I’m printing a label on a short run Indigo press. My document is prepared in Photoshop 7, I am giving the printer a tiff file, just one background layer. (I assume that means it’s flattened?). The problem is that the text is looking jaggy, not bitmapped, but not smooth. The printer thinks I need to prepare the text in Quark, not Photoshop. I thought text should come out sharp from Photoshop-I haven’t had any problem with offset printing. What can I do to get the text sharper? The printer says it is not a problem with the Indigo. When I give them my file they bring it into Quark to step and repeat and print out. Thanks!
Your printer is correct. The type you create in Photoshop consists of pixels, which are resolved at whatever line/screen you are printing at. In Xpress or Indesign, the type is vector and is resolved at the imagesetter/platesetter resolution, which is usually around 2500 dpi.While sometimes Photoshop type can be acceptable, it will never be a crisp as type from a page layout program.
I turned one of my type layers into vector by going to Layer>Type>convert to shape. is this correct? I then tried to save the file in eps and a window came up saying the vector data would be raterized by Photoshop when opened. I saw no option that gave me a choice not to raterize the type.
I’m not sure what exactly I need to do here…could you kindly walk me through the steps of converting text to vector shape layers and then keeping the vector data enabled /or embedding the fonts? Thanks so much.
"I turned one of my type layers into vector by going to Layer>Type>convert to shape. is this correct?"
Yes.
"I then tried to save the file in eps and a window came up saying the vector data would be raterized by Photoshop when opened."
That is also correct – Photoshop can save the file, but it cant open it back up without rasterizing. The file is still vector, only wont be if re-opened
You CAN save as layered PDF and Photoshop can open that without rasterizing. Your printer may or may not have RIP problems with layered PDF.
If you need to make absolute certain, save a working/layered version of the file, then save out as EPS to go to print.
"If you need to make absolute certain, save a working/layered version of the file, then save out as EPS to go to print. "
Do I still convert text to vector? If not, does it become rasterized when saved as eps?
If I do still need to convert to vector, doesn’t this way still run into the problem of the vector data being rasterized when opened? The printer will need to open it.
Also, I noticed on the Save>EPS Options box that there is a "Include vector data" option. If I uncheck this the raster warning does not appear. Is this another way to go?
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) language file format can contain both vector and bitmap graphics and is supported by virtually all graphic, illustration, and page-layout programs. EPS format is used to transfer PostScript-language artwork between applications. When you open an EPS file containing vector graphics, Photoshop rasterizes the image, converting the vector graphics to pixels.
EPS format supports Lab, CMYK, RGB, Indexed Color, Duotone, Grayscale, and Bitmap color modes, and does not support alpha channels. EPS does support clipping paths. Desktop Color Separations (DCS) format, a version of the standard EPS format, lets you save color separations of CMYK images. You use DCS 2.0 format to export images containing spot channels.To print EPS files, you must use a PostScript printer.
Type consists of mathematically defined shapes that describe the letters, numbers, and symbols of a typeface. Many typefaces are available in more than one format, the most common formats being Type 1 (also called PostScript fonts), TrueType, OpenType, and CID (Japanese only).
When you add type to an image, the characters are composed of pixels and have the same resolution as the image file–zooming in on characters shows jagged edges. However, Photoshop and ImageReady preserve the vector-based type outlines and use them when you scale or resize type, save a PDF or EPS file, or print the image to a PostScript printer. As a result, it’s possible to produce type with crisp, resolution-independent edges.
Your text IS vector until you do something to rasterize it. You could convert to vector shape layers if you need to make absolute certain that type wont shift when printed.
"If not, does it become rasterized when saved as eps?"
No, only when the EPS is re-opened by Photoshop does it get rasterized, so make sure to tell the printer NOT to open the EPS with Photoshop – something that some pre-press like to do.
"The printer will need to open it."
In that case, then supply either a layered PSD and let him save out, ensuring that HE has vector data on when saving to EPS/PDF.
"Also, I noticed on the Save>EPS Options box that there is a "Include vector data" option. If I uncheck this the raster warning does not appear. Is this another way to go?
If you uncheck that option, no you dont save any vector data. Since there is no vector data in the file, you dont get the rasterization warning.
If I save to eps and then pull the file into Quark, NOT Photoshop, then there shouldn’t be any problem. Is this correct? The printer wants the final file in Quark anyway.
Would this also apply to any strokes? I noticed that items that I have applied a stroke to also look jagged in the Indigo.
Thanks Jason…one small sort-of-problem. I pulled the new eps file into Quark, and on screen it didn’t display all of the text-only bits and pieces. I pulled the same eps file into freehand, and it displayed fine. I then printed the same eps file out in Quark and it printed fine. I checked my memory settings in Quark, closed extra windows, restarted, etc. and nothing helped the eps file to display correctly. This seems to be a Quark problem…do you have any idea what it’s from? Is this a question for the Quark forum?
Why not just do as the printer suggests and prepare the text in Quark? That would avoid any potential problems with Photoshop vectors and file formats.
I can’t do all the effects I want if I do it in Quark….or it will take much longer and be more complicated on many. Since my last posting I turned in the eps file to the printer and the Indigo print came out MUCH better!
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