Opacity masks in Illustrator and Esko

[Macmann]

Opacity masks always give me a hard time-back in the day I would just create a gradient and set it to multiply and move on. Now with the ability to fade to 0% of a color the files seem more confusing. Probably just old age. I've attached a customer supplied file that is giving me a problem. I would like the Dark Gray to overprint the Bluish gray and the black to overprint the Pantone 396. Is there an easy way to accomplish this? I find myself cleaning up the files in Illustrator before normalizing for Esko PackEdge. Is there an easier way to just do it in Esko? Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Danny Whitehead]

I'd do it using multiple fills in the Appearance palette in Illy. See attached. Because the 396 shapes are above the black, I've added a 396 fill to the black object, under the black fill, and set the black fill to multiply. For the Dark Gray to Bluish gray gradient, I've changed the gradient to 100-0% Dark Gray, set it to multiply, and added a solid Bluish gray fill underneath it. This has altered its appearance, as expected, though.

Opacity mask Test 1.pdf

 

[Macmann]

Danny, thanks for taking a whack at it. I hadn't thought of eliminating the shapes in 396 altogether and just overprinting the black-very nice!