Adobe Print Engine

[kaiserwilhelm]

OK, so I will admit, I am just coming on board with APPE. If there is another thread that helps on this, then moderators, please nuke this thread and move on.
Here are my questions:

Anyone using APPE yet to rip and go to plate?
What happens if I come out as an unflattened 1.7, go into a rip, come back out as an unflattened pdf - and THEN go to a photocopier or something?
Am I making myself clear enough? If I have the newest latest greatest rip with APPE, what happens if I have a 4 month old photocopier with Acrobat Professional 8 driving it?
Do I have to flatten the file to print it??

 

[mattbeals]

Re: Adobe Print Engine

Well if you "print" then the printing process flattens the PDF. If you copy a PDF with transparency into a hot folder on the RIP that uses APPE then the RIP will flatten the transparency. Just as long as someone, somewhere flattens it you're fine. And if you're outputting something with transparency it simply has to be flattened *somewhere* at some point. Either when you "print" it or the APPE RIP gets it.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

Re: Adobe Print Engine

I agree that it must flatten at some point. That is the paradigm shift that I am not sure I am ready for.
As I understand it, my RIP will take in a 1.7 unflattened, and keep it inside of the RIP that way. It will not "flatten per se.
It will go to plate, etc from that native 1.7 file.
THEN, at some point I need a proof. So, I guess I take the PDF out of my workflow and it is again, a 1.7 unflattened.
Now, it seems to me that when I go to physical proof now that it flattens. Unless, I invest in new outside pieces that use APPE?
So, if my pressroom gets it flattened one way on the proof and it came out to plate another don't I have an issue?
I will fully admit I might be missing a great big part of the picture here.

 

[RiotMac]

Re: Adobe Print Engine

We currently use the APPE on all our jobs through Prinergy 4. I have our customers submit a PDF 1.4 out of InDeisgn. Quark... not so much. We have had very little problems since making the switch in November.

I thought the thing with APPE was that there was no flattening anywhere in the process from print preview to proof to plate? Why are you guys saying it has to be flattened somewhere? I understand that there will be flattening if you went to some sort of PostScript device.

 

[kaiserwilhelm]

Re: Adobe Print Engine

I guess that is what I meant. My printer (Konica 550) is postscript. So, no matter how great the 1.7 sits in my rip, at some point I have to print out to a lower denominator.
Correct?