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***Scott*** · 05-30-2008, 09:06 AM

My designers are supposed to be adding bleeds in their designs for all the jobs sent to the flatbed UV printer, but it doesn't always happen, nor does it always with files from a 3rd party. In order to print full bleed, edge-to-edge prints, like on a 4x8 MDO, I need to make sure I've got enough bleed built in to the design so I can set the overprint settings on the printer to match that.

It would be SO nice to have the bleed tools/options available in the layout tool built in to preflight, so that I don't have to open the jobs in Illustrator and add the bleed, then resave, and then reopen, etc, etc. It would be much easier to just say to add so much to each side of either a solid color or to take the last pixel and repeat. If I could specify a different amount for each individual side, that would be nice as well.

Does this make sense to everyone?

Shane · 06-09-2008, 09:13 PM

Production House has that feature .....??

Shane

***Scott*** · 06-09-2008, 09:49 PM

With ProductionHouse you have the addition Layout Tool which has those features, but they are not a part of the Production House core with preflight. This is verified with Onyx and has been mentioned to them, they agreed that it would make sense to have some of those options available in preflight rather than just layout tool.

M.A.C. · 06-10-2008, 11:49 AM

I agree for what its worth

oss_flatbed · 08-27-2008, 08:08 PM

Scotty Doo you have hit the nail on the head!

This option would be great as i also would like to see this option included in Onyx. One way i combat this problem is to just simply scale it up by a few mm ???

Cheers Mitch

SWCL · (This post was last modified: 09-01-2008 03:47 AM by electricfly.)

when working with a postscript file, you do have the option to 'crop outside page' on the preview & size tab.

Set the image size first then lock the magnification, tick the 'crop outside page' option & then drag out the marquee box until you have added the extra you need, then hit apply.

I sometimes use this method when printing PVC banners, as our finisher requires a 40mm border for seaming & it saves him have to measure (I print it with the crop outline all sides).

This unfortunately doesn't work with Tiff's or jpg's etc.. the option is greyed out.

This has been an advantage as it saves me raterising a customers image in Photoshop & resaving before sending it to the rip.. However, the image added outside of the page area can only be white (blank material). & as you say - would not give image bleed or repeat edge pixels which would be much more of an advantage.

One thing I wish Onyx could do is to select a colour (colour replacement) of a given area which I could specify - like the magic wand/lasso tool in Photoshop & with the abilty to switch contiguous on & off.. rather than changing every pixel with the same colour number. In addition to that - the abilty to select colours of a close value & change them at the same time - as in a slight gradient. the tolerence of 1 colour value it has at the moment is FAR too precise.

jonkovach · (This post was last modified: 11-03-2008 09:33 AM by daveh.)

SWCL Wrote:One thing I wish Onyx could do is to select a colour (colour replacement) of a given area which I could specify - like the magic wand/lasso tool in Photoshop & with the abilty to switch contiguous on & off.. rather than changing every pixel with the same colour number. In addition to that - the abilty to select colours of a close value & change them at the same time - as in a slight gradient. the tolerence of 1 colour value it has at the moment is FAR too precise.

I second that!!!
You can draw a box while you're selecting your color to replace, but it never does anything....
Jon

Hotspur · 12-07-2008, 10:58 AM

Have played with Onyx's new work flow software Prep Edge Pro.

Currently I take a customers file, open it in Illustrator, Corel, Quark or Photoshop to see if it will work OK and try not to introduce any other problems - esp. colour issues - whilst I use a few of the tools to make adjustments.

Then I submit to the Rip and use some of the tools there that I didn't have in my app to make further adjustments, before printing.

The tools I have in the App are not designed for my wide format work & the Rip is not designed to work seamlessly with the Apps - PDF transparencies etc mean I waste time trying to sort out these issues & whenever Adobe and friends update their apps it all goes to hell again as Onyx try (and fail) to keep up AND I have to pay again to keep up with the app. versions run by my customers.

This new software is supposed to end all this by becoming the software you open up your customers files with - preflight, adjust, change, double-check and submit to the Rip.

Of course you still need file creation software - it is supposed to replace the part of the software you use to check & alter other peoples files. Fewer copies & fewer upgrades of your Apps will be needed in theory.

It marries together all the things you do in Illustrator etc to get your file set up, including colour management, spot colour control, bleed, cut lines, even grommet tools but also links into Onyx to give an absolutely accurate rendition of your print.

It has a PDF engine that has full PDF editing facilities which then process & flattens the file before sending - no more PDF / transparency issues in the Rip.

Onyx & other Rips struggle with PDFs as they have a Postscript Rip which has to handle the inconsistencies generated in the transition. This software processes in PDF so WYSIWYG!

I can get off the Adobe suite upgrading treadmill & just use this to open, adjust & submit customers files into the Rip, using the Rips output profile to give me an accurate soft-proof automatically.

It submits into Rip Queue without going through a hotfolder so Rip colour management cannot interfere with your file that has already been ripped & handled in PEP.

This software is not designed to replace a Rip (it works with all Rips - but only links properly into Onyx for automatic operations)

It is designed to be used by the designers in place of the programs currently used to Preflight, adjust & submit to the Rip.

I have to say I am blown away already by this - it will become a Standard for wide format file preparation I'm sure because there is nothing else like this out there for our industry, only for offset. This has been designed ground-up for wide format & it shows.

It looks like Illustrator & you can use the same shortcuts as you are used to in any of the current popular Apps so it's easy to learn.

I've already submitted my "library" of PDF & PS files that gave various versions of Onyx a headache - not only does this software cure them simply by opening & submitting them due to the PDF engine, you can pull apart, investigate & change every corner of the customers file & interrogate it's settings to discover where the original design had the problem.

There are a few bugs from what I can see so it still needs some work before they let it out.

I'm not sure when it will be available - Feb I hear may be the earliest.

I can't wait!

***Scott*** · 12-07-2008, 03:19 PM

9876curve Wrote:Have played with Onyx's new work flow software Prep Edge Pro.

Currently I take a customers file, open it in Illustrator, Corel, Quark or Photoshop to see if it will work OK and try not to introduce any other problems - esp. colour issues - whilst I use a few of the tools to make adjustments.

Then I submit to the Rip and use some of the tools there that I didn't have in my app to make further adjustments, before printing.

The tools I have in the App are not designed for my wide format work & the Rip is not designed to work seamlessly with the Apps - PDF transparencies etc mean I waste time trying to sort out these issues & whenever Adobe and friends update their apps it all goes to hell again as Onyx try (and fail) to keep up AND I have to pay again to keep up with the app. versions run by my customers.

This new software is supposed to end all this by becoming the software you open up your customers files with - preflight, adjust, change, double-check and submit to the Rip.

Of course you still need file creation software - it is supposed to replace the part of the software you use to check & alter other peoples files. Fewer copies & fewer upgrades of your Apps will be needed in theory.

It marries together all the things you do in Illustrator etc to get your file set up, including colour management, spot colour control, bleed, cut lines, even grommet tools but also links into Onyx to give an absolutely accurate rendition of your print.

It has a PDF engine that has full PDF editing facilities which then process & flattens the file before sending - no more PDF / transparency issues in the Rip.

Onyx & other Rips struggle with PDFs as they have a Postscript Rip which has to handle the inconsistencies generated in the transition. This software processes in PDF so WYSIWYG!

I can get off the Adobe suite upgrading treadmill & just use this to open, adjust & submit customers files into the Rip, using the Rips output profile to give me an accurate soft-proof automatically.

It submits into Rip Queue without going through a hotfolder so Rip colour management cannot interfere with your file that has already been ripped & handled in PEP.

This software is not designed to replace a Rip (it works with all Rips - but only links properly into Onyx for automatic operations)

It is designed to be used by the designers in place of the programs currently used to Preflight, adjust & submit to the Rip.

I have to say I am blown away already by this - it will become a Standard for wide format file preparation I'm sure because there is nothing else like this out there for our industry, only for offset. This has been designed ground-up for wide format & it shows.

It looks like Illustrator & you can use the same shortcuts as you are used to in any of the current popular Apps so it's easy to learn.

I've already submitted my "library" of PDF & PS files that gave various versions of Onyx a headache - not only does this software cure them simply by opening & submitting them due to the PDF engine, you can pull apart, investigate & change every corner of the customers file & interrogate it's settings to discover where the original design had the problem.

There are a few bugs from what I can see so it still needs some work before they let it out.

I'm not sure when it will be available - Feb I hear may be the earliest.

I can't wait!

I am excited as well, though I haven't said anything publicly as I was under the impression I wasn't allowed to talk about it yet due to NDA.

Hotspur · 12-08-2008, 09:36 AM

Hi Scott

No they made the announcement in the October issue of the Thrive newsletter in the SIGA recap.

This went out first week in November from memory.

Spread the word!

***Scott*** · 12-08-2008, 12:38 PM

9876curve Wrote:Hi Scott

No they made the announcement in the October issue of the Thrive newsletter in the SIGA recap.

This went out first week in November from memory.

Spread the word!

How funny, so they did. My communication with them started the day before that issue of Thrive came out and I was specifically told that it was all under my NDA and I wasn't allowed to talk about it publicly. Interesting. I'll have to check. Thanks!