In the realm of Print Magazine creation, outdated workflows can significantly hinder efficiency and quality. Based on expert insights, here are key recommendations to optimize your print magazine production process for today’s industry standards.
Firstly, trapping, a crucial aspect of print preparation, is most effectively managed within the Raster Image Processor (RIP) as part of a comprehensive process that encompasses color conversions and transparency blending. Trapping is intrinsically linked to the specific print process and technology being employed. Modern RIPs or Digital Front Ends (DFEs) for digital print devices are now adept at handling trapping automatically and appropriately, rendering manual or application-based trapping largely obsolete in contemporary workflows.
Secondly, imposition, which includes essential steps like booklet making, creating signatures, and step-and-repeat layouts, is rightfully the domain of your print service provider. RIPs often have built-in imposition capabilities. Designers should not undertake imposition themselves. Similarly, printer marks and cut marks should be supplied by the printer. Embedding these marks in your original PDF files can actually impede correct imposition at the printer’s end.
Thirdly, and critically, avoid generating PDFs for print magazines from InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop via PostScript distillation. This method is a relic of the past. PDFs created through PostScript distillation offer no demonstrable advantage over direct PDF export from InDesign or saving as PDF from Illustrator or Photoshop. For optimal results, utilize direct PDF creation and select PDF/X-4, ensuring no color conversions or transparency flattening are applied during this stage. Furthermore, resist the outdated and misguided advice from some printers to outline text. This is unnecessary and detrimental to modern print workflows.
Finally, concerning covers in print magazine production, it is currently advisable to manage covers as separate InDesign documents and PDF files from the main magazine content. This separation is particularly important if the cover and internal pages are intended for different CMYK color spaces. However, looking ahead, the upcoming PDF/X-6 standard promises to revolutionize this aspect. PDF/X-6 will introduce support for CMYK Output Intents at the page level, potentially leveraging master pages in InDesign. Coupled with production metadata, this advancement will enable single InDesign documents and PDF/X-6 files to accommodate diverse page types within a print magazine project. This will allow RIPs to intelligently select appropriate substrates or printing devices based on the embedded production metadata. The future of streamlined print magazine workflows is on the horizon.
– Adapted from insights by Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist.
