Fixing color in word files
Fixing color in word files
We have the color problems with Word files where I work also. We don't have Pit stop or any of the other software that could help us in our color conversions. Because of a major service provider of ours we also have to convert Word files into Illustrator files, eps files, or Freehand files because they will not accept PDF files at all.
In our conversions I have found that Word will not tell you if it has substituted a font that was used by the creator's computer system when your own system doesn't have that particular font. That being said, in order to more easily bring Word files into Illustrator (CS3) we convert them into PDF files and then open the PDF file with Illustrator. Font warnings aside, once the file is opened in Illustrator,I go to the file menu and select the document color mode command and click, and I change the file to CMYK if the check-mark is by RGB. I then save as the file with my company's file identification number. I now make sure the color pallet is active and select some object within the file. If that object is a fill, I make sure that the fill icon is active in the color's pallet. If black isn't true, there you will see the different percentages of CYMK that are used to create the process black. Once I see that there is this mixture of colors that are making black, I go up to the Select Menu (in Illustrator) and choose Same>Fill color which will highlight ever object that has that same fill color. then in the color pallet I make the color values of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are all changed to 0 (zero) and the value for black (K) to 100%. I do the same thing for stroke, find one that has the color mix, select same stroke color in the Select menu. With all the strokes that have the same color properties I make the changes in the color pallet as described for same fill color.
To insure if I have converted all process black objects and strokes to 100%K I bring up my printer dialogue box and select output from the options menu in the upper left corner. Once the output options dialogue portion of the print dialogue is active, I choose host based separations,and look down below where I can see what colors are still active in my file. If the file had been converted completely to 100%K the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow icons will be grayed out.
This isn't perfect, but it does work. Yes it is time consuming but like your company we take any kind of file because it is money coming in. And with times being financially tight, getting a program like Pitstop Pro is like trying to squeeze an elephant through the eye of a needle.
A couple other things I've noticed about Word files, especially files that have boxes and strokes to create forms that have to be filled in. What appears to be a stroke in Word is usually a fill..
Not sure if this will help, but I hope it does. All I have told you, I have had to figure out on my own. I have found no training that would have prepared me or any other pre-press operator for the pitfalls of customer's submitted (Supposedly ready for press Art).
Again I hope this helps
Bill J