If you have deleted the RGB header and/or if the separation program you are using deletes the RGB then you need to make another. And all of the separation channels must be set to Spot Color. When making a Channel Separation in Photoshop you must keep the RGB “header”in the file.
Here are the basic rules to follow before saving the file as a PDF in Photoshop In Photoshop you can simply save the file as a PDF (portable document format) and Open (not Place) the file in AI or Open the file in Corel Draw. The good news is there is an easy way of opening and printing Photoshop separation files in Illustrator if you have CS5 or newer or Corel Draw X5 or newer. Printing a PDF File in Illustrator CS5+ or Corel X5+ We will cover DCS 2.0 at the end of this page. You would simply “save as” an image in Photoshop as DCS 2.0 and then Place the image in Illustrator or Import the image in Corel Draw and the separations are there as spot colors ready to print.ĭCS 2.0 can be a little quirky and with the release of Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 version – Adobe is starting to drop support for this format and with the newer versions of both programs it is much easier to print a PDF file. It was developed by Quark (page layout program) as a way to bring color separated files into it to print. Since the 90’s the common way to print separations made in Photoshop to Illustrator or Corel Draw was using the DCS 2.0 EPS format (desktop color separations). If you want to print halftones from Photoshop and don’t have a RIP then you can convert each channel to halftones – keeping in mind that your printer needs to print very dark and usually on the highest photo quality setting (very slow!). T-Seps has as Convert to Halftone Dots routine built in! And a channel that is a Spot Color can be printed out of Illustrator or Corel (RGB does not print but you MUST keep the RGB header in the file).Ī true RIP converts any gray levels to halftones and tells a “dumb” inkjet printer to lay down a heavier deposit of ink. In Photoshop – any channel that is a Spot Color will print. The file starts off as an RGB file and then each color is “pulled” and/or created and made into what is called a Spot Color Alpha Channel. The following image is what a Channel Separation looks like in Photoshop.
Also, printers often make templates with registration marks, gray scales and other details that they “place” the separated image in before printing. And, if you want to add additional vector elements to a channel separation you can do so once you bring the file into your favorite vector program – as long as the elements you are adding are one of the Pantone colors used in your image. A lot of printers want to print from a program they are comfortable with.
If you know about the history/background and reasons to do this….you can jump ahead to just the section about how to print from your favorite vector program. People print from Photoshop all day long. It is shocking to hear people tell us “Adobe said I needed to print from Illustrator.” Oh well. Note: If you don’t have a RIP but want to print from Photoshop you can cheat a little and the Convert to Halftone Dots button in T-Seps! More in following article.įor some reason a lot of people are told “you can’t print for Photoshop.” That is one of the biggest lies ever told and perpetuated by Adobe. T-Seps creates “channel” color separations in Adobe Photoshop. Channel separations can easily be printed out of Adobe Photoshop but they need to print to a RIP (raster image processor) like T-RIP in order to get halftone dots. Printing Photoshop Channel Separations in AI or Corel Draw