CMYK + Spot conundrum

Here’s a fun one.

We create separations for a particular client for packaging printing. In order to allow a bit of wiggle room on press, the file contains two magenta channels…one process magenta for the image element, and one spot channel magenta for the logo. Now, the files can print in different locations, but one location in particular is having trouble matching our proofs (very long convoluted story that I can’t go into without counseling). So, this particular printer will be performing a “press calibration” at the end of the month and we will be able to generate a press profile.

Here’s where it gets ugly, when we start the job cycle, we often don’t know the final printing location, and even if we did, jobs sometimes print at another facility at a later time, so we need to use a standard profile to create the separations up front. I’m looking into having the file converted from our StandardProfile to their CustomPressProfile, and then proofing towards their conditions, but the issue is that second spot magenta. I can convert it to process prior to the CMYK-CMYK conversion/proofing, and get them an accurate proof, but then we supply 1 bit tiffs to the printer and we have to keep that second magenta channel as a spot for the pressrun. So, I can’t just convert the second spot magenta to process, perform a CMYK to CMYK and get good separations for them.

As I see it I have three options:

1) Convert the second magenta to process, perform the CMYK->CMYK conversion, then edit the image to pull the magenta spot back out again.

2) Separate to their press conditions from the get go. Does not address legacy work, does not address issues if the file prints at another facility

3) Separate to for standard press conditions (that haven’t been too successful in the past) and continue to point fingers.

I don’t anticipate the calibration/profiling pressrun to get any closer to any standard printing condition then they have in the past, the best I can hope for is a relatively stable pressrun. Does anyone have any advice on how to address the above issue in a more streamlined way?

Michael Eddington

North American Color, Inc.