Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 5/8/2008

Question
Hi Kevin,

I will be very grateful if you could please shed some light on my problem.

I'll start at the beginning...

I'm using CS2 Illustrator to make a two color business card. I'm using black and Pantone DS205-1C or blue for future reference. I have one image, and I've converted it to greyscale.

Now all the text and the image when the printer prints it out is fine, thank goodness for that. However, he's telling me that the blue gradient that I'm using is splitting.

The gradient I made using the pantone blue from 0-100. It shows up on the gradient scale as the pantone color and I can't see what the problem is.

Now I have some transparancies intermingled in the artwork including over the gradient.

Now, I also have InDesign, just haven't had time to learn it yet, but I know that there is a feature where you can test your file to see if it is indeed two color or four color. I've done everything from making my gradient in Photoshop as a monotone (using the pantone blue)and saving as a pdf (found that saving as an eps when I placed it in Illustrator it was looking like a black and white halftone, or if that's the wrong word like a bunch of black dots on white). To saving it as a pdf, psd, etc.

I've also done the extreme and deleted all the files that I thought were causing Indesign to say it's four color and then tested to be dismayed when it came back saying that it's still four color. I've tried to call all the elements of the artwork spot color, still four color. I've changed the black to a Pantone black.

I've then looked and read some tutorials that said that transparencies might cause a problem. I've then flattened the image and checked that all spot colors be preserved. Indesign is STILL telling me it's full color!

Kevin I've run out of ideas, and I'm rapidly running out of time. Is there anything that I may have missed or am I going to have to bite the bullet and pay for a full color job and pay the difference out of my pocket since the client is only paying for a two color???

Thank you for any and all help,
Kate

Answer
Hi Kate,

You have hit a hornets nest of issues. Spot color and transparency do not mix, at least easily. Just flattening your image does not always remedy the transparency issue. It has to do with the interaction of transparent objects or effects/filters in your document.

First, I always preach this, go under Effects>Document Effects Raster Settings and choose the highest setting 300ppi and then you will notice that it has a "preserve spot colors" box. Check it if you haven't already.

Next, if you used filters instead of effects, they do not interact well with spot colors and there is no way to fix existing filters. You will need to change them to effects.

Then, I would avoid having transparent effects overlap your spot colors.

Here is the official line from Adobe:

"If an object contains spot colors and overlaps another object containing transparency, undesirable results may occur when exporting to EPS format, when converting spot colors to process colors using the Print dialog box, or when creating color separations in an application other than Illustrator or InDesign. For best results, use the Flattener Preview or the Separations Preview to soft proof the effects of flattening transparency before printing. In addition, you can convert the spot colors to process colors by using the Ink Manager in InDesign before printing or exporting."

I know converting spot colors to process is undesirable, but it may be the only way to get around your issue.

Thanks

Kevin