DeviceN vs. CMYK

[CNewcomb]

What are the main differences between DeviceN and CMYK? I understand that DeviceN is used to maintain spot colors but are there any other reasons why one would use DeviceN? In theory, CMYK color space will still maintain spot colors. Correct? Atleast I have yet to come across a problem with CMYK not maintaining spots...

Thank you!!

 

[disbellj]

You got your answer

You got your answer

DeviceN is to maintain Spots. However, as you've seen, even when using CMYK, Spots still show up in the PDF, etc., just as if you used DeviceN. Special, huh?

Don

 

[Al Ferrari]

Don,

This is contrary to what you state in this other thread:

http://printplanet.com/forums/quark/15487-font-issues-when-printing-quark-6-5-a-post95735#post95735

where you state:

"The only thing that you need to know is that PMS colors that are spec'd as Spot inside Quark will go to CMYK PANTONE numbers, while PMS colors spec'd as Spot outside of Quark will stay Spot in the PDF. This is no problem since the alternate colorspace in the PDF for the Spot is CMYK (as long as options when exporting are set to CMYK or CMYK and Spot, and NOT As Is)."


I have tried to reproduce the problem with Quark 6.5 in Tiger, but found that with Distiller 8.1.2 running, the spots are preserved (both Quark spec'd and imported ones) even using As Is in the export settings.

Is this a 6.5/7.x difference, or were you using a Distiller earlier than 8.1.2, or is it a Tiger/Leopard difference?

Al

 

[james.bredenhof]

I think you'll see the greatest benefits of Quark's DeviceN output when dealing with multi-inks and spot-colorized TIFFs.
These get converted to process if you don't use DeviceN.
Prior to Quark having the DeviceN output option (Quark 6.0, IIRC), you needed XTensions to output these correctly.

James

 

[pkleinheider]

CNewcomb

What are the main differences between DeviceN and CMYK? I understand that DeviceN is used to maintain spot colors but are there any other reasons why one would use DeviceN?

DeviceN allow you to only define the colorants that are needed. E.g. if you have a tinted image in just yellow and black, you can have a monochrome image in a PDF that is just defined in DeviceN - Yellow and Black.

On the other hand if you'd define a graph to be printed in Hexachrome, the element in the PDF would be DeviceN-Cyan,Magenta,Yellow,Black,Green,Orange

Whereas DeviceCMYK (the is not just "CMYK" in a PDF) has always 4 colorants.

You see, that DeviceN can be used for process colors as well as spot colors and/or a combination of both.

Another reason to use DeviceN is the overprint behaviour. If you want an Cyan image overprint another CMYK element, the image has to be defined in DeviceN-Cyan with overprinting on.

If the image would be DeviceCMYK, even with information just in the Cyan channel, all other process colors (M,Y,K) would be knocked out no matter what.

Regards,

Peter

 

[CNewcomb]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback!

 

[disbellj]

Al,

Sorry for not replying before.

It's not contrary at all. Spots are spec'd as Spot in Illy, and stay Spot even if output from Quark using CMYK or CMYK and Spot. If I make the Spot color process in Quark, it doesn't output as Spot. My point being that Spot will still show up even if you spec it as process in Quark (if it's used in Links).

I also said that SINCE the alternate colorspace for the Spots in the resulting PDF is CMYK, I can use my no-color-management-using rip to convert the Spot to the equivalent CMYK numbers.

I also specifically said NOT to use As Is, or you would have problems.

I only use Tiger for production at this point (why hurry into more problems by upgrading before many of the problems are worked out right?). I don't know what version of Acrobat Distiller I was using at the time, but my workflow, once set, has no need for much change, if any. I build my workflow to take care of the most potential problems I can test for before I make production decisions. And at this point, I don't even waste my time doing a lot of testing anymore. Quark will never get it right, and will never listen to constructive criticism, and will never make the fundamental changes that are needed for them to survive long-term, so why bother anymore? I already wasted too many years dealing with these people - who really don't care.

Also, I'm making an edit here, because I do use Device-N by default in my saved PDF setups, so whether CMYK or Spot doesn't matter. If I want it all CMYK, I just drop it on a different hotfolder at the rip - no big deal.

Don

Don,

This is contrary to what you state in this other thread:

http://printplanet.com/forums/quark/15487-font-issues-when-printing-quark-6-5-a-post95735#post95735

where you state:

"The only thing that you need to know is that PMS colors that are spec'd as Spot inside Quark will go to CMYK PANTONE numbers, while PMS colors spec'd as Spot outside of Quark will stay Spot in the PDF. This is no problem since the alternate colorspace in the PDF for the Spot is CMYK (as long as options when exporting are set to CMYK or CMYK and Spot, and NOT As Is)."


I have tried to reproduce the problem with Quark 6.5 in Tiger, but found that with Distiller 8.1.2 running, the spots are preserved (both Quark spec'd and imported ones) even using As Is in the export settings.

Is this a 6.5/7.x difference, or were you using a Distiller earlier than 8.1.2, or is it a Tiger/Leopard difference?

Al