DCS 2.0 problems - Illustrator CS2

[Dave2]

I have a project in illustrator that includes three DCS 2.0 files (all use CMY plus 5 spots). When linking to them, Illustrator flashes up a warning about a swatch conflict for Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

If I choose the option 'Merge Swatches' from the dialog box, the DCS elements in CMY are omitted from the seperations. The spot colour elements of the DCS are however all present and correct on the seps.

If I tell Illustrator not to merge swatches, I get duplicate CMY colors added as spots to the swatch (which cannot be merged with the process versions). The DCS CMY elements do appear on the surplus CMY seps though.

Anyone know where I'm going wrong?

[jimking]

When you merge the cmy swatches are omitted. My bet is they are there. Example, if you were to place a 4/c image, the cmyk swatches will not appear but it will seperate ok. So go ahead and merge and then PRINT color seperations to confirm that the cmy and spots seperate properly.

[Broacher]

CMY plus 5 spots? Hokey smokeys. What the heck are you printing?

[Dave2]

CMY plus 5 spots? Hokey smokeys. What the heck are you printing?

Nothing spectacular. Flexo tends to use more plates than litho as a given spot colour may have one plate for linework and another for tones.

This particular job has two plates for the same blue and two for the white - the job is to be printed on a clear substrate.

[Broacher]

Ahhh.... thought it might be a labelling workflow. BTW, Did JimKing's analysis pan out?

[Silence04]

I've ran across this same problem on a couple occations....

how are you DSC files CMY set up? did you just delete your K channel, or are they setup up as spot colors like they should be?

if you not using black in your file, don't use the 4 color process CMY in photoshop or illustrator, use spots of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

once you do that, link it in illustrator and Don't Merge any swatches, your job is acutally 8 Spot colors don't try to fit your Cyan, Magenta and Yellow into the 4 color process CMY.

hope that makes since, day is coming to an end.... ;)

[Silence04]

I just read this part...

...If I tell Illustrator not to merge swatches, I get duplicate CMY colors added as spots to the swatch (which cannot be merged with the process versions)....
Anyone know where I'm going wrong?

Thats your problem, don't try to merge them into process... you need to try to make your Process versions of CMY to the Spot color swatches.

[Dave2]

Thanks - I'll try it when i get back to the office :)

[Dave2]

I got around the problem - turns out Photoshop DCS 2.0 doesn't support process CMYK + spots. I ended up creating each DCS twice, one with the generic CMYK channels and a copy with only the spot channels, ensuring the pairs were precisely positioned.

A strange way of working - never had this issue in Artpro or Packedge : /

[Broacher]

>>I got around the problem - turns out Photoshop DCS 2.0 doesn't support process CMYK + spots.<<

??

Sure it does. Be sure to uncheck 'Save as copy' (better be working from one) when saving to the DCS format though. And you can't go directly from RGB to DCS CMYK to get the K channel-- you have to make a stop at normal CMYK first.

You know, you'd be much better off laying this out in AI and then just copying and pasting everything --EXCEPT THE DCSs -- into InDesign. From inside ID, place the DCSs and have separation previews on. ID automatically merges the DCS's CMYK channels without merging warnings (or, indeed-- without options).

I think this is another indication that the AI colour handling module is still not up to the same standard as ID's. I wish I knew why.