Apogee workflow proofing problem

[swp66]

I have an Apogee X rip (series 5) workflow and recently we had an overprint problem and I am looking for a solution. We printed a file and the customer had inadvertently set some type to overprint. The problem was our proof did not show the type as overprinting. Is there a way to make a pdf proof of the ripped file? We currently are making our pdfs out of quark and then dropping the pdf into a hot folder that directs the pdf to workflow. Is there a way to get a pdf back from the workflow that will show exactly how the file will look? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

thanks
Scott

 

[DCurry]

I've got Apogee 6 and there is a PDF Proof module you can add to your flow. I've not used it, but I believe it makes a TIFF and wraps it in a PDF wrapper. This should show any overprinting issues. Like everything in Apogee, it is probably a little tricky to set up just right. I think it was included with the base setup, but it may be different in your version.

I'd be more concerned about why your proof didn't show the overprinting. Sounds like you are maybe using 2 different RIPs - one RIP that drives your proofer (which you feed PDFs), and Apogee which creates your plate data. If that is the case, you are asking for trouble - a proof is only good if it is ripped by the same engine that rips for plate.

Even if you have a secondary RIP to control color on your proofer, you should still feed it rasterized files from Apogee to ensure integrity.

 

[swp66]

Thanks Dan
It is actually the same rip that drives the proofer (Epson 9800) we have setup different hot tickets for the plates and proofs. I will have to dig around in the proof hot ticket and see if I can figure something out. Thank you for your response.
Scott

 

[DCurry]

Okay, so most likely there are different settings between the 2 hotfolders. This is still a "dangerous" setup for that reason. You might want to consider having the the entire job as one flow with a branch to the proofer. This way you can tell the proofing branch to pick up the settings of the plating branch.

This screenshot might help illustrate.

 

[swp66]

Dan
I will look into this and thanks for the screen shot, that really helps. One thing I am still confused about is where the ripped pdf would be after it runs thru this hot ticket.
Again thanks for your response.

Scott

 

[Hopkins Printing]

Hi swp66,

As Dan said, there is a PDFProofer task processor that can be added to your system which can render your pages, export a composite image into a PDF and save to a directory of your choice which should be representative of your final job. We use PDFProofer here for that purpose and any overprints are shown. One thing to mention though is that because the PDFProofer is a CMYK-only proofing device, all spot colors are converted to CMYK automatically in the resulting PDF.

Best regards,
hp

 

[DCurry]

This screenshot doesn't include a ripped PDF. You'd have to add another branch that uses the PDF Proofer as the output device. If you want the PDF proof to be "loose page" rather than the imposed sheet, just connect the branch to the top flow after the Run List but before the Imposition module.

Here's another screenshot - hope it helps. You can control where the PDF proof will be saved, but the default is on the Apogee server in the ProoferPDFRoot shared volume (at least on mine, but I don't usually use this so it is pretty much the factory default). You can also control the bit depth and resolution of the PDF.

One thing I'm learning as I figure this out with you is that there is a Disable Output box that is checked by default - you have to uncheck it to actually make the PDF proof (don't understand why you'd want to disable the output anyway - otherwise what's the point?)

 

[swp66]

Thanks Dan, I am going to try this. Will let you know how it turns out.

Scott