Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Filing and Printing Operations

Starting a New Document

Each time you start EXPRESS, the program provides a blank work area for a new document. You can also start a new document during an EXPRESS session by using the New command or button. When you start a new document, the word “untitled” is displayed in the title bar. A document is untitled until you assign it a filename by saving it.

To start a new document:

• Choose New from the File menu or click on the New button on the Style Bar.

If the work area currently contains a document that has unsaved changes, a dialog box asks if you want to save the changes. After you choose the Yes or No button and (if necessary) type a filename, a blank work area appears.

Opening an Existing Document

Once you save a document on the disk, you can open it again to display, edit, or print it.

If EXPRESS is not running, double-click on a .GED filename in the Windows File Manager. EXPRESS will start and load the file. If the EXPRESS does not start, you can choose Associate from File Manager’s File menu and browse to find the executable file (alexpres.exe) that will start up whenever a file with a .GED extension is double-clicked upon.

Another way to start EXPRESS from the File Manager is to highlight a .GED file and then drag and drop it onto the filename alexpres.exe. Responding “Yes” to the confirmation box will open the highlighted file in EXPRESS.

If EXPRESS is already running: Choose Open from the File menu or click with the left mouse button on the Open button on the Style Bar. The Open Document dialog box lets you:

• Choose a filename to open a document file

• Choose a directory to display a list of its filenames and subdirectories

• Choose a drive to display a list of its filenames and directories

• Delete a file. (See Deleting a Document.)

To open an existing document:

1. Choose Open from the File menu or click on the Open button with the left mouse button.

If the Arts & Letters window currently contains a document that has not been saved in its current state, a dialog box prompts you to save the changes. Click on Yes or No.

The Open Document dialog box appears. The default filename designation (*.GED) is displayed in the filename field.

The list box shows all document files with the extension .GED in the current directory. Other directory names are shown in a box to the right; other disk drive names (A, B, etc.) are accessible through the Drives drop-down menu.

2. In the list box, highlight the name of the file you want to access, or type a name in the filename field.

When you highlight a name, it is displayed automatically in the filename field.

3. If the document was saved with a Thumbnail and/or Description, you will see a picture and/or description of the contents of the file to the right of the directory window. (The Show Thumbnail box must be checked.)

4. If there is a check mark in the “As new document” box, proceed to step 5. Otherwise, click on the “As new document” box so that a check mark appears in the box.

5. Click on Open.

If you open a document file, the Pointer changes to an Hourglass while EXPRESS loads the file. Then the document is displayed on the screen. The title bar contains the name of the open document.

If you select a directory, it becomes the current directory. The list box displays the names of the subdirectories and document files in the new current directory.

If you select a drive, the list box displays the names of the directories and document files on that drive.

Merging Documents

You can use the Open command to combine two or more EXPRESS documents into a single document. Compare this method to Merging Documents Via the Clipboard, which requires that you display each file to be merged in the drawing area.

To merge documents:

1. Open one of the documents you want to merge.

2. With the document opened, choose Open from the File menu or click with the left mouse button on the Open button on the Style Bar.

3. In the list box, highlight the name of the file you want to merge.

4. If there is a check mark in the As new document box, click on the box so that the check mark disappears.

5. Drag to Place, if checked, allows you to control the size and placement of the merging file.

6. Click on Open. If Drag to Place was not checked, the file will be placed at the position and size designated when it was saved. If Drag to Place was checked, the Pointer changes to an Hourglass while EXPRESS reads the file, then to the Add Object cursor. Click and drag to interactively size and place the file.

You might want to select all (by pressing Ctrl+A) of the objects on the current page, group them (Ctrl+G), and name them (Ctrl+H) in order to avoid confusing the current file’s objects with merged objects.

7. Repeat for each file you want to merge into the current document.

Changing the Open Filename List

When you click on the Open command or button, the Open Document dialog box lists only the filenames in the current directory that end with the default .GED extension.

To list all filenames with a specific extension (Example: filenames with the extension .TIF):

Enter an asterisk followed by the extension (Example: *.TIF) in the field labeled “Filename.”

To list all filenames with no extension:

Enter *.

To list all filenames (regardless of extension):

Enter *.*

After you enter the extension desired, click on Open. The new filename list appears in the list box. (The files are not necessarily all EXPRESS document files. You can still delete any files that you see listed.)

Saving a Document

Save a document on the disk when you want to keep it for future use. EXPRESS provides two commands for saving your documents: Save As and Save.

Use the Save As command or the Save button when you want to assign a filename to the document for the first time. When you have edited an existing file and want to save the edited version under a new filename, use the Save As command.

Use the Save (F9) command or the Save button when you have edited an existing file and want to save it under the same filename. The edited file replaces the original file on the disk.

A filename can have from one to eight characters. You can use any combination of letters and numbers (plus certain special characters, as listed in your MS-DOS user’s guide). EXPRESS automatically adds the extension .GED to the filename when it saves the file unless you specify a different extension (a period followed by up to three characters) or no extension (just a period).

It is recommended that you place a check mark in the “Show Thumbnail” box before saving. When you search through files marked in this way in a later session, it will not be necessary to open them to see their contents: a small picture of the file will display in the lower right whenever the file is highlighted. You can also enter a description of the file.

Save As

To save a file under a new filename:

1. Choose Save As from the File menu, or press F9, or click on the Save button with the left mouse button for an as yet unnamed file. The Save Document As dialog box appears.

If you are saving a new file, the filename field is blank. If you are saving an existing file, the filename is highlighted.

The name of the current directory is displayed below the filename.

2. To save the file in the current directory, type a new filename or edit the filename that appears in the filename field.

To save the file in a directory other than the current one, precede the filename with the directory name (e.g. FILES\NEWART) or click on a different directory in the Directories list.

To save the file to a drive other than the current one, precede the filename with the drive letter and a colon (e.g., B:FILES\NEWART) or click on a different drive in the Drives list.

3. To retain the last-saved version of the file as a backup copy, click on the Create Backup box so that a check mark appears in the box. The backup file will have an extension of .BAK.

4. Click on Save.

EXPRESS saves the file to the disk drive identified by the drive letter and colon preceding the directory name.

Save

To save an existing file under the same filename:

Choose Save from the File menu, or press F9, or click on the Save button with the left mouse button.

If you answer Yes to the confirmation box, EXPRESS saves the document on the disk, overwriting the existing file. If Create Backup is specified in the Save As dialog box, the last-saved version is renamed with an extension of .BAK.

Saving and Loading Defaults

When you install EXPRESS, it places two configuration files — STARTUP.DEF and CHARTS.DEF — in the Arts & Letters directory, and configures STARTUP.DEF as the default configuration file in ALLETTER.INI.

Each time you start EXPRESS, the information in the default configuration file is used to set the attributes, styles, viewing level, and other parameters in the document. During an EXPRESS session you can load and save configuration files as desired. Document configuration includes such items as:

• Viewing level

• Named styles

• Color palette

• Fill Style

• Line Style

• Output specifications

• Clipboard format

• Placement of dialog boxes (stay)

• Display of work area elements.

To save defaults:

1. Choose Defaults from the File menu. Click on Save As. The Save Defaults As dialog box appears.

2. Under Save File as Type, you will see Defaults Files. In the Filename window in the upper left, enter a name for the default file. You should use the .DEF extension so that the file will be automatically displayed when you use the Open Defaults dialog box.

3. Click on Save. The default file is saved.

When you save a default file, any graphic objects in the document will NOT be saved. Default files store configuration information only.

To open a default file:

When you open a default file, any graphics objects in the current document and their styles will be preserved. Only the configuration of the document, as described above, will change.

1. Choose Defaults, then Open, from the File menu. The Open Defaults dialog box appears.

2. Under List Files of Type, you will see Defaults Files. In the Filename window in the upper left, enter a name for the default file, or just click on a file from the directory.

3. Click on Open. The document styles in the default file are assigned to the current document on the screen.

Deleting a Document

You can delete documents you no longer need by using EXPRESS’ File Management Delete function.

To delete a document from the disk:

1. Choose Open from the File menu or click on the Open button on the Style Bar.

2. Select the file you want to delete by clicking on its name in the list of files. The file’s name will appear, highlighted, in the box above the list.

3. In the lower left-hand corner of the Open Document dialog box is a box labeled File Management with a button labeled Delete File.

4. Click on the button labeled Delete File.

You will be prompted once with the message “Delete File [Name].GED?” If you click on OK, the file will be deleted.

Printing Operations

You can print all or part of a document using the Print command from the File menu or the Print button on the Style Bar.

EXPRESS displays page borders on the screen based upon the specified printer, paper size, page orientation (portrait or landscape), page margins, and layout mode settings. EXPRESS also displays a grid and rulers, if so designated. These items are for reference only; they will not print. (If desired, you can use the Options command from the View menu to turn the page borders, grid, and/or rulers off.)

Changing Printer and Print Options

When Windows was installed on your system, one or more printing devices were specified. You can print your documents on any device that your Windows setup prints to. If you need to print on a different device, you can add it by using the Windows Control Panel. See your Microsoft Windows User’s Guide for information on using the Control Panel to add and delete printers and configure your system.

Print options vary from printer to printer, but usually include items such as paper size, page orientation (portrait or landscape), and graphics resolution. Other options may be included, depending on the printer.

When you print a document, EXPRESS uses the target printer and print options specified in the Printer Setup dialog box. Use the Printer Setup command to view and change the options as necessary.

Before you print, check that the device and connection information in the Printer Setup dialog box is correct. Change the default print options if necessary to allow for a different paper size, page orientation, etc.

During printing, you can cancel the print task at any time by clicking on Cancel in the print status box.

To change the target printer and print options:

1. Choose Print Setup from the File menu.

The Print Setup dialog box appears. It lists the available printers with the current target printer highlighted.

2. To change the target printer, click on the arrow under Specific Printer and highlight one in the list.

3. Click on Setup.

The Setup dialog box appears, listing the print options. The content of the dialog box depends on the target printer specified. For example, a printer may offer a choice of paper size and graphics resolution, while a plotter may offer a choice of pen colors.

4. If necessary, change the print option settings.

5. Click on OK to exit each dialog box.

Changing the Page Size and Orientation

You can change the page size and orientation (tall or wide) using the Page Setup dialog box under the Page Setup command. The number of pages in a document may vary, depending on the paper size, margins, orientation, and document precision setting.

The page boundaries displayed in the document indicate the image area available (the page size minus the margins). You can stretch objects across the boundaries; these objects will print on separate pages which you can overlap to create a large poster.

Changing the Margins

Most printers do not print all the way to the edge of the paper, but leave a small margin on all four sides. The pages represented on the screen do not show the margins, only the area that is actually printed.

The default margins are set according to which Target Printer you specify. You can change the size of the top, bottom, left, and right margins using the Page Setup command.

If you enter an invalid margin value, an error message will be displayed. The margins cannot be smaller than the minimum value allowed by the printer specified.

To change the margins:

1. Choose Page Setup from the File menu.

2. Type new values as desired for the left, right, top, and bottom margins.

3. By selecting Get Printer Minimums, you will create the largest printable area allowed by the chosen printer at the chosen page size.

4. Click on OK.

EXPRESS adjusts the page borders to reflect the settings.

Changing the Page Size

Page borders break a document into several pages. The number of pages displayed will vary depending on the paper size, margins, orientation, and document precision setting. EXPRESS allows you to produce a document up to 177" x 177" in size.

Large documents are necessary when producing signs or large drawings on roll-fed drafting plotters. To produce them, you may need to reduce the document precision setting to accommodate larger paper sizes. If the page size specified is too large, a message will be displayed “Page size too large. Reduce document precision Resolution?” Click on OK and EXPRESS will reduce the document precision setting to accommodate the page size specified. If the page size specified is still too large at the lowest setting (180), a message will be displayed “Selected page size too large.” Avoid this message by selecting Get Printer Minimums. In this way you will create the largest printable area allowed by the chosen printer at the chosen page size.

To change the page size:

1. Choose Page Setup from the File menu.

2. Click on Document Precision.

3. Select the desired document precision.

The document precision is specified in logical coordinates per inch, and can be selected as follows.

• 2880 — provides an 11.4-inch square document. This is recommended if you are creating extremely fine-detailed artwork.

• 1440 — provides a 22.7-inch square document. This is the default and is recommended for most of your work.

• 720 — provides a 45.5-inch square document. This is required for a D-size page.

• 360 — provides a 91-inch square document. This is required for an E-size page. (Note that an E-size page with a .5 inch margin will be 91 inches on its longest side.)

• 180 — provides a 177-inch square document.

Printing Documents

The Print command in the File menu and the Print button on the Style Bar let you specify what to print: the current page, all pages, or selected objects.

If you have placed an “X” in the “Use Print Manager” box under Printers in the Windows Control Panel, EXPRESS will start the Windows Print Manager when you start the print. When the Print Manager is started, its icon appears in the icon area. Pages are spooled individually to the Print Manager. When one complete page is spooled, printing starts.

As spooling continues, you can proceed to another task or application while the Print Manager finishes printing your document.

To print part or all of your document:

1. Choose Print from the File menu or click on the Print button on the Style Bar.

The Print dialog box appears:

2. If you want to print more than one copy, type the number of copies desired in the Copies field. If the current printer does not support multiple copies, the copies field will be grayed out.

3. Choose the option button that describes what portion of the document you want to print (the current page, all pages, a range of pages, or selected objects).

4. To print directly to the device specified, click on OK. (To print to a file, see the section Printing to a File.

The Print Status box is displayed:

The “Printing” line shows which page is being spooled; the “Copy” option shows which copy is being spooled; the “Band” option shows which band (page area) is being spooled. (PostScript printers will use “band 1” for the entire page.)

To stop spooling at any time, click on Cancel. (The Print Manager will continue to print any pages that are already completely spooled.)

When all pages to be printed are spooled, the print status box disappears.

Interrupting or Canceling a Print Job

While the Print Manager is printing your document, you can interrupt printing and resume later. You can also cancel a print job in progress. Both tasks use commands in the Print Manager program.

To interrupt and resume printing a document:

1. Use the Windows Program Manager to switch to the group that contains the Print Manager (normally the Main group).

2. Start the Print Manager. Notice that the print job name is highlighted.

3. Click on Pause to stop printing temporarily.

4. When you are ready to continue printing, click on Resume in the Print Manager window.

To cancel printing a document:

1. Use the Program Manager to switch to the group that contains the Print Manager (normally the Main group).

2. Start the Print Manager. Notice that the print job name is highlighted.

3. Click on Delete. A dialog box appears.

4. Click on OK. Printing of the document stops.

Note: If your document has not finished printing, you may need to reset the printer to ensure correct printing of your next print job.

Printing to a File

You may wish to save printable files of documents called “print files.”

Print files have these advantages:

• You Don’t Need a Printer. When you print to a file, you don’t need to have a printer connected to your computer. You must have the printer’s drivers installed, however. Once that is done you can select any of these printers and choose any option available for it.

You can create printable files of your documents for printers you don’t own or have access to, and send the file to someone who does have access to the printer. A group of EXPRESS users can share one printer, creating print files and using the sole printer only when needed.

• Portable Files Anyone Can Print. A Print file can be printed from DOS using the DOS COPY command. You can give a copy of the file to anyone with a PC and the target printer — they don’t need Windows, EXPRESS, or any of the collections.

You can create the document and print it as a DOS file, specifying, for example, 200 copies. Your production department can then run off 200 copies of the document on a PC attached to the target printer.

You should ensure that the fonts used in your job have matching hardware fonts (*.PFB) on the target printer. Arts & Letters fonts do not need them.

• Saves Time on Reprints. A complicated page of graphics can take up to 30 minutes or more to print on a laser printer. While creating a print file from the same document will also take 30 minutes, once it has been created it takes less than 5 minutes to print out.

• Format Preferred by Service Bureaus. If you intend to send your work to a PostScript imagesetter, the easiest technique is to create a Print file and send it to the service bureau. If you are using a font management program, such as Adobe Type Manager or TrueType, the fonts other than Arts & Letters fonts that you used will be downloaded into the print file. The service bureau will not be able to change your print file if changes are needed. Since the information required for creating the file can be quite detailed, call them beforehand. They can send you a form with detailed instructions.

To print to a file:

1. Start EXPRESS. Open the document you want to print.

2. Choose Print from the File menu or click on the Print button on the Style Bar. Type in the number of copies, select the desired range, and click on Print to File.

3. The Print Setup menu appears. Verify that the specifications (page size, orientation, resolution, scaling, negative image, mirror, etc.) are correct. Click on OK.

4. Enter a filename of up to 8 characters for the file and click on Print.

5. The print status box displays the bands being printed.

6. If you have placed an “X” in the “Use Print Manager” box under Printers in the Windows Control Panel, the Print Manager writes the print file to the current directory. Check the Print Manager to verify that the print is done.

7. Inspect the date and size of the file to verify that the file was correctly printed to the disk. To do so, use the File Manager to select the print file and under its View menu, choose the All File Details.

To print the print file:

1. At the DOS prompt level, change to the drive and directory containing the print file.

2. Make sure the printer is powered on and attached to the appropriate port on the PC.

3. For parallel printers (such as a HP LaserJet or a PostScript printer), type

COPY/B filename LPT1 and press Enter where “filename” is the name of the print file and “LPT1” is the printer port.

For serial printers (such as the Apple LaserWriter), type COPY filename COM1 and press Enter “filename” is the name of the print file and “COM1” is the printer port.

If the file does not print, the printer may be connected to a different port (LPT2, COM2, etc.). Check the connection and try the command again with the correct port.

Printing Banners

Banners are very long signs.

EXPRESS has a collection of banners that you can print or use to make your own.

To make an EXPRESS banner:

1. Pull down the File menu and choose Open or click on the Open button on the Style Bar. The Open dialog box appears.

2. Click on the Banners subdirectory.

Note: When you are through printing banners, pull down the File menu and choose Page Setup. Click on Document Precision and then on 1440 (recommended). Click on OK to reset EXPRESS to the normal page layout.

3. Click on the Open button. The list box displays the names of all EXPRESS banners.

4. Click on a banner name, and then click on Open. The banner appears in the Drawing Area.

Note: The “Banner” file is a blank banner you can use to make a new banner.

To print a banner:

1. Pull down the File menu and choose Print Setup. A dialog box appears.

2. Under Specific Printer, point on the name of the printer you will use to print the banner. Click the left mouse button to select that printer.

3. Choose Landscape orientation.

4. Choose the Paper Size that matches the paper in your printer (normally Letter 8� x 11 inches).

5. Click on the Options button and select the appropriate options for your banner.

6. Click on the OK button in all of the dialog boxes.

7. Pull down the File menu and choose Print or click on the Print button on the Style Bar. A dialog box appears.

8. Click on the All Pages button, then click on the Print button. The banner prints on your printer.

If the page size is too small for your banner, lower the Document Precision and try again.

Printing Color Separations

EXPRESS can automatically create both spot and process color separations for offset printing.

This manual offers brief descriptions of spot color and process color. For more information consult your printer or check with your library, bookstore, or art supply store for publications on the subject.

Spot Color vs. Process Color

Spot Color separates an image into its individual colors. For example, if you have an illustration of a flower that is green, yellow, and red, the spot color command will create three black & white prints: one representing just the green parts, one representing just the yellow parts, and one representing just the red parts. A printer combines these images using green, yellow, and red ink to create a color print.

Spot color is normally used when you have only a few colors in an image.

Process (CMYK) Color separates an image into percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. (Almost every color can be created by mixing different percentages of these four colors.) When you use the process color command to separate an image, you will get four black & white prints: one representing each of the process colors. A printer then combines these images using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink to create a color print.

Process color is normally used when you have many colors in an image.

Screen Frequency and Angle

When you print separations, you must specify a frequency and a screen angle, either by entering values or by using the program defaults.

Frequency affects the quality of the printed image. A low frequency like 65 lpi (lines per inch) creates a coarse image, while a high frequency like 133 lpi creates a much finer image. If you do not have a high-resolution printer, a file printed at a high screen frequency may print muddy screens and halftones.

Some common line screens used in the printing industry are 55, 65, 85, 100, 120, 133, and 150.

Screen angle affects the appearance of the printed image. Typical settings are 45 degrees for the darkest color and 0 degrees for the lightest. Intermediate colors should be set 30 degrees from the darkest color, at 15 and 75 degrees.

Occasionally you might encounter interference patterns in a printed image. These patterns (called moir� patterns) are caused by screen angles that don’t work well together. If you get moir� patterns, try shifting the screen angles by up to 5 degrees each, or adjust the undercolor removal settings.

The optimal values for screen frequency and angle depend upon the screening program used by the imagesetter that the file is printed to. Your printer or service bureau can provide you with these values for the particular imagesetter and the particular resolution that you want for your image.

Output Devices for Separations

The separation files created by EXPRESS are PostScript files. Therefore, you must print the separations to a PostScript printer.

PostScript laser printers can be used to print draft copies of separations, but for final output of high-resolution, four-color artwork you need a PostScript imagesetter that supports the resolution requested in your EXPRESS document. Many cities have service bureaus that provide imagesetter printing.

There are several ways that separations can be printed. Check with the person who will be doing the offset printing to see if he wants paper or film separations, positive or negative, emulsion down or up.

Printing Spot Color

To print spot color separations:

1. Choose Print from the File Menu or click on the Print button on the Style Bar. The Printer dialog box appears. Make certain the current printer is PostScript compatible.

2. In the Separations section of the box, click on Spot, then on Options. The Spot Color Separations dialog box appears.

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3. The colors in the current palette are listed in a selection box. Click on each of the colors to select them. To deselect a color, click again on its highlighted name. A separation will be printed for each highlighted color.

(Since you can select only named colors, you should be sure to always name any new color you mix in the Color Mixing dialog box.)

4. Choose the printing options desired by clicking on the appropriate check box. A check mark in the box means the option is on.

Emulsion down prints the separations emulsion side down on film. See your printer for the method he prefers.

Negative image prints a reversed separation; for example, where the page is black and the words and images on it are white.

5. Specify the screen angle desired.

Type the angle desired in the Screen Angle field. Your printer can give you the exact values for the imagesetter he owns, but 45 degrees is the default.

6. Specify the frequency desired.

Type the lines per inch desired in the Frequency field. Your printer can give you the exact values for the imagesetter he owns, but 150 gives a very high-quality screen. Leaving the field blank selects the printer default.

7. Choose to have references printed by clicking on the appropriate check box. A check mark in the box means the option is on.

Marks prints registration/crop marks on each separation. They show the printer’s paper cutter where to trim the final page size.

Labels prints the color and screen of each separation below the image. They identify each separation for the printer’s cameraman.

Marks and labels are printed in the margin area between the edge of your image and the edge of the page. If there is no margin area available, you cannot print marks or labels.

8. Click on OK.

9. In the Print dialog box, click on OK to print the separation(s) to a printer, or on Print to File to print the separation(s) to a file. If you choose to print to a file, enter a file name in the dialog box that appears and click on OK.

If negative image is specified here, do not specify negative image in the advanced Options of the Windows Print Setup dialog box.

If your file does not print as expected, first check for conflicting information between the EXPRESS print options and the Windows print options.

Printing Process Color

To print process color separations:

1. Choose Print from the File menu or click on the Print button. The Print dialog box appears. Make certain the current printer is PostScript compatible.

2. Click on Process (4-color), then on Options. The Four Color Separations dialog box appears.

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3. The four process colors are listed at the left of the box. If a check mark is in the box next to the color, the separation for that color will be printed; if no check mark is in the box, the separation for that color will not be printed. Click on a box to add or remove a check mark.

4. Specify the screen angles desired.

Default angles appear in the Screen Angles field. To specify different angles, type in the angle desired in each field. Your printer can give you the exact values for the imagesetter he owns, but 45 degrees is the default.

5. Specify the frequency desired.

Type the lines per inch desired in the Frequency field. Your printer can give you the exact values for the imagesetter he owns, but 150 gives a very high-quality screen. Leaving the field blank selects the printer default.

6. Choose the printing options desired by clicking on the appropriate check box. A check mark in the box means the option is on.

Emulsion down prints the separations emulsion side down for film. See your printer for the preferred method.

Negative image prints a reversed separation, for example where the page is black and the words and images on it are white.

7. Choose to have references printed by clicking on the appropriate check box. A check mark in the box means the option is on.

Marks prints registration/crop marks on each separation. They show the printer’s paper cutter where to trim the final page size.

Labels prints the color and screen of each separation below the image. They identify each separation for the printer’s cameraman.

Marks and labels are printed in the margin area between the edge of your image and the edge of the page. If there is no margin area available, you cannot print marks or labels.

8. Click on OK.

If negative image is specified here, do not specify negative image in the advanced Options of the Windows Print Setup dialog box.

If your file does not print as expected, first check for conflicting information between the EXPRESS print options and the Windows print options.

Undercolor Removal

Undercolor removal (UCR) is a method of adjusting the Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow percentages of a bitmap image in relation to Black, for process color separations. It affects only bitmaps. For replacement of Black for C, M, and Y in other images, see the section entitled “Color and Brightness/Contrast Filters” that follows.

A bitmap imported into EXPRESS is in RGB (red, green, blue) format with no pure black. When the bitmap is separated into CMYK for 4-color printing, there will be no true black, and the K (black) separation will be blank. Black in the bitmap will be represented, instead, by equal percentages of cyan, magenta, and yellow. This mixture of three colors to represent black can appear muddy.

From a design standpoint, undercolor removal can correct and enhance certain images without the need to re-scan. Undercolor removal can prevent shadows in an image which could cause the image to print “muddy.”

From a printing standpoint, undercolor removal can help control the amount of ink in an image to prevent overprinting and smearing and to reduce ink costs.

Undercolor removal replaces equal percentages of cyan, magenta, and yellow with an equal percentage of black. EXPRESS includes several controls that let you adjust how this replacement occurs. The default UCR settings in EXPRESS are the result of much experimentation and will produce satisfactory results for the majority of images.

The Theory of Undercolor Removal

Theoretically, Black can be created by mixing equal percentages of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. It follows, then, that you can replace equal percentages of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow with Black.

For example, why use 50% Cyan, 50% Magenta, and 50% Yellow to make Black when you can just use 50% Black?

To take it a step further, why use 70% Cyan, 80% Magenta, and 90% Yellow to make a color when you can use 0% Cyan, 10% Magenta, 20% Yellow, and 70% Black? In the first instance, you are using 70% + 80% + 90% = 240%. In the second instance, you are using 0% + 10% + 20% + 70% = 100%.

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By reducing the amount of ink, you can help avoid sticking and smearing on the press. The Specifications for Web Offset Printing (SWOP) recommends a maximum ink percentage of 280% (four solid colors = 400%).

The Practicalities of Undercolor Removal

Although undercolor removal was created as a method of saving ink, it became apparent that the appearance of images could be affected by substituting more or less black for cyan, magenta, and yellow. As a result, undercolor removal has become both a printing and a design tool.

As a printing tool, undercolor removal does not work exactly as described by the theory. Inks are not perfect: cyan, magenta, and yellow mix into a muddy brown instead of black. To adjust for this, EXPRESS’ default values add a little more black than is removed from C, M, and Y.

And because presses are not perfect, it is a good idea to leave a minimum of 30 of C, M, and Y to compensate for slight misregistrations.

As a design tool, undercolor removal can enhance the look of an image. For example, blacks can be made warm or cool by adjusting the amount of C, M, and Y that is left in place. Making other adjustments can alter an image to more closely resemble the original, and can eliminate Moir� patterns. These adjustments need to be made on an image-by-image basis; in many cases, an image prints perfectly without undercolor removal.

Specifying Undercolor Removal

To specify UCR values:

1. In the Separations section of the Print dialog box, specify Process (4-Color), then click on Options. In the Four Color Separations dialog box click on UCR... The Undercolor Removal dialog box appears.

2. Choose a Starting Density value. EXPRESS does not remove any color below the starting density.

For example, if the Starting Density is set to 30%, EXPRESS ignores the first 30% of C, M, and Y, and looks for a common percentage of those colors above that point.

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3. Choose a Gray Removal value. The Gray Removal value tells EXPRESS how much of the common C, M, and Y percentages to remove.

To continue with the previous example, if the Gray Removal value is 50%, EXPRESS finds the common percentage of C, M, and Y above the Starting Density value, and then removes 50% of that amount.

4. Choose a Black Generation value. This value tells EXPRESS how much Black to add, based on the Gray Removal value.

To continue with the previous example, if the Black Generation value is 115%, EXPRESS puts 115% of the Gray Removal Value into Black.

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5. Choose Gray Balance values. The Gray Balance values let you make minute color adjustments by individually specifying the amount removed from C, M, and Y.

To continue with the previous example, if the Cyan Gray Balance was 80%, EXPRESS would determine the Gray Removal amount, and then take 80% of that amount out of Cyan.

Adjust the Gray Balance if the image contains a noticeable cyan, magenta, or yellow tint in the gray areas.

6. Click on OK.

Color and Brightness/Contrast Filters

This function of EXPRESS allows you to change the color characteristics of any or all colors in the document by manipulating their relative color characteristics, i.e., brighter, darker, greener, no chroma, etc.

Access this function by clicking the Color style button and giving a sustained click on Custom. (An alternate access is described below.) Drag the pointer down the list to Color Filters. In the resulting box you will see “Artistic’’ and “Technical’’ in the upper left.

The “Artistic” color editing method uses a collection of operations which have much more intuitive results. Mix Paint changes color in the same way an artist would by mixing paints on his/her palette — by adding pigments rather than light components. There are various conversion operations which have an intuitive appeal. Shading and saturation of colors can be achieved by using this approach, as well as grayscale brightness/contrast.

The “Technical” color editing method provides a method for directly editing the components of a particular color.

This approach is considered more advanced and less intuitive than “Artistic.’’ The color is broken down into its constituent components in the desired color model (CMYK, RGB, Hues). The user may add to or subtract from (Brightness) a particular component, map the full range of component values to a smaller or larger range (Contrast), or directly substitute for a component value (Replace). Additionally, if the user is working in the CMYK model, CMY can be replaced with K and vice versa to optimize printed output. Each of these operations works in “parallel” with the others. That is, it is possible to use all three operations with a single Apply.

Color brightness/contrast values are not reset when the scrollbars for a different operation are displayed, nor are they reset after the Apply button is pressed. In other words, applied effects are cumulative, so you might want to save your original work before experimenting with the Color Filters.

To use Color Filters:

1. Select the objects that you want to adjust.

2. Choose Color from the Styles menu. A submenu appears. Choose Color Filters. The Color Filters dialog box appears.

The various colors of the selected objects appear in the preview box.

Clicking with the Content menu button within the Preview box displays the Color Filters data window which shows the original and preview color components in the appropriate model as well as their respective names.

To apply the Color Filters only to the beginning fill, end fill, or line, select one of the desired style boxes.

3. Choose from the operation list to apply the desired effect.

Each operation has its own type of controls that affect the colors differently.

4. Adjust the specific controls for each operation as desired.

As you adjust the specific controls the new color will appear on the right-hand side of the preview box, next to the original color.

To reset the settings of the dialog box, select the Reset Colors button. To reset the color of an object modified by Color Filters after pressing Apply, select Undo from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Z.

5. Click the Apply button to apply the Color Filters changes to the selected objects.

Note: The check boxes beside individual colors indicate whether the operation will apply to that color. The All Colors button at the bottom can also select entire list box entries.

Arts & Letters Express User Guide