ArtPro 9.6.7 issues with flattening

[schenkadere]

I received some pretty complex ArtPro files from a customer...tons of opacity masks, photoshop files placed...it's a mess. I cannot print to my Nexus workflows...it hangs for hours at flattening, never even getting to generating a postscript.

Normally, when I have this issue, I print to a link and page workflow before stepping the file...but this time, it's a no go.

I've been working with support, but they have no solution. I was told to try flattening in Acrobat, but it crashes at the very end before the save. I tried it on my G5s and Intel Macs...same result. Then they send me a PDF RIP workflow to try with Nexus, but that has a flattening module as well where it hangs up.

The other option is for them to supply me flattened pdfs, but I wind up with over 1000 tiffs and then have the same issue when attempting to create a postscript from ArtPro.

I sent the file and links to Esko...maybe tomorrow they'll have better suggestions.

The thing that bothers me is that the program can't even handle its own native format. If it can create it, it should be able to flatten it.

Any ideas? I let them go overnight I'll see what I get in the morning.

[mattbeals]

Can you make a PDF with transparency that I can try to flatten with some of my tools?

[schenkadere]

Can you make a PDF with transparency that I can try to flatten with some of my tools?

I can send you the exact pdf I exported from ArtPro as a 1.5...just tell me where to post it.

[mattbeals]

You can email me the PDF to matt@mattbeals.com or YouSendIt! to me.

[CHM]

Why do you have to flatten?
Dont you have the Nexus Total RIP?

[schenkadere]

Why do you have to flatten?
Dont you have the Nexus Total RIP?

I have a full tilt Nexus RIP 9.5.7...not sure what "Total RIP" is...is that what they call it now? Anyway, I need to create a link file to step in ArtPro.

All transparency has to flatten at some point in order to output...I'm not sure what you mean.

[CHM]

All transparency has to flatten at some point in order to output...I'm not sure what you mean.

No you don't need to flatten if you have the Total RIP.
In Nexus you can have 2 types of RIP, the Old postscript based RIP and the new (not so new is already there for more than 10 years i think) Total RIP. The last one RIP's you full transparency files direct without any flattening.

I have both here, the last 5 years we do everything via Total RIP, we never flatten anything anymore. Is way faster than before.

[schenkadere]

No you don't need to flatten if you have the Total RIP.
In Nexus you can have 2 types of RIP, the Old postscript based RIP and the new (not so new is already there for more than 10 years i think) Total RIP. The last one RIP's you full transparency files direct without any flattening.

I have both here, the last 5 years we do everything via Total RIP, we never flatten anything anymore. Is way faster than before.

Well that's interesting. Support mentioned nothing about it.

Then I'd have to purchase the license and Neo as well to clean these up before processing. So a handful of problem files becomes an investment.

[CHM]

I don't know why you need Neo if you have ArtPro you can handle everything there. And if you have Nexus import and Processor you can even automate a lot that you don't need to do anything anymore in ArtPro.

[schenkadere]

I don't know why you need Neo if you have ArtPro you can handle everything there. And if you have Nexus import and Processor you can even automate a lot that you don't need to do anything anymore in ArtPro.

I need ArtPro. We do packaging which is very job specific. Automation isn't an option. I guess I would need to edit in ArtPro and export to PDF 1.5 to maintain transparency, then out to Total RIP to create a link for me to step.