Photoshop, Quark, Duo tones and separations

[MacBoobsPro]

I am trying to print something using two spot colours to create a third colour. The spots are red and blue to create a purple.

I can create a duotone image in Photoshop but only one channel is present. To get it into Quark I have to save it as a Photoshop PDF but then Quark see's it as a cmyk image not a duotone.

How can I get this to separate correctly for the printer?

 

[B&Wtoon]

not sure if it’s the correct way, but you could make both channels separate greyscale tifs and import them into QXP, then colour the tifs in QXP where you will have full control of overprint, separations, etc.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

not sure if it’s the correct way, but you could make both channels separate greyscale tifs and import them into QXP, then colour the tifs in QXP where you will have full control of overprint, separations, etc.

We have thought about that but its not the most elegant way of doing it. Surely there must be a way to print a 'pure' duotone image without having to manually separate the colours?

Photoshop only allows a few file formats to be exported if the image is a duotone and it seems only the Photoshop PDF format will open in Quark.

Basically our print process uses 3 colours. Red, Blue and black (we have an old single colour printer you see) but a client wants a purple that we can create using the red and blue but we just cant get it to separate and print (as a duo tone).

 

[macstudent]

Save the file as a photoshop eps and your duotone will remain intact.

 

[SwiftLives]

A Photoshop DCS file will also preserve a dutotone.

 

[bit density]

One of the easier work arounds...

One of the easier workarounds is to make this a CMYK document. Create a two channel CMYK image and print out the CMK plates and print those as Red Blue and Black.

If you choose not to do this, you need to make sure that your screens are not set at 45 degrees if you are trying to "mix colors" in the doutone image, otherwise the dots will print on top of each other, and you will not get the effect you are looking for. You will get different kinds of effects depending on the screening you use in the images. One of the advantages of using the the CMYK process is that there are very interesting things that can happen for your screens of images which can look very nice if you print this with spot colors rather than process colors.

 

[jecapaga]

A Photoshop DCS file will also preserve a dutotone.

I'm in favor of this above reccomendation. Anyone disaagree?

 

[covisio]

After you've set up the Duotone don't you have to convert to multichannel before you can save it as DCS 2.0?

Anyway, just use InDesign. It can properly separate EPS Duotone, Photoshop with spot channels or DCS 2. So long as your RIP can handle it.

Quark was weak on this from the get go.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll give them ago.

EDIT: The EPS option worked and is also less work. I'm sure the other way would work too. Thanks guys.