should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
- Thread starter laurado
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Dov Isaacs
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
Embedding "photos" (images) or any other artwork in Illustrator as opposed to placing with links has some real disadvantages:
(1) You lose the flexibility to edit the photos without explicitly editing the Illustrator file.
(2) Embedding the photos forces you to convert the photos to the Illustrator file's color space at placement time. This could seriously limit your printing options. For example, assume that your ad in Illustrator is CMYK. If you embed an ICC profile-tagged RGB photo, that photo will be converted to your Illustrator file's CMYK color space immediately. When you send to print or save as a PDF file, you end up with everything in the CMYK color space. On the other hand, if you place with a link, the photo's original color space is preserved. When you print or save as PDF, you have the option of maintaining the photo's original color space (with the original ICC profile, of course). This gives you many more options for repurposing, high fidelity printing (more than four colors such as Hexachrome, etc.), etc., options that are not available if you prematurely dumb down the photos' color space to CMYK!
- Dov
Embedding "photos" (images) or any other artwork in Illustrator as opposed to placing with links has some real disadvantages:
(1) You lose the flexibility to edit the photos without explicitly editing the Illustrator file.
(2) Embedding the photos forces you to convert the photos to the Illustrator file's color space at placement time. This could seriously limit your printing options. For example, assume that your ad in Illustrator is CMYK. If you embed an ICC profile-tagged RGB photo, that photo will be converted to your Illustrator file's CMYK color space immediately. When you send to print or save as a PDF file, you end up with everything in the CMYK color space. On the other hand, if you place with a link, the photo's original color space is preserved. When you print or save as PDF, you have the option of maintaining the photo's original color space (with the original ICC profile, of course). This gives you many more options for repurposing, high fidelity printing (more than four colors such as Hexachrome, etc.), etc., options that are not available if you prematurely dumb down the photos' color space to CMYK!
- Dov
rich apollo
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
Laura,
What Dov said is right on. But, can I ask why you're creating an ad in Illustrator in the first place? Why not in a page layout application, like InDesign? There are a host of reasons not to put pages together in Illustrator, yet I see more and more of this. Just curious.
rich
Laura,
What Dov said is right on. But, can I ask why you're creating an ad in Illustrator in the first place? Why not in a page layout application, like InDesign? There are a host of reasons not to put pages together in Illustrator, yet I see more and more of this. Just curious.
rich
Whitaker
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
In my experience Magazines prefer complete files, such as PDF/x files. With that in mind I would suggest embedding the images. Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links so the magazine will have to open the ad and embed the photos anyway. Plus there isn't a collect or package feature in Illustrator, so as I have seen in the past, images and fonts might be forgotten when you send the ad out. And while your at it I would recommend converting all your fonts to outlines before you send your ad to the magazine.
In my experience Magazines prefer complete files, such as PDF/x files. With that in mind I would suggest embedding the images. Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links so the magazine will have to open the ad and embed the photos anyway. Plus there isn't a collect or package feature in Illustrator, so as I have seen in the past, images and fonts might be forgotten when you send the ad out. And while your at it I would recommend converting all your fonts to outlines before you send your ad to the magazine.
rich apollo
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
Whitaker,
You've just hit on some of the reasons I'd say it's inappropriate to build ads in Illustrator. When you start embedding images you enter a pretty dicey color management neighborhood, too. As soon as you outline the fonts, you've seriously limited the prepress folks abilities.
No, if it doesn't have a die, then I'd recommend laying it out in a page layout application. Even that "rule-of-thumb" is being pushed aside, as InDesign gains capabilities.
rich
Whitaker,
You've just hit on some of the reasons I'd say it's inappropriate to build ads in Illustrator. When you start embedding images you enter a pretty dicey color management neighborhood, too. As soon as you outline the fonts, you've seriously limited the prepress folks abilities.
No, if it doesn't have a die, then I'd recommend laying it out in a page layout application. Even that "rule-of-thumb" is being pushed aside, as InDesign gains capabilities.
rich
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
" Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links"
Really? I haven't experienced this. If using InDesign page layout, then no problem there that I've seen. Maybe you can enlighten me? And as for Quark, well, since you're saving links in the EPS that you save and place in Quark, can't say I've had a problem here either. Maybe there's something you know or have seen that I haven't.
Don
" Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links"
Really? I haven't experienced this. If using InDesign page layout, then no problem there that I've seen. Maybe you can enlighten me? And as for Quark, well, since you're saving links in the EPS that you save and place in Quark, can't say I've had a problem here either. Maybe there's something you know or have seen that I haven't.
Don
Franknater
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
Depending on the size of the file where you place images in Illustrator, isn't there a problem with creating multiple files "broken" if they're not embedded as an .eps?
Die? I make better final files using InDesign for die-cutting, if that's what "die" was meant.
I do prefer using InDesign for page layout. Sending both files (pdf and files that created it) to the printer has always been having the cake and eating it, too.
Just my .02 cents
Frank
Depending on the size of the file where you place images in Illustrator, isn't there a problem with creating multiple files "broken" if they're not embedded as an .eps?
Die? I make better final files using InDesign for die-cutting, if that's what "die" was meant.
I do prefer using InDesign for page layout. Sending both files (pdf and files that created it) to the printer has always been having the cake and eating it, too.
Just my .02 cents
Frank
Bobmorli
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
That's one thing I allways do; send the original indesign along with the hires pdf. It's been a life saver and spared me the inconvenience of being called in the middle of the night.
I never really understood why some designers make a page lay out in illustrator though. Is there a big advantage to it I never heard of?
That's one thing I allways do; send the original indesign along with the hires pdf. It's been a life saver and spared me the inconvenience of being called in the middle of the night.
I never really understood why some designers make a page lay out in illustrator though. Is there a big advantage to it I never heard of?
rich apollo
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
> {quote:title=disbellj wrote:}{quote}
> " Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links"
>
> Really? I haven't experienced this. If using InDesign page layout, then no problem there that I've seen. Maybe you can enlighten me? And as for Quark, well, since you're saving links in the EPS that you save and place in Quark, can't say I've had a problem here either. Maybe there's something you know or have seen that I haven't.
In the bad, ole' days of EPS you had to embed the images during the saving of an Illustrator EPS (remember the Save Images with EPS switch) if you wanted to place the EPS in QX and print from there. Otherwise you'd get lo-rez images - it'd just print the lo-rez previews of the images.
rich
> {quote:title=disbellj wrote:}{quote}
> " Illustrator files cannot be placed into a page layout program with links"
>
> Really? I haven't experienced this. If using InDesign page layout, then no problem there that I've seen. Maybe you can enlighten me? And as for Quark, well, since you're saving links in the EPS that you save and place in Quark, can't say I've had a problem here either. Maybe there's something you know or have seen that I haven't.
In the bad, ole' days of EPS you had to embed the images during the saving of an Illustrator EPS (remember the Save Images with EPS switch) if you wanted to place the EPS in QX and print from there. Otherwise you'd get lo-rez images - it'd just print the lo-rez previews of the images.
rich
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
Rich,
Honestly I can't remember that. I do know that we never could save a TIF image in an Illustrator EPS and it retain it's link when the EPS was reopened, so had to save a "working" format .ai and a "print" format .eps to stick in Quark (same as now I think)
Doesn't it still have the 'Include Images' checkbox while saving? If you don't check that, you get no image (at least that's my memory of the experience).
Anyways, guess I'm glad I never had this particular problem that I can remember, or if I did, glad my memory has let some of those times go.
Cheers,
Don
Rich,
Honestly I can't remember that. I do know that we never could save a TIF image in an Illustrator EPS and it retain it's link when the EPS was reopened, so had to save a "working" format .ai and a "print" format .eps to stick in Quark (same as now I think)
Doesn't it still have the 'Include Images' checkbox while saving? If you don't check that, you get no image (at least that's my memory of the experience).
Anyways, guess I'm glad I never had this particular problem that I can remember, or if I did, glad my memory has let some of those times go.
Cheers,
Don
Franknater
Well-known member
Re: should I embed or link photos in Illy for mag ad?
I do remember that being the case with Quark.eps. If you saved a page.eps from Qwerk, it needed to be at the same folder level of all the links. Illustrator....are we talking about 6.0 or lower? LOL I still have an old IIci sitting in the closet with some old stuff like Photoshop 2.5.
Frank
I do remember that being the case with Quark.eps. If you saved a page.eps from Qwerk, it needed to be at the same folder level of all the links. Illustrator....are we talking about 6.0 or lower? LOL I still have an old IIci sitting in the closet with some old stuff like Photoshop 2.5.
Frank
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