PDF workflow question

[ATD]

On grayscale jobs, I have noticed that when I create graphics in Quark or Illustrator using 100%k that the PDF outputs look dull, like about 85%k. Is there a way to get these PDFs to look richer without tagging the job outside of the grayscale color space? If I output the PDF from Quark as CMYK, the blacks look right but I would hate for a printer to assume that this is a 4 color press run. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[iGary]

You need you some Blue Velvet™.

 

[ATD]

You need you some Blue Velvet™.

WOW you are fast, that was 20 sec after I hit post.

 

[Blue Velvet]

When you say look dull, do you mean that the blacks are coming out at less than 100%?

If you have Acrobat Pro 6 or higher, then you can check the % in the separation preview under the Advanced menu. Running the cursor outside its window acts like an inkdropper sampler giving you a % of the plate that you are looking at.

How exactly are you producing these PDFs? I certainly wouldn't recommend using Quark's output to PDF feature for reasons too numerous to mention here. We print PS to Distiller here using the Pass4Press specs or PDFX1A.

Another thing to check is what printer description file (PPD) is being used to run these out. A generic B&W PPD will not work correctly.

 

[ATD]

When you say look dull, do you mean that the blacks are coming out at less than 100%?

If you have Acrobat Pro 6 or higher, then you can check the % in the separation preview under the Advanced menu. Running the cursor outside its window acts like an inkdropper sampler giving you a % of the plate that you are looking at.

How exactly are you producing these PDFs? I certainly wouldn't recommend using Quark's output to PDF feature for reasons too numerous to mention here. We print PS to Distiller here using the Pass4Press specs or PDFX1A.

Another thing to check is what printer description file (PPD) is being used to run these out. A generic B&W PPD will not work correctly.

Thanks Blue Velvet! I use Quark for general stuff (comps) but Distiller X1A for the real stuff. I will check all those settings when I get to the office.

 

[ATD]

When you say look dull, do you mean that the blacks are coming out at less than 100%?

If you have Acrobat Pro 6 or higher, then you can check the % in the separation preview under the Advanced menu. Running the cursor outside its window acts like an inkdropper sampler giving you a % of the plate that you are looking at.

How exactly are you producing these PDFs? I certainly wouldn't recommend using Quark's output to PDF feature for reasons too numerous to mention here. We print PS to Distiller here using the Pass4Press specs or PDFX1A.

Another thing to check is what printer description file (PPD) is being used to run these out. A generic B&W PPD will not work correctly.

After working with the setups, looking at the PDF on various computers and creating new ones on other computers, it seems that there was nothing wrong with the PDF. I was not aware that a PDF will display a 4 color black differently then a single color black even if both will look like solid rich blacks in Quark or Illustrator. Some monitors would detect slight differences in the PDFs blacks, mine was quite different. Thanks for the tip on Output Preview in Acrobat, I didn't know it was there.