Export .EPS file to Quark Express

[nitrobutler]

Situation: I work at a print shop, and a co-worker came to me with a problem. It seems a client sent a file (image) with a white background which they want cut out. Which is easy enough, I've done this zillions of times already... [honesty]

Problem: Said image is to be used in magazine, that is being printed for this client, and our shop uses "Quark Express" to format all work to be plated and printed.

Solutions: I tried crating a clipping path around "Object" then saved path as an .eps file, but, when we imported the saved path into "Quark Express" the white background remained. :(|

I've tried in both PS7 and Illustrator10 with the same results. Am I going about this the wrong way,

[dbazuin]

Did you set the path you made as a clipping path in the path channel of PhotoShop?

Greetings Dirk

[SCync]

What format did the client send it to you with? If eps or any other vector, just un-group and ditch the background, then resave as eps. If it's a jpg, chop out the b/g in photoshop, and save as eps.

I dunno, what am I missing here? \:]

[nitrobutler]

Dirk: Yes I did.

SCync: The image is a Tiff file, and yes I tried your method with no luck, I will try again monday.

[Tanya]

XPress can color manage most tiff files and can't really change any color values in eps files, so maybe the trick is to keep the tiff format and not eps.
Is the image grayscale and that's why you saved as an eps file?

As to the clipping path on the tiff file, perhaps you might set your outset points at say -4 and play with the noise and smoothness settings?

Tanya

[Rantin Al]

Quark can create its own clipping path based on the background colour, say white in this case.

In Quark, select the image box which has the Tiff, JPG placed in it.
From the main (Quark) menu, select Item > Modify.
Select Clipping from the tabbed palette, then select Non-White Areas.
This will create a clipping path which will cut out the white background.

There is also the option of selecting an embedded clipping path from the same drop-down.
You have to specify the clipping path, best done in Photoshop.

If possible, convert the eps file to a Tiff and embed the clipping path in it. There has always been problems with importing eps files into Quark.
I'm not sure if it depends on the application which created it or not.
Best solution is to use a hi-resolution tiff whenever possible.

Al.

Quick edit:
Depending on the version of QE, sometimes the preview on screen did not show the clipping, but would print OK.
The Enhanced Preview XT was a good solution to this problem.

[nitrobutler]

Tanya: Thanks for your input

AL: THANK YOU very much, both of your methods worked like a charm!!! so I'd like to thank you and my co-worker thanks you as well :}
I hope I can be of some help for you some day.

[Rantin Al]

No problem Nitro, all part of the service.

Cheers, Al.