Grayscale Images Compose as CMYK or RGB

It seems that FP Desktop composes our variable grayscale JPEG and TIFF images as full color images (CMYK or RGB). This is costing us additional in per-click charges on our digital color printers. Is there a way to force FP Desktop to compose these grayscale images as pure grayscale?

 

Please help. Thanks.

 

-Dave Miller

If the piece is just one-color(1/1 or 1/0, not 4/1), you should be able to have the RIP output at a One-Color Black. It will print the piece in grayscale.

 

If you have any Prep software(hot folder) you could have the .pdfs be monitored and Ripped to your specifications(impose, color output, etc..)

 

I just took a .tiff file out of .ps that is pure grayscale. Put it just into FusionPro, composed a .pdf and it showed only 1-color in the Output Preview.

 

How are the images being created? Do you have a sample of the images that you can post, the fusionpro file, and the output file?

The job is 4/1 so the per-click charge is irrelevant in this case. We are able to post process for 1-color black output.

 

Still, the grayscale JPEG is composing strangle. Acrobat's Output Preview shows the image as CMYK, yet PitStop's Inspector indicates it is 8-bits, 1-channel.

 

Click Here for the template files. They will be available for a few days. Record 4 will output the map. There are missing elements in the static layer. This is intentional.

 

Thanks.

Edited November 10, 2010 by David Miller
Unable to attach file. Security Token issue. Added URL to download instead.

Could it be the Composition Settings for Graphics? On Screen preview AND Full resolution?

Could it be the Composition Settings for Graphics? On Screen preview AND Full resolution?

 

 

I was going to check your ouput on that and did notice that it was set on the screen preview instead of full. Have you tried Full resolution? Un-check COMPRESS OUTPUT as well. see if that does anything.

Can you reprocess with the Full Resolution to about 20 records(different or same image is fine), no compression?

 

I want to see if FP is limiting its output when a low record count is outputted.

David,

 

I just ran a test here on my machine and see the same thing that you are experiencing.

 

I outputted out as a .ps file and distilled using DISTILLER. This fixed the issue.

 

Do you have any other output capabilities to test? .vdx, .vipp, .vps, etc...?

 

FusionPro is converting the file somehow in it's .pdf settings output.

Thanks for checking. Still getting the same result with different settings. I'll try some of the other output formats and post-process in the meantime. Thanks again.

 

-Dave

All variable graphics were grayscale and composed with a Base Color Space of ICC Profile and Alternate Color Space of Gray.

 

After removing the Color Profile (ICC Profile) in these graphics the images composed with a Base Color Space of Gray.

 

This solved our issue. Thanks.

We have also run into this.

Grey scale tifs & jpgs; that have Dot Gain 20%; will compose as 4 color black.

Clients are uploading these images. We can't control what is uploaded and when they upload a B&W image, they are expecting that in the output. The overall output is 4 color but the logos (which can have fine lines and or type), need to be printed in black only. Is there any way to fix this issue? either in the software or through the application of a rule in the specific graphic frame?

I have run into this problem now as well. My client is also uploading hundreds of Tiffs. They are produced as CMYK through Fusion Pro for some reason. Is there a way to fix this?