EPS specialness

[lnivin]

Photoshop image saved with US Web Coated SWOP Profile as an EPS. Re-opened in Photoshop preserving embedded profile. Color setting is GRACoL2013 workspace for CMYK images. Under Proof Setup, chose Working Cyan Plate. If it's an EPS it looks just like the embedded profile.

Same image, opened in Photoshop and told it to Convert Document Colors to the Working Space (which is GRACoL2013) and the Cyan Separation is totally different. I would have expected this when using the Working Cyan Plate above.

EPS images also don't seem to convert to GRACoL2013 upon PDF export from InDesign with it set up to use Destination Profiles (GRACoL2013).

Why are EPS images special?

 

[Glenn McDowall]

not sure about the first point, as I'm not sure what the Working would refer to in your scenario.

point 2) you've asked photoshop to convert and its done it.

point 3) postscript (and therefore EPS) does not understand ICC profiles, my understanding is that the ICC profile is embedded as an extra to the EPS, so whilst it is readable in photoshop it might not be read by other applications. There is also a method of converting the ICC profile into a postscript friendly CIE based lump of maths but its only ever used by people in error, when they don't know what they're doing

point 4) EPS has always been "special", most recently in its un-PC derogatory meaning.

 

[cosmo]

any reason you are sticking with EPS? not the easiest files to colour manage.

 

[leonardr]

Photoshop image saved with US Web Coated SWOP Profile as an EPS.
Why are EPS images special?

As already mentioned, EPS is an ANCIENT format that pre-dates color management. It also doesn't support numerous other features of modern graphics formats including transparency, OpenType fonts and more.

I would STRONGLY recommend that you consider using PDF - either "regular", "PDF/X" or "Photoshop PDF" for your workflows.

 

[lnivin]

We're a commercial printer and get anything and everything from our customers. Internally we don't use EPS.

So, if a customer supplies an image as EPS, unless it is caught during preflight, it is going to print differently than all the other images that convert to GRACoL during the output to PDF.

 

[leonardr]

We're a commercial printer and get anything and everything from our customers. Internally we don't use EPS.

Then just convert any inbound EPS files into PDF and process accordingly from there.

 

[rich apollo]

So, if a customer supplies an image as EPS, unless it is caught during preflight, it is going to print differently than all the other images that convert to GRACoL during the output to PDF.

That is not necessarily true. A Photoshop EPS can carry an ICC profile, which is kind of outside EPS norms, but Adobe is doing it. You have the option of including Postscript Color Mgmt when the file is saved.

An Illustrator EPS cannot carry an ICC profile. This is right and proper.

Where I am seeing a difference in values during export and conversion is when the Pshop EPS is saved without an ICC profile and with Postcript Color Mgmt. The differences I'm seeing are slight.

Leonard is correct that you could convert EPS elements to PDF, but your joboptions must explicitly leave color unchanged.

 

[Glenn McDowall]

Then just convert any inbound EPS files into PDF and process accordingly from there.

err that was what lnivin was trying to do, but he was wondering why InDesign was unable to do it correctly with an EPS.

That is not necessarily true. A Photoshop EPS can carry an ICC profile, which is kind of outside EPS norms, but Adobe is doing it. You have the option of including Postscript Color Mgmt when the file is saved.

An Illustrator EPS cannot carry an ICC profile. This is right and proper.

Where I am seeing a difference in values during export and conversion is when the Pshop EPS is saved without an ICC profile and with Postcript Color Mgmt. The differences I'm seeing are slight.

Leonard is correct that you could convert EPS elements to PDF, but your joboptions must explicitly leave color unchanged.

checking the include Postscript Color Management checkbox will lead you down a path of which no good will come
If its a photoshop EPS that has been saved with that option then maybe that's why InDesign isn't converting for you? I must admit I thought InDesign was able to read the ICC on a photoshop EPS and embed that into an Exported pdf.
If you open it in photoshop then you might as well save it out as a tif, psd or pdf. I take it that its not some old style photoshop eps with embedded vector text.

 

[rich apollo]

checking the include Postscript Color Management checkbox will lead you down a path of which no good will come
If its a photoshop EPS that has been saved with that option then maybe that's why InDesign isn't converting for you? I must admit I thought InDesign was able to read the ICC on a photoshop EPS and embed that into an Exported pdf.
If you open it in photoshop then you might as well save it out as a tif, psd or pdf. I take it that its not some old style photoshop eps with embedded vector text.

I agree with you, Glenn, the postscript color mgmt option looks bad. InDesign can read and use the ICC profile attached to a Pshop EPS. It shouldn't be able to . You shouldn't be able to attach an ICC profile to an EPS file in the first place.

I would suggest to Inivin to export to PDF without ANY color conversion and WITH ALL ICC profiles. Handle the color conversions in Acrobat. All this EPS nonsense will no longer be EPS inside of a PDF, and you won't have to deal with InDesign's goofy color management.