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How to ensure text layers are in CMYK on a PDF that's sRGB?


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Hiya Damien, I'm creating some brochures to have printed for my portrait business and the guidelines from the printer say the PDF MUST be in sRGB, but the text must by CMYK. I'm over here going "say what??". Can you shed any light on how to set the colour profile of a text layer separately from that of the image it's on? Thanks!!

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Sure! :) Although it looks like I have to recreate it. Unless you've got a fix for a PDF with pages that have been created to the exact size specified (5.5x8.5") that somehow are being read as being 6.9x9.9" by the printers' website? I've recropped each page to be certain of the dimensions (though I was anyway), and it's still insisting the sizes are wrong. So I have to redo it using their template - if only I'd known they had that to begin with. :(
How do I share a PDF? It's not on the list of accepted file types, below?

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The reason they say that stuff about text is to prevent problems with black text.  But as far as I can tell from a quick skim, you don't have any black text anyway, so I think you'll be fine.  Stick with your sRGB work.

Please be sure to read this if you haven't already - it's vitally important.

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Ok, thanks D. So I actually create the PDF from the PSD file, not JPEGs like I have been doing?! Thanks, you just saved me a bucketload of money dropped on ugly, pixelated brochures!!!


And no, no black text, only gold, white and teal. :) 

You rock, as always. :)

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Hey D, further to this, can you help with this please? I recreated the PDF, this time using the site's own Photoshop template for each page. I kept each file layered as per your instructions and created the PDF with all of those PSDs. Photoshop tells me the size of each document is 5.5"x8.5" in size.

Yet once again, just like with the previous version which I created using their specified pixel dimensions, when I upload the PDF to their website, I get an error telling me each page is 6.9"x9.9" in size?!? I contacted their support about this same problem four freaking days ago and have heard zilch, so even though I've contacted them again today, I'm not expecting any help there. I'm getting desperate, I need this order in last week or I'll never have them in time. 

Can you think of any reason this is happening?

 

ETA: I'll attach the JPEG version (which I DIDN'T use for the pdf, lol) of one page, perhaps you can check what size it shows up as at your end?

Beauty Brochure front.jpg

Edited by TaraL
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I'm so sorry, I'm really flummoxed by this.

The only thing I can imagine is that it has something to do with how you made the blank document, right back at the beginning.

Can you test it for me?  Make a new blank file at exactly the dimensions you require (at 300ppi, I figure).  Scribble on it with the brush tool, or something, then save it as a pdf, then open that pdf in Reader and see what the size is.

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Okay, I did that, and the pdf in reader was still the same size it was in Photoshop - 5.5x8.5".

I'm thinking it has to be in the conversion process somewhere? There are different options when you save as a PDF file. I'm choosing High Quality (for print), because print, but there are also options for the version of Acrobat you want to save it as (leaving that as it is, Acrobat 5), the Standard (don't know what that means so just leaving it alone - set to 0), different levels/types of compression and so on and so forth. I'm leaving everything alone other than to choose the files and setting it to High Quality for Print, but could there be an option somewhere in there that needs to be adjusted that's causing the size increase? Seems like there must be?

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Okay, I tested it again, this time combining two test PSDs the right size into one pdf, and sure enough, the pdf is now 6.9x9.9. So somewhere in the combining of two or more files it's going screwy??

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2 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

No, that doesn't seem so likely to me.

Can you explain this part?

The template is just a white page the right size, with the bleed and trim sections highlighted. You add your images and text layers, staying within the safe zone, then delete the layer with the bleed/trim area before saving as a PSD with whatever name you want. Rinse and repeat for each page. 

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47 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Now explain this part :)

Oh, sorry, I didn't see this. I just created two test PSDs (same as before, 5.5x8.5", 300dpi, scribbled something on them, but saved as a PSD rather than pdfs), then combined them into a PDF by selecting File > automate > PDF presentation. Selected to "add open files", chose "multi-page document", and hit OK. 

2 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Ok, so is the true print size going to be 5x8"?

5.25x8.25

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1 minute ago, TaraL said:

Will doing that preserve the integrity of the text the same way using PSDs will?

Well, you'll have to check.  Open the resulting multi-page PDF file in Adobe Reader, and zoom waaaaay in.  The images should go pixely, but the text should remain smooth.

2 minutes ago, TaraL said:

Can I save a layered file as a PDF?

Yes, but it's slightly flaky, so make sure you save the PSD master files first.  Don't rely on PDF files if you need to go back and adjust your layers.

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