POLL for defining your typical or average procedure to print films.

[Dottonedan]

* Please select as many options as are  in your process.
* Please feel free to add or mention other variables to this subject.

As someone who does separations for a living, I see that not many of you use a "standard" technique. each seem to use a different approach or has a different way of printing out films. What I was hoping to do, is shed some light on as many "different" methods so that we can see if we have some common denominators.

To start, we can figure out how many print from any particular rip and how you handle getting seps from an outside source and printing them.
Some sep services provide you with a file (one way) and you then need to figure out how to print them to film. That was old school. In today's print shop, everyone has a different rip, program and printer. I'd like to streamline the process (as much as can be) and have a place for people to look and see what a good "standard| or typical process would be.

To make this post really valuable to others, I'd really like to see if you can reply with providing your step by step standard process (in house) when you receive sep files from someone on the outside. How do you print to films (Step by step)?  When asking yourself if you really want to take the time to do this (for this post), consider it a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) "a sheet for others to use when you are not available to print films" and can then post it next to the printer.

Thanks
Dan

[blue moon]

we prefer the psd files with multiple channels and the original art and all the separating paths and masks still available. RGB rather than CMYK, but that is really not a big deal.

then, if needed we can import into Illustrator or print directly from Photoshop.

90% of the seps we receive still need more work. Mostly additional text or some other layout parts and very often we do some minor tweaking to the seps themselves. It helps to have the RGB file because it gives more options when trying to mask. Sometimes it is hard to make selections in the individual channels. I've started asking for all the masks and paths to be left in the seps so I don't have to recreate them. About 50% of the seps we get will be sampled with multiple revisions. As many as 20 changes can be made depending on what the customer wants (yes, we charge for this). It can take 5-10 min to create another good mask, so why repeat something that's has been done already. The other 50% go to the RIP straight from the Photohop with out changing anything.

We also offer a 2GB dropbox as the files with everything in them tend to get pretty big. 200-300MB files are pretty common.

Once all the sep stuff is done, it goes to the FilmMaker. I'll usually send the underbase to the RIP first and then check everything on the screen. Since I can view the dots, we can check for any issues. If all is good, the rest get sent to the RIP two or three at the time so the film does not get too long.

pierre

[jsheridan]

What I would like to have and what the custy gives me are usually never in the same ballpark.
I would prefer they give me as  much as they can in the file and preserve the layers but they seem to like to flatten all that hard work they just did and give me a hig res .jpg to separate.. so you don't steal my logo as one guy told me.

What they give is what I make fit into my print model.
If it has pixels i do all the color sep work in PS then export as DCS to an AI template. The colors come over, I add text if needed then send to rip with my own angles and line counts. I do this because of the changes to CS5 PS print functions.

All vector it never leaves AI

[myseps]

Photoshop-  I use 1 file with multiple channels for the separations.  I have an additional "mask" file to hold all of the masks (same dimensions and resolution as the sep file).  This way I can drag masks as I need them over to the sep file, and then discard after use to save channel space.  Mask file is supplied upon request.  I do not manually create registration marks or labels in Photoshop (unless requested), as these can be automatically generated using the print menu.

Illustrator-  There are 2 files for the separation: 1 for all of the colors, and 1 for the base white. (files are same size).  I manually add registration marks and labels to the illustrator files so that the customer can click "custom" on the size and the seps will be automatically be cropped to size and ready for films.

[Screened Gear]

I do spot channels in PS and then out put in AI.

[Sbrem]

I can't give a straight answer to most of these, so... We do our raster seps in Photoshop, and vector seps in Illustrator. We save our Photoshop files as DCS 2.0 and print from Illustrator to AccuRIP, all angles, line count and dot shape set in the Illustrator print dialog box. We don't "require" much more than a vector graphic or high res raster image, as 99.9 per cent of my customers really have no idea. If we can't get a good original, we can redraw or create from scratch as we have an excellent artist in house, and I can do a lot of basic design work, I'm just usually too busy with "boss/owner" stuff to be able to crank out art. Anyway, fairly straight ahead as I see it.

Steve

[myseps]

We save our Photoshop files as DCS 2.0 and print from Illustrator to AccuRIP, all angles, line count and dot shape set in the Illustrator print dialog box.

Correct me if im wrong here:
Your AccuRIP settings determine angle, line count and dot shape so there is no need to assign these when printing you films from illustrator or Photoshop.  Also, why not just print Photoshop files from Photoshop?

[blue moon]

We save our Photoshop files as DCS 2.0 and print from Illustrator to AccuRIP, all angles, line count and dot shape set in the Illustrator print dialog box.

Correct me if im wrong here:
Your AccuRIP settings determine angle, line count and dot shape so there is no need to assign these when printing you films from illustrator or Photoshop.  Also, why not just print Photoshop files from Photoshop?

I can answer that, I can answer that!!!!

They had a problem with their Photoshop CS4 and it would not work with their RIP any more so they started printing from Illustrator!!!! Is that right Steve?

As far as AccuRIP, it offers an option where you can override all the settings regardless of what is fed to it. What I found was that we printed at 45,55 and 65 lpi and I would forget to change it in the RIP and would end up with the wring size dot. By leaving it the PS and Illy, you always get what you need.

pierre

[hazeremover]

Raster: Sim Pro - I prefer to sep from a virginal, hi-res, layered RGB psd file, as built by the original artist. I have all I need right there. Sometimes their construction masks are utilized or I work with the RGB channels and layers and create my own masks. I break the colors out as individual grayscale tiff documents. I prefer to see the actual "film positives" on screen in front of me, all "colors" side by side. The RGB file is my proof or the client provides a color printout and specifies that I match it. I'll accept CMYK files but don't like it because if they've previously been converted on somebody else's box, it's rarely correct due to their original conversion which is dictated by paper specs. I prefer to convert to CMYK on my box that way I have total control, whether it's going to end up as straight 4C Process or if I need to break out the Black file to be utilized as a shoot through for seppin' or a spot black in sim pro.

One customer always provides a sepped, multi channel raster file. I run them out from Photoshop, angles and dpi specified by them. Drives me nuts sometimes because those guys do everything in Photoshop including simple 1 and 2 color logos. I'm like, why don't you do these as vector art? It'll screen print much cleaner. There response is always "vector art is too hard, it takes too long, blah, blah...". I say, learn Illustrator! You can achieve the swiftness and stealth of the vector if you put a little time into it.

I create a master page in Illy with my targets and mandatory print info and import the grayscale tiffs. I rip them with AccuRip to an Epson 4880 all black unk film system. I spec my angles and lpi for each film because I don't always use the same angles throughout one piece of art. Outputting from Illy allows me the flexibility to include any vector elements of the artwork and combine them with the rasters for output. I used to use Quark Express for gathering my seps to output but Illy is so much easier and faster as a page layout system.

Vector: AI or EPS layered file, sim pro or traditional spot color. If the customer supplied vector art file was correctly built with PMS spot colors, I generally will just add targets and mandatories and run them out from Illy. That only happens some of the time. Most of the time, the vector file is comprised of a gazillion layers with clipping masks, zany effects and all manner of whiz bang vector mumbo jumbo from the art agencies that I have to rebuild the vector file to make it screen printing friendly, plus, achieve the finite palette of colors I need to ready it for output and accurately reproduce the artwork. Full color packaging labels are the biggest challenges because they are usually 100% vector art. Crispy and clean indeed yet they separate the men from the boys when it comes to seppin' them. Depending on the approach, I'll either create separate black and white digital "film positives" or just output from a composite file. I'll occasionally export the vector file as a layered RGB raster and sep it in PS.

In all cases, a digital comp layout is provided to the client for approval. 99% of the time, a press check or a pre production sample is required. They sign off on it.