MS Word Files Workflow

[mglouis]

Configuring the printer driver to (convert gray text to postscript gray = yes) should do the trick if printing from a pc. If your rip accepts device link profiles, and you want an automated method, you could have a franken-profile made by a company such as Chromix to convert specific color recipes to map to the black plate. You'd need to study which recipes are common in either your input or output, depending if you choose to use a DLP for rgb2cmyk or cmyk2cmyk. Another option maybe for you is to convert to cmyk with extreme amounts of gcr to minimize but not eliminate the problem.If the doc simply needs to be gray, you can put a curve on the K to make the screened text a solid and omit the CMY plates (gcr helps here too). All the above product suggestions are great suggestions. We print 4cp text all the time and our press operators pay close attention to register and typically results are very good, with exception being fine type and some KOs. Not all text needs to be corrected.

[mattbeals]

the problem with the drive solution is that it converts blacks to device gray which if I recall correctly cannot overprint device N or CMYK. Using something like pdfToolbox makes the process easy for everyone to follow.

[CGUK]

I'll second Callas' software too. I was originally confused as to why it was needed as it seemed very much the same as the built-in options in the Pre-Flight/Fixup in Acrobat Pro but after using it once or twice I realised the whole point of it was the Colour Conversion is amazing and really keeps the colour of the original file.

[Shawn]

For those who mentioned missing font problems, Word can show you when it substitutes fonts. Go to tools, options and click on the compatibility tab. Now click on the font substitution button. If Word is substituting any fonts they will be listed here.

This won't work with any Word Art graphics or anything imported from another part of Office, but it can be really helpful for finding the main fonts used by a client.

The compatibility tab will also show you which version of Word your client is working in. The "Recommended Options for:" section will list the version of Word the file was created in. I've found that we have fewer problems when we match the version of Word with what the client was using. Finally you should make sure to uncheck the "use printer metrics to lay out document" option is unchecked here. It will minimize rewrap on the file as you're working on it.

More and more I've been working with clients to try and avoid getting Word files altogether. Instead we try to get them to send us a PDF instead of or along with the Word file. That way we avoid the type reflow issues that Word usually causes.

If they don't have Acrobat or the built in PDF export filter I help them to install CutePDF. <http://www.cutepdf.com/> It's doesn't produce PDFs that are as clean as Adobe, but it's free and very easy to use--and we're talking about Word here so clean PDF is a relative term. Then we either use Pitstop or the built in color conversion in Acrobat to convert RGB and make sure the blacks don't go to 4c in the PDF.

Hope this helps
Shawn

[Jim-CompuDoc]

Harlequin Rip's v5.5 and newer can deal with the black automagically. Create a suitable page setup with CMYK separations. Go into the color setup / no color management, and select the appropriate black generation (medium generally) and check the "100% black text" box.

PRINT the job to your Rip out of Word.

[mattbeals]

With all these suggested color options you're still dealing with only part of the problem. Substituted fonts is a real problem that can be dealt with in Word or in the driver. For most of what we're talking about it still comes down to the fact that Windows GDI still sends everything out in RGB. To do the best job of converting the colors into a usable CMYK (not just "a cmyk") you need an intelligent way of handling it. If you set up the Harlequin RIP to fix RGB blacks you still have the problem of getting a good CMYK separation. Using a device link profile may be beyond some peoples tool set. Undoubtedly they work well for many application.

[destryer]

We had a fool-proof workflow that didn't require much intervention. If you're printing B&W install a postscript printer, print-to-file, change your print settings in Windows to B&W, optimize for portability in postscript settings. Any logos, artwork, signatures you can right click on them and select color, grayscale or B&W(bitmap: BAD) to convert them preprinting. Associate .prn files to Distiller in Windows so double clicking them distills them for acrobat. Away you go!

[destryer]

Finding missing fonts in Word >Tools>Options>Compatibility>Font Substitution shows you whether it has all the fonts.
We actually had more problems with Excel it really makes some bad PDFs with clipping boxes around type clipping some characters off. Working in a printing plant that did 90% financial reports we mostly Word, Excel with imprinting on preprinted letterheads

[David Ingram]

One other thing i wanted to mention since you all are talking printing direct now... The old publisher would send CMYK seps ALL at the same angle, You can force your RIP (harlequin?? OR OTHER) to make the standard 45, 15, 75, 90, or 105. Without forcing this, Publisher (negs/ matchprints) would ALWAYS result with the wrong screening.
make sure if you can see the logs, that your screen angles are correct if separating from any MS product directly. Publisher DOES have a nice Pagination feature for printing 2 up printer's spreads, at least.

[Grnofslt]

I sure wish that I could talk my company into getting pitstop. They are on a spending freeze except to service the customer (materials to manufacture their folders) but software isn't seen as being material important enough and in their sight it doesn't service the customer. Oh well, I guess that's why they pay them the big bucks