Creating two color Postscript files

[Nick_Miller@adobeforums.com]

I am working on a job right now (in Windows 2000 using InDesign CS) that is a two color book job. The two colors are black and a Pantone 2925 C color. The Pantone 2925 C is set as a spot color. I am using a printer style based on settings the Printer company had given us to use. The Printer: PostScript File and for the PPD: Device Independent.

Then we have a Distiller Job Option that we have set up to use for all the printer printer companies we deal with. After we have made a PDF we check the PDF in Acrobat with Pitstop Professional running a Preflight check on the PDF. In the Preflight, one of the things it checks for is the number of colors the Document contains, it tells me it contains 5 colors.

Now I'm wondering since in my Swatches palete the only colors I have is the Black and the Pantone 2925 C, that maybe InDesign while creating the Postscript file converts the Pantone color to CMYK. Or possibly Distiller might be doing it. Well maybe not distiller since in the Job Options it is set to to leave color unchanged.

Any answers to why my PDF is saying it using 5 colors when I have Only 2 colors actually being used in InDesign?

Thanks,
Nick Miller

[Nick_Miller@adobeforums.com]

I forgot to mention i have color management off.

[Bob_Levine]

The CMY plates will always be created. They're just empty.

Bob

[Gustavo_Sanchez@adobeforums.com]

Bob,

"The CMY plates will always be created. They're just empty."

Almost this same thing happened to me when making some trial runs of ID CS with a PDF for press and two spot inks.

Now my own doubt is: If cannot force the pdf to have only two plates... Shall I take this as a 'bad pdf' that may pass the preflight filter at the printers if I speak about this to them or shall I take this as a 'bug' in ID CS or in my workflow that I must strive to solve? I mean... Is it really a serious issue or is it just something we can/have to live with? (printers, anyone?)

PS: The PDF had really information only in the two spot plates (CMYK were empty). I checked that.

[Ida_Engmark@adobeforums.com]

As Robert says, the CMY plates will always be created. One way to override this, is using the In-RIP Seperations option in the print dialog, if this is available.

Check with your Printer before using this option, otherwise you might end up having to start all over again due to the fact that the Printers Machinery can't handle postscript 3 jobs.

[Bob_Levine]

You can't export separations and IMO, you shouldn't be doing that
anyway. It's the printers job.

The printer should also understand that the PDF is to be output to two
colors and what those two colors are. I wouldn't use a printer who
couldn't handle a job once I've given him/her those instructions.

Bob

[Gustavo_Sanchez@adobeforums.com]

Bob,

I wasn't doing separations, just checking their presence. What upsets me is that whenever "extra" plates are reported (CMYK in this case), you'll be always forced to check if they are really empty ones as you cannot run risks. A bit annoying, I believe.

[daphne_meimaridis@adobeforums.com]

hi, i have read this thread of messages and i'm still somewhat confused. i have an IN 2.0 file which uses 2 Pantone Spot Colors and the default black. When I run the preflight, the "inks" section says I have 4 process inks (CMYK) and 2 spot inks. Do I really just have the 3 inks (black plus the 2 Pantone spot inks)?

I have several gradients in my file, they are gradients of black (100%) to black (1%), as well as gradients of the one Pantone spot ink to the other Pantone Spot ink. Finally, one gradient includes the two Pantone spot inks and black (1%).

Is what I have going to be a 3 color job (black plus the 2 Pantone Spot inks? (Secondary question: I assume that I can make gradients using spot colors and I can still have a 2 or 3 color job (vs. all four process colors.) Is that correct?

thanks!
daphne

[Bob_Levine]

Even using one spot color will show the process colors as being in the
document. As long as the plates are empty, you have no problems.

Bob

[Gernot_Hoffmann@adobeforums.com]

A test with ID2.0:

One page
Black and two spot colors
Delete unused colors
Preflight says: 3 colors
Print to PS file as separations by Acrobat PS Driver
Distill
Result: three pages, one for each used color

Best regards --Gernot Hoffmann