Bought a new (to me) DPX 2, I can no longer print direct from InDesign. I have questions

[pixeltim]

What kind of workflow is normal for creating print ready pdf files that have crops, color bars and are properly positioned for print?
I guess I'm old school, this is frustrating to have to make this change.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ynot_UK]

Typically one would export a PDF from InDesign with the Printer's Marks of your choice selected (as below)
I've never printed direct from InDesign, I can't think off the top of my head why anyone would want to do that TBH

 

[pixeltim]

Thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated.
Having never done it your way, I can't imagine why anyone would do it through pdf.
I have complete control over position, color bars, orientation and everything in InDesign, why add the extra step of making a pdf?
What am I missing?
Just curious, I've been printing direct to my output devices since my first Lino 300 and never had a problem.

 

[keith1]

If this is something you are sending out for printing, you might want to check with your provider first. Many/most shops do not want colour bars added and end up having to remove them. And some don't want crop marks either. These are added as required as part of their own work flow.

 

[pixeltim]

If this is something you are sending out for printing, you might want to check with your provider first. Many/most shops do not want colour bars added and end up having to remove them. And some don't want crop marks either. These are added as required as part of their own work flow.

No, I have my own printshop, with a DPX platemaker and Ryobi 524 4 color press. I need color bars along the entire gripper length so as to get accurate color on the entire sheet.

 

[Ynot_UK]

If this is something you are sending out for printing, you might want to check with your provider first. Many/most shops do not want colour bars added and end up having to remove them. And some don't want crop marks either. These are added as required as part of their own work flow.

An InDesign package is preferable. When received/offered, always a great indication the designer knows their stuff and everything's gonna be good

 

[pixeltim]

An InDesign package is preferable. When received/offered, always a great indication the designer knows their stuff and everything's gonna be good

And getting a Canva file from a client typically means trouble.

 

[keith1]

always a great indication the designer knows their stuff and everything's gonna be good

Meant the opposite to me. When receiving files with colour bars & basically every printer mark tickable in the print dialog, it meant that people were trying to look like they knew what they were doing, when in fact the opposite was true, as often borne out by the meat & potatoes of the file.

 

[Ynot_UK]

Meant the opposite to me. When receiving files with colour bars & basically every printer mark tickable in the print dialog, it meant that people were trying to look like they knew what they were doing, when in fact the opposite was true, as often borne out by the meat & potatoes of the file.

@keith1 - that's not what I'm saying. I indicated receiving or being offered a bundled InDesign package was good, not a PDF with every conceivable mark and colour bar on it !

 

[pixeltim]

@keith1 - that's not what I'm saying. I indicated receiving or being offered a bundled InDesign package was good, not a PDF with every conceivable mark and colour bar on it !

Exactly, they took the time to create the package that includes all needed linked files and all fonts that are used in the file.

 

[namelessentity]

Thanks for the quick reply, much appreciated.
Having never done it your way, I can't imagine why anyone would do it through pdf.
I have complete control over position, color bars, orientation and everything in InDesign, why add the extra step of making a pdf?
What am I missing?
Just curious, I've been printing direct to my output devices since my first Lino 300 and never had a problem.

Most RIP workflows are PDF driven, so an exported PDF is ideal since you can just drag and drop into a hotfolder. Using a print driver tends to introduce variables, like accidentally leaving a box checked from a previous print, or accidentally changing color settings.

 

[Ynot_UK]

Most soft copy approval processes are PDF driven too, making printing from the same PDF your client has approved the safest way to avoid anything altering.

 

[pixeltim]

Is there a way to automate adding my current color bar into pdf generation in inDesign? The color bars InDesign uses are worthless for my needs

 

[keith1]

@keith1 - that's not what I'm saying. I indicated receiving or being offered a bundled InDesign package was good, not a PDF with every conceivable mark and colour bar on it !

Ahhh, yes!

 

[jwheeler]

Is there a way to automate adding my current color bar into pdf generation in inDesign? The color bars InDesign uses are worthless for my needs

Since you were printing directly from InDesign before, what did you used to do for color bars?

There is no way to change the default color bars InDesign uses for the PDF export function (that I'm aware of). However, what you can do is place your own in the document outside of the art board, and just set your bleeds to be large enough to capture the color bars (probably 0.5-.075").

 

[narseman]

Meant the opposite to me. When receiving files with colour bars & basically every printer mark tickable in the print dialog, it meant that people were trying to look like they knew what they were doing, when in fact the opposite was true, as often borne out by the meat & potatoes of the file.

Strip them all...

 

[Cannelli Printing]

What kind of workflow is normal for creating print ready pdf files that have crops, color bars and are properly positioned for print?
I guess I'm old school, this is frustrating to have to make this change.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

In theory you should be able to do what you've always been doing. Your platesetter is new(er) - is it the same model? If it's the same model, delete , then re-add your printer. If it's a newer model, download a new print driver for what ever you're running indesign on. a mac or windows box. if you've done that, delete it or the old one and try again. then restart.

 

[Cannelli Printing]

In theory you should be able to do what you've always been doing. Your platesetter is new(er) - is it the same model? If it's the same model, delete , then re-add your printer. If it's a newer model, download a new print driver for what ever you're running indesign on. a mac or windows box. if you've done that, delete it or the old one and try again. then restart.

Also, when exporting a pdf from indesign you can create pre-sets to use every time or use the default pdf-x standards that are consistent and conform to print standards. During this process you would enable the same marks you have always when printing from indesign. if the marks you seek ( press colorbars -not standard adobe color blocks) used to be included when printing from indesign - then the conclusion is you need a new print driver or your current one is corrupt- try re-installing the printer.

 

[jonathan1969]

I've been using PDF work flow for 25+ years. Extra steps mean you can share the PDF to the client for approval you can even lock the PDF so it wound print. Most rips will add a color bar or you make a template that has color bars on a layer.

 

[zevrix]

I need color bars

I wonder if this plug-in can help:

Triple Triangle Inc. | Workflow Tools for Agencies and Corporate

InDesign plug-ins to help agencies and corporate marketing departments

www.tripletriangle.com