I just started using PMS colors for printing after getting our S80 and have been trying to figure out the correct way to get it to work. I was told to save the files as a PDF but for some reason when printing 185C it is coming out slightly pink for me and not the nice red. I had a guy send me a file to print for him and he had his saved as a PDF already and I adjusted the color to 185C and when printing his it came out the nice red but even when I do my own files they still do not come out correct. Is there something else I need to do or causing mine to come out slightly lighter?
-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
Printing PMS colors correct
- Thread starter yamaha581
- Start date
I am saving all the files from AI including the one I printed for a customer and using the same profile for his and mine so there are no settings changed on Flexi between the two. It is all on the same media as well.
is your printer / software / rip combination profiled?
I would say no because the epson guy came out to set it up but we couldn't use the onyx rip with the computer I had so we stuck with the Flexi for now and we did not really do anything with Flexi other than download the profile to use and I have been using it just like normal. I just was not sure why it would print the color correct sometimes and then most of the time come out slightly pink even though the files are all being saved and printed the exact same way.
I am keying from the behavior you identified with a customer-supplied pdf. You probably have your software set to keep the color profile of imported objects. So when the color prints right on that imported object but not on objects you create de novo, that tells me the problem lies in your native color export profiles. At least that's what I'm guessing.
If you want some advice, it will be faster and more direct (and cost less in the long run) to just buy or build a new computer, install the new version of Onyx, and use that, also going to the trouble of building profiles for your media if you have the ability. Onyx has built-in conversions for more accurate printing of Pantone colors. And you can eliminate the use of Flexi, exporting your print files directly from Illustrator, and importing to Onyx. When you use Flexi as the intermediary, you introduce the possibility of more color errors because every time you import and export an object, the software applies a color profile to it (think of it as a "correction"). You can get a passable computer for $600-800, and a really good one for $1000-1200. It doesn't take getting stalled over color problems in very many jobs before you wish you were able to use the RIP Epson recommends and not have to pass through two design softwares.
If you want some advice, it will be faster and more direct (and cost less in the long run) to just buy or build a new computer, install the new version of Onyx, and use that, also going to the trouble of building profiles for your media if you have the ability. Onyx has built-in conversions for more accurate printing of Pantone colors. And you can eliminate the use of Flexi, exporting your print files directly from Illustrator, and importing to Onyx. When you use Flexi as the intermediary, you introduce the possibility of more color errors because every time you import and export an object, the software applies a color profile to it (think of it as a "correction"). You can get a passable computer for $600-800, and a really good one for $1000-1200. It doesn't take getting stalled over color problems in very many jobs before you wish you were able to use the RIP Epson recommends and not have to pass through two design softwares.
That is true, but it won't account for different outputs when printing the same pantone color from a customer created file and a user created file, on the same media with the same printer, RIP, and media profile.
With Flexi you can set up a profile for a specific PMS color then each time flexi sees the color it will print it as you specify. I recently did just that and then profiled the specific PMS from my PMS color deck using I1. Came out perfect. I always have to look it up each time I do it but here's the scoop. Go on to youtube and you'll find a tutorial for just what I'm talking about. Takes about 10 minutes. If you have a spectrophotometer the rest is easy and if not there is a way to have flexi print color swatches that vary in 3% or whatever increments to the ink mix that you want to try. Then you plug that code in to flexi and flexi remembers it. It's another youtube because I look it up each time.
Flexi has a decent RIP once you learn how to use it. Get on to youtube and find those videos. Sorry, I saw this late because of sorting through posts.
- denis