Need Help Adobe and Flexi

[Lounge]

Hi, New here and need some help.
Our company has finally taken the plunge into the printing world. We have a HP printer with Flexi RIP software. We design everything in AI. I design in AI and import the art into the Flexi RIP software. My problem is when I use a outer glow effect in AI, it shows up in Flexi, but does not print it properly if at all.
Anyone else come across this problem? How do you fix it??

Thanks,
TLL

 

[bannertime]

What type of file are you sending to PM?

 

[Lounge]

Whatever Flexi automatically sends it. I import AI right into Flexi. I have also tried PDF, same thing happens. When trying to print AI effects the drop shadows print, but not the outer glow. I have not tried any other effects yet. The glow appears on the screen in flexi, so I am lost as to why it is not printing.

 

[bannertime]

You can import files directly into PM. No need to open them in Flexi and then send them. I'd try that. See if there are any changes. If not, we pretty much always send raster work as JPG or TIFF.

 

[shoresigns]

Importing AI files into your RIP is generally a bad practice. Export to PDF and then import that to your RIP.

If you still have issues with effects like outer glow, export as PDF/X and flatten your transparencies. Worst case scenario, import the AI or PDF file into Photoshop and flatten it to a TIFF.

 

[Lounge]

The tech that trained us, told us to do it that way. That is where I add our contour cut-lines. I am not sure how else to tell PM where to cut. I will try sending as jpg or tiff.

 

[bannertime]

You can do contour paths in AI. There are a few threads about it here. It's based on the name of the color. Something like ContourCut and making it a spot color. Pretty simple really. Using offset paths and strokes.

 

[ProPDF]

The tech that trained us, told us to do it that way. That is where I add our contour cut-lines. I am not sure how else to tell PM where to cut. I will try sending as jpg or tiff.

There are a lot of ways to do a lot of things but there is only one right way. Design and add your cut contour paths in AI no matter how Flexi youtube videos tell you how much faster and easier they are. If you get in a re-print situation especially down the road you stop using Flexi and use another RIP it can come back to bite you. You will then have to add the cut contours in AI anyway. From an organization and time management standpoint you will be dividing all your past prints into pre and post flexi cut and cut contour. If you are a one man shop or not a large company and can remember everything maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal. It all depends on your business model and where you want to go I think.

 

[bannertime]

If you get in a re-print situation especially down the road you stop using Flexi and use another RIP it can come back to bite you. You will then have to add the cut contours in AI anyway.

Yup. I'm a pretty big Flexi advocate, but very rarely will I do a contour file without saving it as a PDF with contour paths included. If it's just a little one off, then I'll send directly from Flexi. If it's got any quantity I export it as a PDF with contour paths and then pull into PM. Makes reprints and reproductions much simpler.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I second the .tiff process.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

2 from OK