help please wirh pdf import problem in SignLab7.1?

[Steve Morgan]

I rarely have any problem with pdf’s in SL. Have you tried saving the file with a new name in Acrobat before you open it in SL?
What filter settings are you using?

[Rick Cousins]

Hi Steve

Thanks for your reply.

I am only specifiying that text imports as graphics, as far as settings goes.
I tried saving it in Acrobat, but it reminded me that I am only using "Reader" so can only save as a direct copy to another location.

I must admit that this is the first time I have encountered any real problems with pdf files in Signlab, which I have only been using for about 2.5 years now having previously used Wissen Castop Plus in its many versions since 1994. Generally they are among the most reliable file types to work with and Signlab is in many repsects a pretty powerful tool to use.

The files are being composed by our client using Quark and Illustrator on a Mac, if that gives any other clues.

Thanks for now.

Rick

[Frank Droog]

rick
If you like, email the PDF file to cadlink tech support and ask them to forward it to frank
I would give you my email address but they are not allowed here.

We use a 3rd party dll to do the PDF interpreting.
We may have to turn around and send it to then to see what the problem is.
I believe you are correct in it being a Mac/Quark thing.
Im sure 90% of the PDF testing is done with Adobe products + Corel + various PDF writers on IBM bases platforms.
Cant tell without the file.
Im sure anything PDF related is considered high priority here.

frank at cadlink

[Peter Normington]

Its not unusual for signlab to do strange things with pdf’s, or for that matter AI’s or EPS files
it happens on a regular basis, hairlines when enlarged can become thick lines but dont revert when using undo, for example.

I invested in illustrator, so that I could open clients artwork as it was supposed to be, after getting wrong interpretations from signlab.
Cadlink need to sort this out, They will ask for the file, but they seldom give a solution.

Peter

[Alan Drury]

Corel seems to be in the same boat as Cadlink in as much as the pdf filter is generally very good but there just seems to be times when it doesn’t work as expected. Most of the problems I have come from pdf files from Quark, there are so many programmes out there that produce pdf – from programmes that ‘publish to pdf’ or export to pdf or are print drivers that produce pdf, most are very good but some are better than others in conforming to Adobe standards and that assumes Adobe doesn’t move the goal posts every little while. I think the likes of Cadlink and Corel are always going to be playing catch up to Adobe (Tell me I’m wrong Frank and give us hope)
Alan D

[Nick Minall]

I have a PDF from QuarkXpess 6.5 that opens but there is nothing there in SL8 PC Sent it to SL UK and they could not get it to work as well. it works in X3 and CS2:-?

Nick

[Rick Cousins]

Well, here we are, another day and what a kind bunch of interesting people have been puzzling on this conundrum for me! Thanks to all who have come up with various solutions and suggestions!

I worked at it until about 10 last night, but was still no further to an answer. I did find a work around by "nicking" bits from other files of the same job – it is a very complex bit of work – and running the relevant file in Acrobat whilst reconstructing it in Signlab. That worked, but was tedious. There are 36 different signs, banners, fascias and posters for this job.

Then came the profiling!!!

Oh dear, why is that very few of the Signlab profiles will let me print anything vaguely resembling a Reflex blue without putting a magenta or purple "cast" or hue on it? And the major part of this client’s ID is various shades of blue! But that’s another story.

Thanks for all the help on this one good people.

Rick

[Nick Minall]

you can link to a PDF if thats any help? and you can drop it into VPM so how can VPM read it but not SL PC?

[Rick Cousins]

Thanks Nick. I’ll try linking to the file.

BTW, excuse my ignorance, but what is VPM?

[Rick Cousins]

Ooh, I could kiss the nearest frog 😀 It worked.

Thanks Nick! There was I, embedding the image every time and completely forgot that I could link the file instead.

Now to see if it prints as shades of blue and not purple……

Rick :jump:

[Nick Minall]

quote Rick Cousins:

Now to see if it prints as shades of blue and not purple……

Rick :jump:

Good luck with that one :lol1:

[Peter Normington]

quote Rick Cousins:

Thanks Nick. I’ll try linking to the file.

BTW, excuse my ignorance, but what is VPM?

= visual production manager. new version of print and cut manager
Btw you can print direct from illustrator (still goes through p and c) but has given me good results regarding colours

Peter

[Rick Cousins]

Cheers for enlightening me Peter. VPM is in v8 of Signlab isn’t it? We are running v7.1

I might try Cadlink for help as I can’t adjust the red levels of the image when printing from a linked file – which is what I’ve done on the other parts of the job to get rid of the purple cast -, but I have a feeling that they will blame Mimaki (Hybrid who I just rang and they said "I’m afraid that everyone is at SignUK and we don’t support Signlab anyway").

This purple cast (or should it be Purple Haze?) is a perennial problem with the JV3 and Signlab’s RIP, as shown by the amount of Magenta it uses compared to the other colours; about 15% more empty cassettes laying around the studio. I’ve never got to the bottom of it.

[Peter Normington]

quote Rick Cousins:

Cheers for enlightening me Peter. VPM is in v8 of Signlab isn’t it? We are running v7.1

I might try Cadlink for help as I can’t adjust the red levels of the image when printing from a linked file – which is what I’ve done on the other parts of the job to get rid of the purple cast -, but I have a feeling that they will blame Mimaki (Hybrid who I just rang and they said “I’m afraid that everyone is at SignUK and we don’t support Signlab anyway”).

This purple cast (or should it be Purple Haze?) is a perennial problem with the JV3 and Signlab’s RIP, as shown by the amount of Magenta it uses compared to the other colours; about 15% more empty cassettes laying around the studio. I’ve never got to the bottom of it.

Cadlink are at the show to, I will be popping in to see them.

Peter

[Nick Minall]

quote Peter Normington:

quote Rick Cousins:

Thanks Nick. I’ll try linking to the file.

BTW, excuse my ignorance, but what is VPM?

= visual production manager. new version of print and cut manager
Btw you can print direct from illustrator (still goes through p and c) but has given me good results regarding colours

Peter

but the hole point is you should just be able to use SL isn’t it 😕 and get the same results?

[Rick Cousins]

*sings* "And so say all of us!"

Exactly the point Nick 🙄

It’s that old chestnut I’m afraid. You wouldn’t buy a car from anyone that you had to rebuild yourself every time you wnated to use it, would you? Yet we carry on Beta testing software and hardware which we have paid a small fortune for.

Rick

[Alan Drury]

Regarding pdf. I have found that troublesome pdf files can be opened in Acrobat (full version) and saved as eps, these generally open ok in X3/X4/SL. This option often sorts font issues. Renaming problem Ai files to pdf can help with those.
Alan D

[Rick Cousins]

Thanks for the tip Alan. It sounds like we’ll be buying a full version of Acrobat soon as we constantly experience this trouble with pdf files from "certain" customers.

Rick

[Jon Marshall]

Isn’t the problem caused by the different types of effects and fills they lump in with every new version of illustrator et al nowadays?

[Rick Cousins]

Hi Jon

It is more than likely a major culprit, but I would say that an even bigger problem (certainly to us, at least) is the plethora of different colour management standards, platform, protocols, call ’em wot yer will sir.

Design something on an uncalibrated monitor, output to a standard desktop printer and see if the colours are anything like you expected.

ICC, ICM, RGB, PMS, CMYK – they sound like sinister government organisations. Perhaps they are? Ha Ha

Rick