Comments on: The DCS file format

By: ld

ld — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:34:52 +0000

Those who slate the DCS files are largely uneducated in the pre-press world, it is a specialist file for specialists. If you are using digital, you dont even need to enter the world of desktop colour seps so dont comment on them.
If you need spot colour separations from a raster image they are perfect and work seamlessly with dtp and rip software. if you are trying to apply trapping to a raster image using the rip, you’re an idiot. Get some lessons from someone that knows what they’re doing cos you don’t.
You can however apply trapping to vector images or postscript co-ordinate data but then you dont need a dcs as a standard eps file with be fine to carry the spot colours.
I use DCS files all the time for CMYK + spot colour channels from photoshop to produce nice metallic/flourescent parts of images using high quality litho press plates or sometimes just 2 colour photoshop files if I just want 2 col seps i.e. reflex blue and 877 silver, thus achieving a far better print quality solid than will EVER be achieved using a digital machine. Digital and cmyk are restrictive, good for basic stuff but thats it. I can see why this is pissing off the hexachrome printers!!
I do however agree that if you’ve been given a dcs file with spot colour channels and you’re un-educated on dcd and trying to output a simple cmyk composite it will be a complete ‘PITA’ for you and will spoil your day as it will blow your mind. Here’s a tip simply open up the image in photoshop, go to the channels palette, click on ‘merge spot channel’, the image becomes cmyk.
Now thats my rant over, what a waste of time. Dont slate something thats serves a purpose.

#designer#pre-press-operator#cromalinproofer#litho-operator#screen-operator#large-format#agfa-tiger-press-operator#global-print-manager!

Good luck

By: CTP

CTP — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:14:24 +0000

New Version Photoshop CS5 how to convert old version photoshop 3 “DCS EPS FILES”

By: PrepressLady

PrepressLady — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:51:01 +0000

vinsanityq is so clueless. I can see in the DCS that I received that the color separations are great, HOWEVER I can not use them to create flexo plates to produce labels for the client. I totally agree that these people I got the file from have serious trust issues. They wanted to send us a locked file but we couldn’t run trapping on it an refused it. So they send us this DCS EPS which is equally as useless for production. We digitally image plates now! I can’t see how this file type is useful outside the screen printing industry.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:48:40 +0000

Would you like a ticket to the 21st Century? Because DCS is sooooooooo 20th century… there are FAR better methods for separations than the antiquated DCS format.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:47:19 +0000

DCS files are nothing but a PITA. It is more than irritating when I ask for a vector image of a client’s logo and get one of these outdated, useless files. DCS files are NOT vector images!!!!

By: dimitri

dimitri — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:40:32 +0000

I really meant “creating an illustration with 3 spot colors in Photoshop, then output separation plates”.

By: Iain Horn

Iain Horn — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:29:25 +0000

surely you could spool a pdf from Photoshop and then print separations or plates?

By: dimitri

dimitri — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:58:49 +0000

@Dono1,

Then how do you output an image with 3 spot colors (channels) from photoshop for print?

I personnaly cannot imagine what a client would (could) do with a DCS file and in that way I agree with you, but design professionals do have such needs, as stated above by many.

By: iain horn

iain horn — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:54:28 +0000

did you try saving the file as a composite dcs?

By: Dono1

Dono1 — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:50:24 +0000

The problem, today, which makes DCS files still used is that lots of professionals are using programs which are NO MORE meant to be used the way they did before.

If you’re still using DCS files, it means that either your output software are outdated or/and cheap or/and you don’t know how to work with the latest methods (faster and more simple).

While they can still be used, the DCS files are not used in the printing field since, now, 12 years. Because people still can use them, they tend to continue because it’s more simple for them instead of learning the new ways. What they don’t gets is that they actually pay a lot more (or their customers do) because, once it’s in the hands of the printing company, they will simple convert the DCS to a more recent postscript pattern and will charge the cost of the change to the one who will pay the bill.

Another reason why DCS are NOT to be used is because the file might ends up in the wrong hands : A customer who don’t know anything about it.

For people who think “Why shouldn’t I use it if I’m comfortable with it and not with new more productive methods?”, I’ll answer “Do you know that bridges are not made for jumping from it, but people still do it every day? It’s the same with using old unproductive methods like the methods that make use of the DCS files. Since people can use them, they keep the method and put a load of crap on the desk of the one who will need to clean it.”