Recombining DCS 2.0 files

[artdirectoreric]

One of our print shops can scan separated film and use it in their digital workflow as a DCS 2.0 eps. They've made it available online for us to download. I did that with an ad that needs to go to another print shop. They told me that I can place the .eps file into my layout program, make a .pdf file and it will be fine. I tried it but the .eps file didn't preview in Acrobat and the file size was waaaaay too small to possibly contain the separation files. We had to get the ad out by the end of the day so I just merged the separated files into a tif file and sent it on it's way (I also included the DCS 2.0 files just in case.) This process took way too much time, too, and I wasn't happy with the appearance of the tif file.

What can you guys recommend for the next time this happens? This situation will come up again in a couple of weeks and I want to handle it right the first time. Thanks.

 

[gabz]

hello, eric. gabz here.
dcs combine will need expensive software such as those from heidelberg and purup-eskofot. browse the web for the info you need.
oh, yeah, i think adobe or corel has a workaround for this. maybe i'll get in touch again for a better solution. ok? bye!

 

[askIllustrator]

Save your DCS with an 8 bit preview so it will look good where ever you place it. It doesnt really affect the output but at least you feel better about it. I tried saving a .pdf out of illustrator with a DCS placed in it and it told me I couldnt do it so Id be interested in how your print shop is getting .pdf's with DCS's placed in them. What does work is just saveing it as a .ai. Ive never had any complaints when I do that.

 

[artdirectoreric]

jAQUAN, you misunderstand. We sent the film the advertiser sent to us to the print shop along with the .pdf file of the rest of the layout. They scanned the film in, making it an .eps dcs2.0 file and manually/digitally combined them with the rest of the layout when they made their plates. They are making that file availabe to us on their website which we can download directly or use a place-holder so they can drop it in when we send another layout to them that needs that same ad. Our situation is that we needed to put that ad into another publication being printed by a different printer, so I did what I described above.