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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    South Florida, USA
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    82

    Default How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    What is the best way to convert a color photo to black and white for commercial printing.
    I know I saw this topic in the forum, but could not find it. Thanks, Lew.

  2. #2

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Because some people have a different idea of what a B&W photo is, two solutions.

    You can set the saturation option box in Xara to -100 and it will be an RGB black.

    You can use an actual image editing application to turn the image into grayscale and it will only print using black ink.

    Take care, Mike

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
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    41,486

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    To add to what Mike just wrote. Even if you reduce the saturation to 0 (or -100). the image will still export as RGB because Xara does not support true Grayscale. So if your printer requires a grayscale image then you will need to change the mode to grayscale in a program such as Photoshop.

    A good printer however should be able to do this for you.

  4. #4

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Which is unfortunate, Gary.

    In the PDF export dialog, there is support for using Native as the color and, in other applications, one can use this setting to maintain images in their various color models. PagePlus can use this--and I do all the time.

    Take care, Mike

  5. #5

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Oh. And I wanted to add. If you have Acrobat installed, its conversion of a PDF to grayscale is pretty darn good.

    Mike

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Dunoon, Scotland
    Posts
    4,778

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Yes Mike as the years add up doing a jobbing graphics I have used Acro more & more. I still can't figure out how or why it cost so much, still it is a tool I use frequently.
    Design is thinking made visual.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    South Florida, USA
    Posts
    82

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Hi all, thanks for you comments. I wanted to create a 2 spot color job all in XPDX. But I guess I'll convert the image to grayscale in Photoshop, then import grayscale image into Xara, edit and add the second spot color. Thanks again for all your help!! Lew.

  8. #8

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Lew--you are not going to be able to color a grayscale photo with a spot color and have it output in a spot color in Xara. Well, unless someone knows of a way because I do not. I would be happy if I am wrong.

    Normally, most all spot color work I compose in PagePlus. Vector work is pretty much all done in Xara, but all components are taken into PP and composed there for output.

    However, when it comes to duotone images, it needs to be done in InDesign. Whether the PS output is PSD, EPS or PDF, ID will output the spot color whereas just about nothing else will.

    take care, Mike

  9. #9

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    I did forget to add that PagePlus can color an image with a single Pantone color and output it properly. This is rarely an optimal solution, though. Nearly always one needs to use black and the transfer function inherent in the PSD or EPS duotone output for a good color balance.

    Take care, Mike

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    South Florida, USA
    Posts
    82

    Default Re: How to convert color photo to black and white for commercial printing?

    Mike, you are correct, I cannot apply spot color to grayscale photo in xara and output it to spot color. I can color gray tiff files in Quark and InDesign and output to spot color. I've been using XDPX, lately, for about 50% of my commercial work. Trying to get one program that does everything is very hard to do. Xara does a great job for most things. Thanks for your comments. Later! Lew

 

 

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