone 199c in a tiff and saving as a spot channel and placing in indesign.

If, for example, you did not give the spot a name in Photoshop, when you import into Indesign, it will show up in the Indesign swatches window as "spot color1". If you picked the spot from something like the pantone c book, the spot will show up in indesign with the pantone swatch name. If that's not importing with the tiff, something is fluey.

As for printing the psd - it should print the same as the tiff. What are your print settings?

Under graphics, you should have "all" checked under send data. Under Advanced, since you have a soft edge, you should have high checked in transparency flattener.

I assume that you have the correct color profile and/or ppd set for the printer since the tiff originally printed ok.

Using OSX 10.3.9 on a G4

 

[janisav]

Thank you. Tiff works, DCS doesn't. Thanks again