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how to print grayscale image as process black?

New Here ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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how to print grayscale image to PDF as process black only rather than CMYK colors?  I'm using FM10

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

LEGEND , Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

Ed,

What file format did you save the image in? It's important, as Error indicates. If you left it as a PSD, then FM does an RGB conversion. A TIFF or an EPS will properly stay as greyscales (i.e. on the K plate). Other formats, like PNG in greyscale are actually Indexed colours and resolve to RGB when FM creates the PDF in the presence of Spot plates and hence components get mapped to the CMY plates also.

Here's a sample generated using SaveAsPDF with the CMYK option with the same "greyscale" fil

...

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Community Expert ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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Is this native Frame graphics or an imported image?

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LEGEND ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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Are you certain that the images are actually greyscale instead of RGB or CMYK that look grey? What format is the image file? What joboption was specified for the PDF creation? How was the PDF created: SaveAsPDF or printing to PDF or printing to PS and distilling?

True greyscales should print on the K plate when you use the CMYK output option in FM10.0.2. Note: if you haven't updated your FM version, then earlier versions didn't produce correct CMYK or spot output.

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New Here ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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I am using 10.0.2.419.  Photoshop shows mode grayscale, 8-bit.  I have tried

all three methods to create the PDF.  If I use the same images in In-Design

and create a PDF the images and text are process black at various

percentages of intensity.  I have also tried FM 11.  I am using a custom

settings file, but have tried many of the other out of the box setting files.

I can use Acrobat Pro "Advanced > Print Production > PreFlight >  PDF

fixups > Convert to grayscale", but that also changes my revised text that

is Pantone 186 (red) to grayscale as well.

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Community Expert ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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> Photoshop shows mode grayscale, 8-bit.

Ok, that indirectly answers one question - it's an imported object.

But it leaves open the question of what file format you are saving to from 'Shop, and importing in Frame.

Quick fix: save as Photoshop EPS (not DCS).

Import the .eps (preview will be coarse; ignore it).

It should survive as gray to the final PDF.

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LEGEND ,
Nov 27, 2012 Nov 27, 2012

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Ed,

What file format did you save the image in? It's important, as Error indicates. If you left it as a PSD, then FM does an RGB conversion. A TIFF or an EPS will properly stay as greyscales (i.e. on the K plate). Other formats, like PNG in greyscale are actually Indexed colours and resolve to RGB when FM creates the PDF in the presence of Spot plates and hence components get mapped to the CMY plates also.

Here's a sample generated using SaveAsPDF with the CMYK option with the same "greyscale" file saved as PNG, TIF and EPS from Photoshop (note how the PNG isn't all there on the K plate):

greyscale_test2.png

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New Here ,
Nov 28, 2012 Nov 28, 2012

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I'm right on the edge of hiring an expert consultant to resolve this Framemaker Color issue. A stong background with structured Framemaker, graphics, and color management would be required.

But maybe all I have to do is figure out how to bulk convert color PNG images to grayscale and then to CMYK JPGs using only percentages of K with no CMY.  This combination looks like it will work with FM 10.0.2.149 and FM 11.

I am learning a lot.  At first I thought this solution worked, but later I relaized that all of my black text is now distilled as a mix of CMYK process colors.  I could approach this scientifically by carefully running senerios documenting exact inputs, settings, processes, and outcomes, but I'd rather learn the "best practice" methods and go from there. Using my current set of data and images, each method (Save as PDF, Print to .ps, or print to PDF) results in one problem or another.

The most interesting result is that when I create a one page test using Adobe In-Design everything comes out as Process Black and Spot Pantone 186, i.e. exactly what the commercial printer is requesting. This test includes black and Pantone 186 (red) text and PNG and JPG graphics that are causing me issues in Framemaker.  I going to do more In-Design testing with other .PNG image files to verify this.

There was a patch for CMYK processing to FM 10 since this file was processed last year, FM 10.0.2 Nov. 17, 2011  //forums.adobe.com/message/4038702. So maybe the processing works differently than last year.

The source data is a 11 Mb XML file.  For that past 7 years I would read the file into FrameMaker, do some final format and pagination cleanup and deliver a set of FM files for each chapter.  Last year the final PDF was produced by an employee with a strong background in In-Design using FM10, but she really doesn't like FM.  Last year's PDF is process black and spot Pantone 186. She says she did nothing special an simple printed the FM book.  Probably to a .ps file first.

This year I am responsible to produce the final PDF.  The graphics department has also converted many of the main product images to PNGs  and declared that PNG would be the standard.  I have learned that PNG files will not work, but I am still confused why "In-Design" easily converts the grayscale PNG images to percentages of process black in the PDF.

I am not sure I know the correct question to ask at this point. It apppears that grapichs and color management is a large subject to digest. For example, In Photoshop I get an ICC color profile message on older graphics, and I see that the mode of Grayscale results in CMYK gray and the are many modes, profiles and setting to learn about. This morning Corporate says we will send the PDF as is to the printer and see what they can do.  I think they can convert or print the CMY channels as K.   But that will not make this issue go away.

I am going to try the conversion to JPGs using only K and see if that's a "best practice" process to be used from here on out.

I'll post further results as I get them.

Ed

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Community Expert ,
Nov 28, 2012 Nov 28, 2012

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> ... Framemaker ... and color management ...

These two are orthogonal. FM has essentially no color management (ICC color profile: what's that? ). You can at least specify during PDF generation that you want all images tagged for color management. I've done some tests (on FM7.1), and have been able to preserve sRGB color matching into PDF, for example.

> ... figure out how to bulk convert color PNG images to grayscale and then to CMYK JPGs ...

JPG's will likely fare no better. I'd set up a Photoshop batch action that does the conversion and saves as EPS.

> ... Process Black and Spot Pantone 186 ...

Where is the 186 coming from? If it's on imported objects, and the name is actually encoded in the source file format, it should survive to PS or PDF if sent as EPS.

If it's Frame Graphics, the name does survive to PS, and probably PDF. The CMYK values are probably irrelevant, and your print shop works from the encoded color name. FM internal colors, historically, appear to be encoded as CYMK, regardless of the color model you selected. I don't know if FM10 or 11 change that.

This forum only goes back to the FM8+ era. If anyone ever wrote up "how color really works in FM", it probably needs to be unearthed, updated and reposted.

> ... still confused why "In-Design" easily converts the grayscale PNG images to percentages of process black in the PDF.

ID has real color management. FM would require a major re-write to get that, and Adobe tells us periodically that it's not happening.

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Community Expert ,
Nov 28, 2012 Nov 28, 2012

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I know that Arnis worked long on the FM CMYK issue directly with Adobe, and that if he's unavailable, I can also help you with your workflow and automation issues, for color management and other issues.

It's not likely that you'll need more than an hour or two of someone's time.

-Matt

@mattrsullivan

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New Here ,
Nov 28, 2012 Nov 28, 2012

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Further testing results.

I started with a .PNG of an equation that is all black visually.  100% black would be fine with me.

- I opened the .PNG image in photoshop, saved as JPG, closed and opend the JPG.

- Converted the image to mode Grayscale 8-bit.

- Copied the gray channel to a channel named "gray copy".

- Filled the original "gray" channel with white, then converted to CMYK.

- Next, I pasted the "gray copy" channel into the Black K channel.

- Final step, deleted the "gray copy" channel and saved the file.

I believe these steps should result in a JPG, CMYK with all of the color as percentages of the Black K channel and CMY all 0%.

I import the image file into FrameMaker, printed it and the result in the PDF is C:75% M:65% Y:67% K:90%

I'm either missing something real simple, FM is forcing a conversion to CMYK, or there is some profile, mode, or color management setting in the .JPG file that I just don't understand, and can't find.

I did a test in In-Design and it too results in a CMYK brilliant or rich black. Maybe I'll have to take this to a photoshop fourm and learn how to work with the graphic files.

Ed

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LEGEND ,
Dec 04, 2012 Dec 04, 2012

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Ed,

[A bit late perhaps, I've been out of town]

Why are you trying to use a JPG? This file format is lossy and will be created with indexed colours instead of a true grayscale (hence you won't get a proper conversion in FM as I showed in my prior examples - which also included the Pantone 186 spot). Do your conversion to either TIF or EPS from Photoshop - simple grayscale conversion. You're overly complicating things...

Also, which Distiller joboption are you specifying?

Have you configured the Adobe PDF printer instance to properly render gray text & graphics to Postscript Gray? This would also affect which plates you'll get output on.

postscript_grey.png

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Advocate ,
Nov 28, 2012 Nov 28, 2012

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If your black text is distilling to a CMYK mix, check your color

management settings in Distiller. Open Distiller and choose your Adobe

PDF Settings File. Then, go to Settings> Edit Adobe PDF Settings> Color

and check the Color Management Polices settings. "Leave Color Unchanged"

or my favorite, "Tag Only Images For Color Management" should work. If

"Tag Everything for Color Management" is turned on, even black text will

be altered to match a color profile and become CMYK.

I would add that the best format to use for imported graphics is EPS.

This is because FrameMaker passes most graphics through the Windows GDI,

which converts them to RGB, whether you want it or not. The exception is

EPS graphics, which are passed around the Windows GDI unchanged. So EPS

can contain CMYK and spot colors, such as Pantone. EPS also holds both

bitmap and vector graphics.

FM10 and FM11 have supposedly fixed CMYK transfers in Save as PDF, but I

never use Save as PDF, so can't give personal experience. I would note

that, if you use graphics drawn with FrameMaker's tools and the color

conversion of those is important, Save as PDF might be the way to go.

Presumably, its CMYK conversion would know what to do with them. Perhaps

someone can elaborate on this, as I'm not sure. I use few drawn graphics

and haven't cared if their colors are slightly altered, so never checked.

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