Graphic In File Causing Color to Print Incorrectly?

[Signs91723]

We are printing window graphics and everything has gone smoothly except for one. The blue background comes out much darker. This blue has been printing perfectly in all other panels. The color mode of the file is correct and we've used the same exact swatches. I've tried saving it in .eps and older .pdf versions. We haven't changed anything in the RIP software and its being printed on the same printer. I have never come across this before so it's really stumping us.

This window has a vector graphic of a doctor in it. We tried to remove the doctor to see if the background (which is Pantone) would print correctly and it did! I have no idea how this doctor graphic layer in the file can cause the color to print incorrectly. If someone can help we'd definitely appreciate it.

 

[Solventinkjet]

It's a rendering intent conflict. You need to go into your RIP and change the rendering intents for bitmap and vector to be the same. Anytime you have raster data layered with vector and the rendering intents are not the same, it will do this. A quick and dirty way to fix the problem is to simply rasterize the entire image but that could also give you trouble matching with the other panels.

 

[Signs91723]

It's a rendering intent conflict. You need to go into your RIP and change the rendering intents for bitmap and vector to be the same. Anytime you have raster data layered with vector and the rendering intents are not the same, it will do this. A quick and dirty way to fix the problem is to simply rasterize the entire image but that could also give you trouble matching with the other panels.

Currently the file contains all vector and no raster images. Would this still be the problem? Unfortunately, we can't change the color as we've printed everything else and it we are referencing a Pantone color.

 

[Zoogee World]

Currently the file contains all vector and no raster images. Would this still be the problem? Unfortunately, we can't change the color as we've printed everything else and it we are referencing a Pantone color.

Are you certain the entire doctor is vector and that there isn't a clipping mask or something like that?

 

[Signs91723]

Are you certain the entire doctor is vector and that there isn't a clipping mask or something like that?

A few small elements are compound paths but other than that everything shows as a path. I turned on outline view to make check that nothing else was hidden. It's just so odd.

 

[mim]

Could it be that there are two blue layers? I've run into that before, whoever makes the file accidentally duplicates a layer and if it's a spot color it prints twice and is darker.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Currently the file contains all vector and no raster images. Would this still be the problem? Unfortunately, we can't change the color as we've printed everything else and it we are referencing a Pantone color.

I assumed the doctor was a bitmap for some reason. It still could be an issue if you have any effects on that vector object like drop shadow or outer glow.

 

[Signs91723]

Could it be that there are two blue layers? I've run into that before, whoever makes the file accidentally duplicates a layer and if it's a spot color it prints twice and is darker.

That would make sense but just checked and there is only one layer.

 

[signheremd]

Two tips on things that worked for us:
1. rasterize the doctor
2. ungroup the doctor

Don't try both, just one at a time. There is an issue going on in the RIP that is causing this. Most likely the desired color is a screen percentage of a color and the screen drops out. Sometimes grouping together causes the calculations to merge components and you get this. Last idea would be to send it in another format - though you do risk a color shift. eps and pdf are typical and pdf seems to hold color settings better.

Hope that helps.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Post a picture if you can.

 

[myront]

Any of the colors set to "Overprint"?

 

[Signs91723]

Any of the colors set to "Overprint"?

Nope, nothing is set to overprint