PDF File Issue

[GLP]

Have been managing Offset Press Dept for years but was recently given the Digital Press Dept. to manage and I've got alot of learning to do. Have been doing quite a bit of reading. One thing that came up is this. We have a customer that wants brochure's printed in 27different languages. The files come from various different people. These files all have the same "exact" color graphics in them, its just the language thats different. We just "proofed" our first language (which happened to be English)and it was approved. However when we received our first live order that was in Spanish the "color graphics" in the customer file did not match what we "proofed". In my laymans terms the color recipies are different. We had to have our programming dept. spend many hours fixing this issue. When I asked them why they could not use the file from the "approved proof run" and just swap out the languague I got alot of smoke & mirrors. I know I'm new to this but something just doesn't smell right. To me it would be like using the the same screen negatives and just overprinting the various languages. Or am I all wet and have a hell of alot to learn.

[Marko]

Could be "smoke and mirrors" or it could be how the files are built. I'd spend a lot more time learning about digital files and what they are comprised of.

Not all PDF's are created equal and the issue could be how the files where flattened, or the design itself. If you don't believe what you are being told-then prove them wrong else-there probably is a reason its not that simple.

[hansman]

What may appear as smoke & mirrors to you is someone telling you what the reasoning is behind not being able to just double burn the other languages in.
Depending on how the job is built there could be hours or minutes to make it correct.
The correct way would be to build the entire job in In Design using master pages for the color or common elements & then using different layers for each language.
IMHO you need to do some file prep (in the trenches) most of which can only be touched on in reading.

[mattbeals]

not necessarily smoke and mirrors. But I'd be skeptical. There's a lot that can be done to create versioned PDF's or one PDF with multiple layers where each additional layer is a language. With pdfToolbox we can select specific objects (based on selection rules) and make layers. Or add one PDF to another as a separate layer. From there many different things can be done.

[oxburger]

Are the graphics supposed to be in the exact same place/page in all of the documents so that you're dealing with a "black only" plate change? If so, one thing to keep in mind is that some languages are more complex than English and copy may run longer than the English version. For example, we print both English and Spanish versions of materials for a large burger chain and a lot of the time copy runs longer in the Spanish version then in the English version. Where this is a problem is when a graphic has to be put on a page where the copy references the graphic. What I mean to say is that suppose on page 12 of an English document there is copy that says "see figure 10" on the page and the graphic is on that page. When the Spanish version comes in the language is more complex and the "see figure 10" may have been bumped to page 14 just because the text is longer because it is Spanish, so naturally, the graphic now has to be on page 14 instead of 12 and that throws the "black only" plate change right out the window.

[buckeye]

The files come from various different people.

I think that says enough right there. Did the English version come from a different person than the Spanish version? What type of file did you receive?

[Gil-719]

I have to agree with buckeye... never good to have too many hands in the pot. I have come across a problem similar to this my first year in. Hansman is correct on the proper way to build the file.. but many "designers" do really know what they are doing. Anyway, you will have some work to do..that's for sure.

[Lukas Engqvist]

It is possible to handle versions correctly, and rationally but it does require some coordination. As implied there is a lot of involuntary colour management. Say foe example you have people from North America and Europe they will have different colour settings by default on their computers, you will often find that colour coversions happens and the scary part is no one knew or intended to change colours along the way.