Illustrator- "over print"

[Rocfrog]

Ok so I have a slight issue.....

We have gotten some art from customers that is "print ready" and after I set it up for us I have found a few times that an object is "missing" once its on screen and when I check the file that "object" has the "overprint fill" attributes checked. So is there a way to "blanket check" a document for this so I can uncheck it? or do I have to just select each object at a time?

I use the "separations preview" pannel all the time but that is just to make sure I have everything is spot colors and or to find CMYK elements.....maybe am I using this tool wrong??

Nick

[Screened Gear]

Select everything. Go to the Attributes window. You will see overprint fill and overprint stroke.  If everything you selected has a over print it will be checked. If there is come items with over fill and some with out it will have a box. Just click the box and it will make it a check, then click again and it will have nothing. Now none of the items selected have over print.

[Sbrem]

Nick, not sure I quite understand but, "overprint" fill on the attributes palette is so the color on top does not knock out from what's below. So, if Overprint is checked, you should be fine, so that the element prints on the top color film, and the bottom color film, like say yellow with a white underbase. If it's not checked, then it knocks out of whatever is below it, as opposed to overprinting. I can't wrap my head around something marked overprint not printing...

Steve

when you choose an object, use select same fill color to get all of the elements of that color, go to the Attributes palette and see if they are checked or not, that would at least avoid checking each element one by one.

[jvanick]

I just had the same problem... actually made it to press before we found it, in the first print...

our solution... use spot colors for all colors...

then, select the artwork and use the 'merge' feature.

that makes all the 'pieces' discreet... with no overlap.

[Rocfrog]

Select everything. Go to the Attributes window. You will see overprint fill and overprint stroke.  If everything you selected has a over print it will be checked. If there is come items with over fill and some with out it will have a box. Just click the box and it will make it a check, then click again and it will have nothing. Now none of the items selected have over print.

That actually seems like an easy way! I'll have to try that!

Nick, not sure I quite understand but, "overprint" fill on the attributes palette is so the color on top does not knock out from what's below. So, if Overprint is checked, you should be fine, so that the element prints on the top color film, and the bottom color film, like say yellow with a white underbase. If it's not checked, then it knocks out of whatever is below it, as opposed to overprinting. I can't wrap my head around something marked overprint not printing...

Steve

when you choose an object, use select same fill color to get all of the elements of that color, go to the Attributes palette and see if they are checked or not, that would at least avoid checking each element one by one.

Ok not 100% sure I'm following you, but at the same time I'm not 100% sure how "overprint" works or when and how it's useful. But in this case it is a complete vector file and the eyes of the person had the "overprint fill" box checked in the Attributes box, but we didn catch this until it was on press and we were doing a press check with the customer. So instead of the eyes being knocked out (shirt color) they printed solid white (so a solid white face with no eyes).

I just had the same problem... actually made it to press before we found it, in the first print...

our solution... use spot colors for all colors...

then, select the artwork and use the 'merge' feature.

that makes all the 'pieces' discreet... with no overlap.

I actually do this quite often (well in vector files I use nothing but spot colors!) but sometimes the way the images are built that just isn't fesable because then it brings elements to the front that need to be behind things.....

Nick

[Sbrem]

Flatten Transparency, Trim and Merge get a lot of use here. OK, about overprinting, let's say we had to print the red and white Target logo, the one that looks like a bull's eye. You would make a solid white circle for the base, then the concentric circles in red. If you check Overprint, the white printer will be a solid circle, flash it (unless it's discharge) and the red will sit on top. If Overprint is not checked, then the red concentric circles will be knocked out of the white. So, Overprint is for, well, overprinting another color Why an object marked to overprint would not come out on the film, well, I don't have an answer for that one. That hasn't happened to me, yet anyway.


Steve