Software to screen images in PDF?

[Emgee]

Hello All

I was wondering if there is software available that given a PDF file will screen all images contained in the PDF to a custom screen and line frequency?

An old piece of software we used to use for imposition would take a PDF file, screen any contained greyscale images to our custom screen and then impose to our specifications. Unfortunately this software (Double-Up) has not been in development for quite some time but we're in need of something that does the same.

If the PDF only contained 1 or 2 images, it isn't a big deal to manually do the job. But we're getting jobs that have 20, 30, 40, or more images and it is not cost effective to do manually.

I've been looking around, but haven't come across anything that does it. Anything out there that I just haven't come across yet? Or some other way I might be able to do this?

If there is more information I can provide, please let me know.

Thanks,
Emgee

[Quetu]

With PuzzleFlow ( PuzzleFlow - Flujo de trabajo para Artes Gráficas ) and Module Screening ( QPDF - QualityPDF ) you can put several screens to a PDF

[toronar]

If you use Prinect with MetaDimension, there is an Acrobat plugin called Screening Selector which will tag images, text or vector art with different screenings and MetaDimension will rip it accordingly.

If your RIP supports this kind of information in a PDF, every other RIP should be able to do the same; Screening Selector just tags with MetaDimension's screens/raster information and will be unsuitable for other RIPs. Some PDF editing software can also tag various elements in a PDF with screening information, like Speedflow Edit. Others can only view/change it, but not create this tags "from scratch", like PitStop.

[Emgee]

Thank you for the suggestions. I'm looking into the two suggestions.

We use polyester plates and print them on our HP Laserjet 5000. Works really well for us and extremely cost effective. However, if the images in the PDF are not prescreened for then the LJ5000 uses its screen settings. It has two settings, Standard and Enhanced. Standard is too coarse (I believe it is a 60lpi) and the Enhanced is too fine (180lpi).

I've tried modifying the PPD file for the printer, but so far it seems to have no effect.

[Quetu]

Hi,

www.qpdf.es/downloads/Aceitunas.pdf

You can see an example of PDF screens with different images and line-art. Look in Enfocus PitStop Inspector -> Prepress -> Halftone

[rich apollo]

Don't know how applicable it would be for you, but Isis Imaging's Icefields is interesting - and low-cost.

ICEFIELDS

[gordo]

Don't know how applicable it would be for you, but Isis Imaging's Icefields is interesting - and low-cost.ICEFIELDS

I would be very cautious about IceFields (I was a beta test site for it in the 90s) It's a first order FM screen (lots of small dots that, as a result, are difficult to image consistently, require a high res plate, and super press control). It's grainy, suffers from tiling artifacts, etc.
But it's cheap.

best, gordo

my print blog here: Quality In Print

[rich apollo]

I yield to our esteemed colleague from BC.

[Quetu]

The above example (Aceitunas.pdf) after passing through the RIP:

http://qpdf.es/downloads/Etiqueta.pdf

[bharatk]

If you have a CTP - a Creo/Kodak or Screen, you could look at the DotShop from Kodak (on Prinergy) or Multi Screening from Screen (on TrueFlow).