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 [email protected] 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.

 

[CHM]

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.

BTW, I am in packaging to:=)
And we automate alot.

But why dont you do your S&R direct in ArtPro, you do not need to save a pdf 1st.
If I understand it right you have a single file in ArtPro, if so just do the S&R with that single file in ArtPro and send thet steped file trough your Nexus WF

 

[schenkadere]

BTW, I am in packaging to:=)
And we automate alot.

But why dont you do your S&R direct in ArtPro, you do not need to save a pdf 1st.
If I understand it right you have a single file in ArtPro, if so just do the S&R with that single file in ArtPro and send thet steped file trough your Nexus WF

Well, that's what we normally do. In this case, this particular set of files will not print to the Nexus workflows...they're simply too large. When this comes up, we normally send the one up ArtPro to a link workflow...step the link and then print...no problem.

These jobs will not print stepped...so, breaking it down to a simpler form and trying the one up...it won't print either. It will not flatten and never gets to the point of creating a postscript. I tried to eliminate printing and did a run file through the workflow with the same result...just locks on flattening.

Our normal workflow is Illustrator native pdf to ArtPro for clean up, trapping and stepping, then print to a Nexus workflow for proof and plates...never an issue. These ArtPro native files from this supplier are a mess...tons of opacity masks, placed .psd's...and the pdfs they send are flattened and create over 1000 tiffs...those won't flatten, print, rip or anything else. I can't imagine how they ever got them to output. I'm going to call them this morning.

 

[schenkadere]

BTW CHM...I appreciate your responses and your help.

 

[CHM]

BTW CHM...I appreciate your responses and your help.

Your welcome.

 

[WI-Flexo]

One thing you may want to try is optimizing your 1-up AP file (object-file-optimize). This has worked for us in the past. It seems that optimizing helps Artpro reorganize the data in a file and speeds processing. Hope that helps.

 

[schenkadere]

One thing you may want to try is optimizing your 1-up AP file (object-file-optimize). This has worked for us in the past. It seems that optimizing helps Artpro reorganize the data in a file and speeds processing. Hope that helps.

Tried that...didn't make a difference...but thanks.

Esko's answer is saving PDF 1.5 out of ArtPro, flattening in Acrobat 7, which I don't have and supposedly has a better flattener...then going to my normal link workflow. Well...that's no solution to me.

 

[WI-Flexo]

Gotta love those support responses. If you want we can take a look at the file for you. If your interested you can upload to our FTP site at web17.ixwebhosting.com user:guest1 password:JasW79wu

 

[schenkadere]

Gotta love those support responses. If you want we can take a look at the file for you. If your interested you can upload to our FTP site at web17.ixwebhosting.com user:guest1 password:JasW79wu

Thanks, but the customer probably wouldn't look kindly on that...it's rather high profile stuff.

Esko conceded that nothing could be done and suggested Total Rip which I will get a price on...in the meantime, one of our sister plants has Prinergy and I asked them to try to flatten it for me...much more robust pdf handling.

I'll find out tomorrow. Oh boy...whoopdie do.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

If you are looking for more info on native PDF processing/output (not going through PostScript), you will probably find more search hits on the terms "APPE" or "Adobe PDF Print Engine":

Adobe - Adobe PDF Print Engine

(or perhaps Esko have developed their own solution rather than using Adobe's)


Regards,

Stephen Marsh