Softproofs from Nexus

[Joe]

I currently use Nexus to generate high res CT/LW and low res Link file. Impose in Preps and output to CTP. I need a way to softproof from the Nexus ripped files. Color is not important. Content accuracy to match what is on plates is vital. Anyone doing something like this out of Nexus and if so what method are you using? I don't need a softproof of the imposed file but a soft proof of the individual pages. Large page counts and short turn around time are required.

I've considered an Import workflow generating a low res PDF along with the ripped ct/lw/link file but I've found the output is not always the same on both and the Nexus generated low res PDF's are quite large. Bigger than the original PDF in most cases. Kind of defeats the purpose. Same with PDF's generated from the PSTI to PDF module. PDF's are huge.

Thanks in advance.

 

[slehning]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

This almost reminds me of the Brisque work flow and PDF to go.
The problem your facing sounds as if it is like the brisque, it's generating a PDF file from your Ripped, Trapped CT/LW. This is basically still CT/LW with a PDF wrap so to speak.

One thing you may want to check into is the dimension that your CT file is being generated. There again going back on my memory of Brisque, there was a way to crop down the physical size of the CT file by checking an option, to clip CT . This created a CT to just the area needed instead of generating a CT of the entire page. This is what we did to generate a smaller PDF.

This will not work if your page has full CT coverage though and I am not sure if it is an option on Nexus.

Are you going to plate with 1 bitt tiffs? If so this is the only file format that will have the integrity of the file going to plate though.

Steve Lehning

 

[Joe]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

> {quote:title=slehning wrote:}{quote}
> This almost reminds me of the Brisque work flow and PDF to go.
> The problem your facing sounds as if it is like the brisque, it's generating a PDF file from your Ripped, Trapped CT/LW. This is basically still CT/LW with a PDF wrap so to speak.
>
> One thing you may want to check into is the dimension that your CT file is being generated. There again going back on my memory of Brisque, there was a way to crop down the physical size of the CT file by checking an option, to clip CT . This created a CT to just the area needed instead of generating a CT of the entire page. This is what we did to generate a smaller PDF.
>
> This will not work if your page has full CT coverage though and I am not sure if it is an option on Nexus.
>
> Are you going to plate with 1 bitt tiffs? If so this is the only file format that will have the integrity of the file going to plate though.
>
> Steve Lehning


Thanks for the reply Steve. Yes, we go to plate with one-bit tiffs but they are too large to email or ftp to the client. I don't think they would want to look at screened output either.

Also I'm pretty sure in Nexus that the CT is created to page size. Not sure if there is an option to clip it. I can have Nexus create a PDF before it rasterizes it but like I said earlier it's not always the same as the rastered file. Usually is but not always. Plus it breaks everything out into single pages and sending a customer 400 single page PDF's is not good either. I would have to manually make multipage PDF's in Acrobat with this method. Something I'd like to avoid.

 

[bluvoodoo7]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

We had this exact problem when we were using a Raster > Trap > Link workflow. We have since stopped using the Raster side of Nexus for the most part.

We create a pdf, send it through the PDF trapper, imposed the trapped pdf and then just distill a pdf from there. This creates a nice press ready pdf that can be sent to vendors or proofed to the client and most of the file sizes are nice and small.

We used the composite pdf output (RIP workflow with Assemble Composite Proof module) of nexus for a long time and started getting more and more complaints about the quality of the pdfs so we had to make a change.

 

[Whitaker]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

I've used Pageflow and Nexus for quite a while and your right about the PDFs your creating from the raster workflow being big or the photos being screened. bluvoodoo7 is doing what needs to be done to have a usable PDF proof that has been created by Nexus. This creates a few extra steps and changes your overall workflow, but that seems to be the only way to get a proof that you can send to your customer thats not too big and has been through Nexus.

 

[Joe]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

Thanks for that info. Unfortunately we don't have the license for the PDF portion of Nexus (trapping, pitstop, total RIP) but are looking into it. After perusing the Esko-Artwork website it looks like WebWay might be the way to go. Anyone using it for customer softproofing?

 

[G_Town]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

My old company is. They go through like 300-400 items twice a year and we used to generate pdfs and ftp them but now they are using webway and the customer and my old company love it.

 

[Joe]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

Just did a demo of WebWay. The speed of customers viewing files across the internet is dependent on the speed of the connection the WebWay server is behind and the speed of the internet connection that the customer has. In our case it appears this would be too slow for the volume of pages we are talking about. We're going to give the Nexus PDF workflow a try like mentioned above and see how that works out.

 

[CHM]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

hi

I dont know you setup, but cant you create a Preview in Nexus withe Make Thumbnail module or PrintCheck module.
There you can save a image of the complete stepped file in jpg, those files are small.

 

[digi-digi]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

wait for nexus 9, built in opi server. kiss those psti files goodbye

 

[Joe]

Re: Softproofs from Nexus

I'm getting kind of tired on always waiting on promises in version x of Nexus. I need something today.

 

[PrepressJunky]

PDF for Soft Proofing

PDF for Soft Proofing

In the past we've used Adobe Acrobat to combine the rastered PDF's from Nexus and resample them. This produced poor quality PDF's regarding the legibility of text. One solution I have found is combining the PDF's through Adobe Bridge via Photoshop (PDF Presentation Automation). When you combine the PDF's you can convert the CMYK color space to RGB and resample the files to 250dpi. The color conversion is what saves the space, plus the resampling of Photoshop vs. Acrobat produces better quality "rastered" type legibility. Regardless of whether you have a 1 to 6 color job, Nexus is going to produce a CMYK PDF, so converting to RGB for soft proofing won't be an issue since these PDF's aren't representing color. The files are still a little beefy, but it will produce a smaller PDF.

 

[PrepressDan]

there is also a split and join pages module in Nexus 9. It will let you rejoin all those PDFs into a multipage

 

[khasmir]

What I have always found to be a good way to make a softproof with Nexus is to use the Composite Proof activity. Just set the output format to PDF, the resolution to 150 or 300dpi (or whatever you like) and the compression to flate. This basically generates an image in a PDF wrapper it but the file size should be limited. Text will be rasterized at the same resolution so it's not something that all customers will accept but the content will be accurate.
I often use it to quickly check the output of a job without wasting any paper or anything.

But there is no real good way to make a nice and small PDF from PSTI files, same thing with TIFF/IT. The real solution is to get rid of the raster stuff. I understand why many people still work with LW/CT formats but it's really a thing of the past. It just has too many limitations.

The other PDF options that have been mentioned are good solutions but of course they come at a price. On the other hand, if you put them to good use they can save you a lot of time, and money...

 

[T]

I have one as "Controlled Event" –> "Select Pages" –> "Assemble Composite Proof" (to PDF @ 72 dpi) –> then a copy to a common folder.

Another is the controlled event –> select page –> import –> Export PDF (low res) then a copy. Seems to work OK

 

[madmac]

One way we used in the past using PSTI used CT ratio to give CT res about 72ppi and then linework at 720ppi. This gave us sharp linework for pdf approval but smaller PDF's. One issue was if the job was mainly linework based the PDF's where still to big for email.

The problem you will get with a comp proof is all artwork rastered so text becomes to poor to read clearly unless you up the resolution. This is why we used the above method to soft proof the ripped job.