Export project with 2 spot colors to pdf with crop marks on both spot color plates

[Artworx]

I often create jobs with 2 spot colors and tints of one or both of the spot colors. I export to pdf setting the "pdf version compatibility" to Adobe Reader 8 (pdf 1.7) and the color model to "native". The exported pdf always has 2 spot colors and tints of the spot colors just as entended. My problem is, I cannot get crop marks to print on both spot plates. If for example, I create a job with a blue and orange spot colors, I get crop marks of only one of the colors. The blue plate may contain crop marks, but the orange plate has no crop marks at all. I have tired putting overlapping color crop marks (blue and orange) and overprinting and printing on all plates, but nothing works. I usually add .5 inch bleed and place my crops marks in the bleed area to get them to print on both plates. Does anyone know how to make the crops print on both spot color plates?? Thanks, Lew.

[mwenz]

If you are manually adding crop marks, make sure they are "registration" color, which should simple be 100% CMYK. Otherwise just adjust your page size to the size that you need and use the PDF export option and include the bleed and marks wanted.

[mwenz]

OK. I am wrong. Seems there is no "registration" color in Xara like in other applications.

Of course, I never do seps in Xara. To me that's the purview of the printing company. I see no way of exporting to PDF and creating seps anyway. So how does one do that short of setting it up in the print options and printing to a PDF driver such as Acrobat's driver.

I have done a composite, native color, and simply include the crop marks in the PDF. The P-tone colors are there, as well as the needed marks in the Export to PDF though.

[gwpriester]

I'm not sure if this will work or not. But you can create your crop marks, then right click and select Imagesetting > Print on all Plates.

If this works as one would think it would, then you only need one set of crops.

[mwenz]

Thanks, Gary, that does work for printing to Acrobat.

Export to PDF and being able to do the seps perhaps would be a good option for those doing packaging, etc., where manual crops and fold stuff is on a page larger than the art.

Again, unless this is possible and I am so thick I cannot find it...

Mike

[Artworx]

Thanks for all of your help and comments. Gary and Mwenz, non of your suggestions worked for me. However, I was able to slove the problem. I made one set crops and colored them in one of the spot colors. Cloned the first set and colored the newly cloned set in the second spoet spot color. I set the crops on the top to overprint the line and the fill. Then exported the pdf as i stated in my original post and there were crops printed on both spot color plates. Thanks again for all your help, Lew.

[mwenz]

Sure, it works just fine.

I wouldn't use the spots on the seps.

If'n ya want, I'll upload a file.

[Artworx]

Sure, it works just fine.

I wouldn't use the spots on the seps.

If'n ya want, I'll upload a file.

Yes, please upload a file, thanks! Not sure what you mean "you wouldn't use the spots on the seps"? The jobs I refer to are jobs that are commercially printed. And the printer needs to create printing plates, one for each spot color. The printer creates his printing plates by processing the pdf file that I create and send to him. The result must be one plate for each of the spot colors. And he must see crop marks on each of the plates so that he can register the job while it is being printed. Thanks again for your interest and help!

In any event, I learned how to create, in XDP9, the pdf files that will separate colors with crops and give the printer what he needs to get the desired results when printing the job. See you soon!

[mwenz]

Yes, please upload a file, thanks! Not sure what you mean "you wouldn't use the spots on the seps"? The jobs I refer to are jobs that are commercially printed. And the printer needs to create printing plates, one for each spot color. The printer creates his printing plates by processing the pdf file that I create and send to him. The result must be one plate for each of the spot colors. And he must see crop marks on each of the plates so that he can register the job while it is being printed. Thanks again for your interest and help!

In any event, I learned how to create, in XDP9, the pdf files that will separate colors with crops and give the printer what he needs to get the desired results when printing the job. See you soon!

The printer should be able to take a properly prepared composite PDF and separate it. Other than for screen printers, I haven't sent a pre-separated file to a printer in 20 years or more.

But should you need to, as Gary pointed out, you can add one set of reg and or crop marks, right-click on them and opt to print on all plates.

I have included two PDFs along with the XAR file. One PDF is a composite PDF that only includes the spot colors and the reg marks. This separates properly in any modern work-flow. One PDF has been printed to Acrobat's PDF driver to created pre-separated pages. This too would work, but there are caveats. One doesn't really have the same easy control over choke/spread in a pre-separated PDF than the composite PDF.

Mike

[gwpriester]

Mike - Looking at your file in Acrobat (v10.17) > Output Preview, I see your crops for CMYK but as soon as I remove the CMYK colors the crops are gone even though the spot colors are selected.

And I experimented with using Print on All Plates with a color photo and 2 spot colors. Same deal, the single crops set to Print on All Plates does not appear on the spot colors.

I have logged this as a bug. All printer's marks should appear on all plates.