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  • Problems with a printer

    #1
    Hey guys! So i just got a new job and things are going great but obviously the first job i send out to be printed has to have issues. And as usual the printer is blaming them on me.

    What happened was a client wanted some notepads so he gave me his files, i placed them on the notepad as he liked and sent them to the printer. My images were all 300dpi and cmyk and the job was printed in 4 color process (litho printer i believe).

    The problem is that the main image on the top (the guys logo) is pixelated. He swears that he used the high res image but clearly he didn't if my 30$ hp printer is printing it nicer. The other problem with the image is that it has a white background but on his version theres all sorts of noise in the background which should be plain white (again, coming out fine on my end).

    Oh and i forgot to mention that the black writing turned out like a 70%K when it was supposed to be 100%K.

    I'm attaching a pic so i can get your opinions but the pic was just taken from my phone since i had nothing else to take it with. I marked up the problems with green arrows and i drew squiggly lines where the noise in the white is.

    I would really like to get your feedback because this is really important considering its the first job i sent out.

    The image can be found here:
    http://www.expozgrafix.com/bull.jpg

    Thanks!
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Originally posted by Drifter View Post

    What happened was a client wanted some notepads so he gave me his files, i placed them on the notepad as he liked and sent them to the printer. My images were all 300dpi and cmyk and the job was printed in 4 color process (litho printer i believe).
    Client gave you what exactly in what file format? The bull? The bull + the type?

    What software did you work in? What OS? How did you prep the file? What specifically did you send the printer?

    How did you prep the job without knowing how it was going to be printed?

    Comment

    • #3
      The version on top is on screen?

      That looks like a raster image IMO instead of vector... an image like that should definitely be a vector image especially if it's a logo.

      Comment

      • #4
        Originally posted by PanToshi View Post
        Client gave you what exactly in what file format? The bull? The bull + the type?

        What software did you work in? What OS? How did you prep the file? What specifically did you send the printer?

        How did you prep the job without knowing how it was going to be printed?
        It was done in illustrator cs5.5, mac osx 10.7.2, i sent the printer the .ai file as he requested with the links.

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by The Artist View Post
          The version on top is on screen?

          That looks like a raster image IMO instead of vector... an image like that should definitely be a vector image especially if it's a logo.
          the version on top was printed here from the crappy HP and the bottom one was printed by the printer.

          I suggested he let me redo the file in vector but he didn't want to pay for the extra work since it was a high res PSD and he had never had trouble with it before

          Comment

          • #6
            unrelated: that yellow stroke around the black text is hideous.

            Where the hell is PD... he's the printing expert...

            Comment

            • #7
              Did you double check the files you sent the printer?

              Comment

              • #8
                Not on litho. Outside my realm. You want Hank.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by The Artist View Post
                  Did you double check the files you sent the printer?
                  Yup, double checked before i sent, double checked this morning and everything is mint on my end... the only thing i can see happening is maybe something happened when uploading the image? Does that ever happen?

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    How did you upload it?

                    I can image a file getting corrupt, or incomplete but nothing like this...

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by The Artist View Post
                      How did you upload it?

                      I can image a file getting corrupt, or incomplete but nothing like this...
                      FTP. And its not sent to china where weird things happen, this guy is local.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Drifter View Post
                        It was done in illustrator cs5.5, mac osx 10.7.2, i sent the printer the .ai file as he requested with the links.
                        You sent him the ai file with "links" - that means something was placed in Illustrator - what exactly was placed - what link did you send them?

                        Care to share the actual files you sent him.


                        That black text turning out washed out - that can be various things.


                        Right now, I'm thinking that the file was converted to PDF and that the black changed from 100k to a four colour black, but they only outputted the black plate for it.

                        Meaning the numbers in the CMYK build changed. Which is very easy to do if you are not careful making the PDF.


                        I would need to see the actual files that were used and the actual PDF that went to print to figure out what went on.



                        Printing out pixelated, that's a weird thing to happen, but it can happen that you can accidently rasterise vectors when making the PDF.

                        I doubt that's what happened.



                        What I do think happened, they opened the Illustrator file and didn't "re-link" the bull picture to the link that you sent them. Meaning that it was only showing a Proxy image instead of the real data.



                        So what probably happened is - the Link was not preserved in the Illustrator file.

                        And the PDF settings caused the black to convert to a 4 colour black, and only the Black plate was printed or output for the text.


                        Probably.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          What colour mode was the AI file you sent them? What colour mode was the linked psd?

                          EDIT: Pretty much ninja'd by Hank

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Originally posted by hank_scorpio View Post
                            You sent him the ai file with "links" - that means something was placed in Illustrator - what exactly was placed - what link did you send them?

                            Care to share the actual files you sent him.


                            That black text turning out washed out - that can be various things.


                            Right now, I'm thinking that the file was converted to PDF and that the black changed from 100k to a four colour black, but they only outputted the black plate for it.

                            Meaning the numbers in the CMYK build changed. Which is very easy to do if you are not careful making the PDF.


                            I would need to see the actual files that were used and the actual PDF that went to print to figure out what went on.



                            Printing out pixelated, that's a weird thing to happen, but it can happen that you can accidently rasterise vectors when making the PDF.

                            I doubt that's what happened.



                            What I do think happened, they opened the Illustrator file and didn't "re-link" the bull picture to the link that you sent them. Meaning that it was only showing a Proxy image instead of the real data.



                            So what probably happened is - the Link was not preserved in the Illustrator file.

                            And the PDF settings caused the black to convert to a 4 colour black, and only the Black plate was printed or output for the text.


                            Probably.
                            There were only 2 links... one was the bull on top and the other was a background image that was faded to 5% (which came out fine). I sent him both the exact images that i used in my file yet mine prints fine and his doesn't.

                            But now that you mention that... it kind of makes sense. The only problem is that the image is decent quality... its definitely not 72dpi or "screen" resolution... its just screwed up for some reason.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Well if the background image is faded to 5% - then you have transparency going on.

                              The transparency could cause issues like this, with some parts of the vector being rasterised, even if the transparency flattener is set to 150 ppi - which it usually is.


                              It's very bizarre and really speaks volumes of the knowledge of this printer. And not good volumes.


                              Basically - the bottom line is that what you got is not what you sent. Make it clear to them that the print quality and the colours were not good enough.


                              It really is up to them to be able to do it properly. And if there was an issue they should have contacted you to let you know.


                              I find it unacceptable when a printers just goes off and prints it, even though it doesn't look right. It really irritates me when that happens. Luckily it doesn't happen very often.



                              That rasterisation around the Bulls face, I think that is definitely due a transparency flattening issue. Which the printers should have been able to hande, imo.

                              Comment

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