File Preparationfor Specialty Inkjet Printing

Kerry Moloney Field & Channel Marketing Manager

Fiery Wide Format

John NateWW Technical Product Training Manager

Fiery Wide Format

Wide Format Series

Session overview

• Specialty printing can be anything beyond regular-gamut CMYK output......

• Specialty printing achieves superior, more versatile, more vibrant or more impressive printed results

• Key aspects file preparation; file types, working with spot colors, paths, layers and specialty inks and more

• Take a poll...

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Today’s topics

• Software, file, and resolution options

• Spot colors

• Specialty inks• Silver/White/Clear

• Wide-gamut printing

• Cutting

• Preflighting and repairs

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But first….

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What is Specialty Printing?

Specialty printing examples

• Building wraps

• Billboards

• Ceramic tiles

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Specialty printing examples

• Day/Night backlit

• Vehicle graphics

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Specialty printing examples

• Window graphics

• Floor graphics

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Specialty printing examples

• Spot colors

• Metallic ink

• White ink

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Specialty printing examples

• Membrane panels

• Shrink-wrap

• Braille printing

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Software, file, and resolution options

Which software, which file type, and how big?

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Vector vs. raster

• Vector – quality is device dependent

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Vector vs. raster

• Vector – quality is device dependent

• Raster – quality is file dependent

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Vector vs. raster

• Vector – quality is device dependent

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Vector vs. raster

• Vector – quality is device dependent

• Raster – quality is file dependent

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Software options

• Images – raster files

• Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe Photoshop Elements

• Adobe Lightroom

• Corel PaintShop Pro

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Software options

• Vector and images

• Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe InDesign

• CorelDRAW

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Production example

• Produce raster elements in Photoshop• Output as TIFF files

• Create complex vector elements in Illustrator• Output as EPS or PDF files

• Assemble final artwork in InDesign

• Generate final output as composite PDF• Do not downsampled images

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File format options

• Raster - images

• Tiff

• PSD (for layers)

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JPG artifacts

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JPG artifacts

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TIFF files

• RGB, CMYK, L*a*b*

• Embed ICC Profile

• Lossless Compression

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Lossless Compression

• LZW or Zip

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PSD files

• RGB, CMYK, L*a*b*

• Embed ICC Profile

• Layers

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File format options

• Raster - images

• Tiff

• PSD (for layers)

• Vector – and/or vector and raster• EPS

• PDF

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PDF recommendations

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PDF recommendations

• PDF/X-1a

• Least flexible

• CMYK only

• No ICC Profiles

• No transparency or layers

• Least likely to cause reproduction problems

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• PDF/X-4

• Most flexible

• CMYK, RGB, Gray, Spot colors

• ICC Profiles allowed

• Transparency and layers allowed

• Most likely to cause reproduction problems

PDF recommendations

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PDF selection in InDesign

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• File > Adobe PDF Presets > Define…

PDF selection in Illustrator

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• File > Save as… > Adobe PDF (pdf)

File preparation checklist

Proper file format

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File resolution

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8.5” x 11”

@300 dpi

32 Mb CMYK

Proofing

File resolution

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Production

12’ x 40’

@300 dpi

23 Gb CMYK

8.5” x 11”

@300 dpi

32 Mb CMYK

Proofing

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Determine standard viewing distance

• 1.5 x diagonal

• Measure or math (sorry!)

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Width times width (width squared)

• 40 x 40 = 1600

• Height times height (height squared)

• 12 x 12 = 144

• Add the two values

• 1600 + 144 = 1744

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Width times width (width squared)

• 40 x 40 = 1600

• Height times height (height squared)

• 12 x 12 = 144

• Add the two values

• 1600 + 144 = 1744

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Width times width (width squared)

• 40 x 40 = 1600

• Height times height (height squared)

• 12 x 12 = 144

• Add the two values

• 1600 + 144 = 1744

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

Hit the square root key

= 42 - The diagonal

• Multiply by 1.5

– 42 x 1.5 = 63

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

Hit the square root key

= 42 - The diagonal

Multiply by 1.5

42 x 1.5 = 63

File resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Standard viewing distance

• 63 feet = 756 inches

• File resolution

• 3438 ÷ Std. Viewing Distance

• 3438 ÷ 756 = 5 ppi

File Resolution – 5 ppi???

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File Resolution – 5 ppi???

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File Resolution – 5 ppi???

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File Resolution

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• 8.5 x 8.5 = 72

• 11 x 11 = 121

• 72 + 121 = 192

• SVD = 14”

• 3438 ÷ 14 = 245 ppi

• 133 x 1.5 or 2 = 200 to 266 ppi

Large-format file resolution

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12’ x 40’

• Check with your printer

• 9 ppi typical

• 8 to 25 ppi common

File resolution spreadsheet

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12’ x 40’

Document size limitations

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• Adobe Illustrator

• 227.54” x 227.54” (18 feet)

• Adobe InDesign

• 216” x 216”

• CorelDRAW

• 150’ x 150’ (yes, feet!)

Document size limitations

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• Adobe Acrobat

• 4 = 45” x 45”

• 5 = 200” x 200”

• 7 = 15,000,000” x 15,000,000”

• Distiller limitation

• 200” x 200”

Solution

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• Work at ½, ¼, 0r ⅛ size

• Document size at ¼ size

• 144” x 480” = 36” x 120”

• Raster graphic = x 4

• 5 dpi x 4 = 20 dpi12’ x 40’

Real world example

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• Supercolor

• 45’ x 200’ graphic

• Original file = 3-4 dpi

• Resed up to 10 dpi

File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

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File Preparation for Specialty Printing

Questions?Please use the Q & A Window

Spot Colors

What’s in a name?

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• Spot colors can often be modified in a RIP

• Spot colors defined as L*a*b* “self-correct”

• RIP generates new “recipe” per media

Spot colors vs. process colors

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Spot colors vs. process colors

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Spot colors vs. process colors

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RGB vs. L*a*b* spot colors

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L*a*b* spot colors

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

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Specialty inks

Silver/white/clear – it’s all in the name

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White ink

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White ink

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White ink

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White ink

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White ink

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White ink

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Metallic ink

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Metallic ink

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Metallic ink

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

Special inks named correctly as Spot Colors

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Full-gamut printing (Not wide-gamut)

DON’Tmatch the press

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Full gamut printing

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Production

Traditional Expanded Gamut

• WHY?• Traditional (GRACoL – ISO Coated)

• 100% red = 97% magenta + 89% yellow

• Expanded gamut• 100% red = 100% magenta + 100% yellow

Full gamut printing

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• Keep images in RGB color space• Vector elements can be CMYK or RGB• Save as PDF/X4• Configure RIP properly

– Gray balanced– Will NOT conform to standards

Full gamut printing

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

Special inks named correctly as Spot Colors

Files prepared and RIP configured for full-gamut printing

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Cut paths

The color, not the name

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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Cut paths

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

Special inks named correctly as Spot Colors

Files prepared and RIP configured for full-gamut printing

Cut paths assigned correctly named Spot Color

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Preflighting

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Is it right or is is wrong?

Preflighting in Acrobat

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Preflighting in Acrobat

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Preflighting in Acrobat

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Preflighting in Pitstop

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

Special inks named correctly as Spot Colors

Files prepared and RIP configured for full-gamut printing

Cut paths assigned correctly named Spot Color

Preflight files

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Ooops!

What can we fix in the RIP?

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Cut path name

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Cut path name

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Spot Colors

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Spot Colors

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Spot Colors

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Spot Colors

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Color adjustments

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System testing – Ghent Output Suite

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System testing – Ghent Output Suite

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File preparation checklist

Proper file format

Proper image resolution

Special colors defined as Spot and not Process Colors

Special inks named correctly as Spot Colors

Files prepared and RIP configured for full-gamut printing

Cut paths assigned correctly named Spot Color

Preflight files

Test RIP

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Session summary

• We learned – Knowing where and how your printed output will be used, should dictate

the file preparation stage if you want the very best results

– Preparing files correctly gives you more choices and flexibility downstream when working on jobs within your RIP and workflow software

– That there are tools to check PDF/X compatibility of output solutions

– How to spot file issues, and how to correct them

– To learn more, we have some resources for you

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Additional resources

• Ghent Output Suite– For PDF/X compatibility checking of your output systems

• Ghent Output Suite with Fiery XF– Using the suite with Fiery XF or Fiery proServer

• Resolution calculator spreadsheet• White ink in Photoshop

– Tips and tricks for white ink use

• EFI knowledge base– More detailed documents on cut contour handling a spot color use

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Additional World of Fiery sessions

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• Production Series– September 30 – File Preparation for Specialty Inkjet

Printing– October 21 - Job Layout & Cutting Options in Fiery XF– November 11 - Fiery XF's Layout Option

• Color Series– Color Management Fundamentals– Color Standards & Specifications– Color Management Inside Fiery XF & Fiery proServer

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Questions?

File Preparation for Specialty Inkjet Printing

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Thank you!

File Preparation for Specialty Inkjet Printing