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Illustrator Illustrator and Pagemaker help....again!


lindaw

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Ok I created a logo in AI and saved it as a tiff and gif for placement in Pagemaker. When I place the tiff and or gif in Pagemaker it is jagged big time. I have saved it at 300 and 72 and both have the same results on the business card I am making. What am I doing wrong this time?

The file was created in AI at 300.
 

mmagikman

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lindaw, just for the fun of it, send it to the printer and see how it looks. I know that some programs don't display a full resolution of graphic images (Word doesn't) but they print just fine. If this doesn't work then for some reason your AI (.tiff, .gif) pic has been rasterized.

What formats can Pagemaker import/place?

It's been a few years when I last used Pagemaker.

I can't help but wonder why you are using Pagemaker to make business cards? Pagemaker is a document program. Illustrator has a ten-up format for business cards. Most service/printers use .eps to print from.
 

lindaw

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AI does bcards...really? I looked at all the doc setup options and I didn't see a preformat for that....

That would solve my problems if I could find it. [stuned] [confused]
 

Rantin Al

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Linda,

Check the PageMaker prefs and select the hi-res option.
Stick to high resolution TIF for PageMaker.
You can use EPS.
Gif is only suitable for web.

If you are creating the work in Illustrator, just make up one card.

Give the native Illustrator file to the printer and let him do the lay up himself. It will only take him seconds.

He may have a preferred layout for trimming. As well as format and resolution.
This is more easily done from the Illustrator file.
Just remember to 'Outline Text'. This cuts out potential font conflicts.

Also, he may not use PageMaker. If he uses Quark he will have to convert the file. More Work!
You will have have to supply the file with the PageMaker document anyway.

Keep it simple, give him the file which he certainly can use.
He will love you if you give him this flexibility.
(I would! :D )


Al.
 

Rantin Al

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Linda,

Tip 2. :D

To see how quick it is to set up a Business card in Illustrator:

1. Create original card, with trim marks. Group it.
2. Select All. Click and hold down the Option key and Drag across.
As you drag, hold down the Shift key to constrain the copy.
3. You will now have two cards, separated by, say 10mm.
4. Select All. Repeat step 2, but Option drag Shift down.
Again leaving the 10mm gutter.
5. Keep the last pair selected, and hit Command+D (Control+D)
6. Repeat the Command+D twice more.
Done!

It will take you longer to read this than it is to actually do.
That's how easy it is to set it up for a card lay out.

Al.
 

mmagikman

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lindaw, it looks like Al answered your questions.

As far as a Illustrator 10-up, bcard format (I have Ill. 10). Put the Ill CD in the machine and fire it up.
Select "NEXT"
"Explore" (top right)
"CD Rom Contents"
"Illustrator Extras"
"Templates"
"Business Systems"
"Bus.Cards_HorizCenter"
It will open up Ill., if not opened.

You might want to look at all the other Templates. They are a real time saver.
 

lindaw

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Thanks for all the help everyone!!!! I am printing the cards myself. Lemme run through your suggestions and see what I can come up with.

I found the AI template file...duh! [doh] My head hurts! I don't know why I didn't think to look for templates in AI....brain is on vacation I guess :(|
 

lindaw

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I verified my settings in pagemaker and it still looks like crap. I saved the file in ai as tiff, I have tried exporting it to pshop and I get the same results. The file is 300ppi and looks great in ai but when I place it in pagemaker it jaggs and prints that way. I am not resizing it in pagemaker either. There has to be a way to get tiffs into pagemaker without jags.....gonna be a long night :(| :(|

Here is the file. Don't pay any attention to the messy work. Still not done with it. Just testing my card setup and hence the jag monster...
 

Rantin Al

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Rantin Al said:
Linda,

Give the native Illustrator file to the printer and let him do the lay up himself. It will only take him seconds.
Al.

Well? :D

Why not print it direct from Illustrator, save yourself the work?
Stuff the extra 'faffing' in PageMaker!

Curious? What are you printing it on? ... What printer?.... CMYK? ... RGB ... Which app??

Al. ;)
 

lindaw

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Printing on an Epson C82. All other graphics print fine except this one, go figure. Printing from Pagemaker and tried cmyk and rgb both with the same result on the tiff/gif files. Everything thing else on the card looks great except the logo file. I can print it from pshop or ai and it is fine go figure. My template is in pagemaker a pmt and pmd file.

I created the file in AI at 300ppi so it is way too large for the cards/logo. I have tried it at 72, 150 and 300 with the same results. May be time to trash the file and start over. :(| :(|
 

lindaw

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Ok update....I took the original ai file and imported that at the original 300ppi size which was 5 inches x 6 inches. Way too big for a card. I resized the graphic IN Pagemaker with the shift key and it looks great! I would think that it would be best to resize in Pshop BEFORE placing in Pagemaker [confused] This is how I have always handled my graphics but this time I had to bring the original ai file in??? Maybe I had a brain laps and did something in pshop that I can't put my finger on :{
 

mmagikman

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I hope it all worked out for you.
As Al posted, I create/print my bcards from Ill. to the printer with the max dpi that the printer can take (if you set the dpi higher than the printers max dpi you are wasting file space).
I guess I just don't understand why you have to use Pagemaker and PS before you print. I'll re-read your posts to see if I missed something.
 

Rantin Al

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Linda,

From what you are saying, the only thing I can think of is that PageMaker is losing the link to the hi-res file and is printing the 72dpi proxy file.

That would explain the jaggies! Check the Links Manager > File Usage(?)
(Need to check the proper name.)

As far as resizing goes, always do that in the creation package, not in the compositing package. It increases the processing time for the printer and can balloon the file size, particularly if you are doing a multiple set up for business cards.

Ten cards means 10 times that the scaling has to be processed.
Detail / crispness of the original file may be lost.

If you are printing to a desktop, the colour mode is "usually" converted fom RGB to CMYK by the printer software. Check the manual for info on this. If it says so, create your artwork in RGB.


Gonna get to the bottom of this, one way or another. [slick] ;)


Al.
 

Rantin Al

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In the Links Manager, you should see the file name.
Click on it to check the status of each file.

If you get a '?' at the beginning and end of the file name, it means that the link has been broken.
You will also see the Status Alert.

If you get: 'Status - This Item is up to date.' The file should be OK for printing.

If it still does not print properly, the fault must be with the graphic file.
Click the 'Info' button to verify file size etc..
Also check that you are linking to the proper file, not a low res copy which may be lying about.

You could try 'Preflighting' the PMaker document.
Utilities > Plug-ins > Save for Service provider.

This will copy all related files into a new folder, along with a report.
Try printing this copy.

Al.
 

lindaw

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Thanks again for the wonderful help and info! Everything checks fine with the link to the graphic. There must be something I am doing or something wrong with the file. I resized the file in AI to eliminate any mistake I am making in pshop and saved it as a gif and tiff to give both a try. Same results. If I place the original AI file in pmaker and resize there it is fine. I tried other gifs to just see if the problem is widespread and it is not. Only this one file. So I guess I need to hit the trash button on this one and start over. Can't image what happened. :(| :(|
 

Rantin Al

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Linda, Forget about GIF's for anything other than web. Don't use them for printing/ publishing.

Use TIFF for printing.

Did you try setting up and printing from Illustrator?
This would be the way to do it. All these conversions into other formats is just asking for trouble.

Let us know if you find the specific problem.

Al.
 

Rantin Al

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Linda, Look under Main Menu > Effects > Document Raster Settings.

I bet your settings are like this pic!

Change it to 300. :D

Al.
 

lindaw

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mmmm my menu is different but doc setup>effects is at 300 in pagmaker. My menu doesn't look anything like yours though.
 

mmagikman

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Linda, just my .02 worth. I think Al is using a Mac and is in PS. That's why the screen shot looks different.

Feel free to ignore this...Have you tried printing from Ill (.ai)?? With the page set up to a 300 dpi you should get a great print from it without all the problems using Pagemaker & PS. Maybe I just don't understand why you use Pagemaker & PS when you have created it all in Ill. Oh well, best of luck to you with your project.
 

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