Microsoft KB Archive/218666

= PUB2000: Transparent Bitmaps in EPS Graphics Don't Separate Correctly =

Article ID: 218666

Article Last Modified on 6/29/1999

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Publisher 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q218666



SYMPTOMS
If you import an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphic into a publication in Microsoft Publisher 2000, and then print the publication as color separations, that EPS graphic may not separate correctly.

This occurs if the EPS graphic contains raster-based (bitmap, or paint-type) picture information, and if that raster-based information contains transparent regions.

The most common graphic of this type is an EPS graphic created by Adobe Photoshop and saved with a clipping path.

When you print a page that contains this type of graphic as color separations, the raster-based picture information prints only on the black plate. The image is knocked out on all other plates.

NOTE: These graphics print correctly if you print your publication as composite.



WORKAROUND
Some Raster Image Processing (RIP) software packages can create color separations from RGB composite PostScript files. If you will be printing to a image setter that uses one of these, you can print your file as composite (in other words, not color separations), and use the RIP software to provide the color separation.

Alternatively, you can open your EPS file in a program such as Adobe Photoshop and remove the clipping path and save the file as a TIFF graphic. You can then use the Publisher 2000 irregular cropping feature to give this TIFF file an irregular boundary.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
An EPS file can contain data in both vector-based (object-oriented) and raster-based (bitmap-type) data types. For example, in Adobe Photoshop (a painting/photo-editing type program) you can take a rectangular image and add an irregular mask to it. This type of mask is called a clipping path. When you import this EPS graphic into another program, all parts of the rectangular image that fall outside the clipping path are ignored and do not print.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Additional query words: prepress kbprepress PUB2K PUB2000 PUB 2000 PUB9 9.0

Keywords: kbbug kbnofix kbprepress kbsep kbspot KB218666

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