CMYK Tiff 2 PDF for Gimp
Sunday, 26. October 2008, 13:25:34
To complete my workflow using Seperate+ that generates CMYK Tiff images inside of Gimp i wrote a small Python plugin for Gimp that allows you to convert the saved CMYK Tiff image into a PDF for prepress.
The way it work is very easy, just follow these steps:* Make sure you have installed the package "libtiff-tools" (or tiffcp and tif2pdf)
* Create your CMYK Tiff images with Seperate+ from RGB images (Ubuntu Ibex shiped with it, install package "gimp-plugin-registry")
* Start CMYK Tiff 2 PDF "<Image Window> > Image > Seperate > CMYK Tiff 2 PDF"
* Browse to your saved CMYK Tiff images (up to two)
* Setup the options you prefer
* In the same directory of your CMYK Tiff image a PDF using the given names is generated
This plugin allows you generate prepress PDF documents of your Inkscape illustrations too:
* Create your illustration in Inkscape
* Export it as PNG using 300dpi resolution and the required output size
* Open this PNG image into Gimp
* Use Seperate+ as desctibed here
* Use CMYK Tiff 2 PDF to convert it to a PDF document
The only limitation for prepress is that you have to add markers, overlapping, color scala etc. yourself. Any feedback is welcome.
» Download and copy it to
/home/#YourProfileName/.gimp-2.6/plug-insMake sure the file is marked as executable.
(62%)
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 1. November 2008, 03:26
Thank you so much. I will definitely try this one.
Anonymous # 1. November 2008, 05:35
It works well. In my case, I changed the file permission first. It's really a great plug-in along with Separate+. Would this mean that GIMP will be ready for serious pre-press? Thanks again.
area42 # 1. November 2008, 13:20
Thanx for the reply. Yes "CMYK Tiff 2 PDF" and "Seperate+" are a good team for prepress
Anonymous # 2. November 2008, 20:08
I'd really love to have some control over the black generation. The separate plugin is great, but it still doesn't solve the cases when there is black text or grey areas. If the separate plugin would become something like the Photoshop's "custom profile" dialog it would be perfect and I centainly wouldn't touch Adobe software anymore. I woulnd't mind not having native CMYK separation if the separate plugin had that feature.
That, or real CMYK and CMYK export in inkscape :-)
I read some documentation about argyll some days ago, and I found that it already has some tools for black generation and GCR/UCR.
I wonder if they can't be used for that purpose (I can only wonder, since I'm not a coder).
area42 # 2. November 2008, 20:29
"when there is black text or grey areas" isn't it a question about the color profile you choose for the output?
At the moment i didn't get a complete Gimp 2.6.x version (including libgimp2.0-dev and gimp-dbg) to compile a fresh Seperate+ 0.5.3 that may solve that issues.
Anonymous # 2. November 2008, 21:02
Hi,
(I was the previous "anonymous")
Yes, it's true. That is something that belongs to the color profile chosen for the separation, but generic profiles like Euroscale, Swop or ECI are more oriented to photos, and although they perform a very good separation for that purpose, it's generally not good enough for design, where you need more precise control over black generation, overprint and trapping.
Separate+ is almost there. With some extra controls will be a great solution for designers.
That or a good graphic utility for creating custom profiles.Do you know some tool that already allows that?
area42 # 2. November 2008, 21:16
http://www.littlecms.com/about.htm
A lot of color profiles can be found here too:
http://linux.vilars.com/
Anonymous # 3. November 2008, 00:37
As far as I know it's the same that happens with Argyll. The tools are there, the back-end is ready, but there isn't a graphical front-end for creating a custom profile. You have to do it using command line, and it's not a trivial task.
Separate+ uses LCMS for the separations.
Thank you for the other link! I didn't know that blog and there's a lot of interesting information. Straight to my RSS reader :)
Anonymous # 14. November 2008, 18:16
Placed the file into plug-ins directory, changed extgension to ".exe" but still no "Image > Seperate > CMYK Tiff 2 PDF" in Gimp. Any Suggestions? Runnig WinVista (Unfortunately)
area42 # 14. November 2008, 20:18
Anonymous # 29. November 2008, 20:47
Is the function of markers, overlapping, color scala, not just what makes a prepress program a prepress program. Will I get in to trouble when I use import these tiffs in indesign or inkscape or scribus. And then make a pdf file for CYMK printing (press)??
Anonymous # 19. February 2009, 20:45
I installed everything (properly, I think... noob) and I saved the file using the Separate+ plugin but when I attempt to convert it to PDF no file is generated. If I ask the software to delete the tiff file it will but no pdf is created in its place. Where did I go wrong? I am using gimp 2.6.
Thanks!
Anonymous # 19. February 2009, 22:13
Disregard, I had installed libtiff-tools wrong.
Anonymous # 13. March 2009, 22:59
Hi,
could you please add a license (like GPLv3 or later) to your script, so I can add it to the `gimp-plugin-registry' package in Debian?
Thanks and best regards,
Bernd
area42 # 14. March 2009, 14:35
yes i can but i have to find a bug too.
Anonymous # 15. March 2009, 11:11
A missing copyright information and license is a bug, too ;)
In theory nobody is allowed to use your script at the moment...
Anonymous # 20. March 2009, 13:08
Hello,
I just found your plugin and will definetly try it. You wrote that I will have to "add markers, overlapping, color scala etc." myself. As I am fairly new to editing images for prepress, could you perhaps tell me how to do so?
Thanks in advance,
Johannes Maibaum.
area42 # 21. March 2009, 20:42
A New version is available:
http://my.opera.com/area42/blog/cmyk-tiff-2-pdf-for-gimp-update
Download the script again.
Anonymous # 4. May 2009, 02:55
Gracias por tu aporte lo estoy probando para un proyecto universitario de diseño grafico en Ecuador.
Thanks for your gift, i use it for university's project in Ecuador in graphic design with free software.
Robert.
Anonymous # 21. July 2009, 14:51
Hello, it works nice although I haven't tried to print my work out yet. Thank you.
Anonymous # 26. July 2009, 00:49
good
Anonymous # 7. August 2009, 09:05
Where do I have to install this python script on Linux???
It does not appear in GIMP.
I installed it to:
~/.gimp-2.6/plugins
and
~/.gimp-2.6/scripts
and I don't see it in GIMP.
Separate+ works well. I installed it a year ago.
area42 # 8. August 2009, 15:14
Have you read the article?
Download and copy it to
/home/#YourProfileName/.gimp-2.6/plug-ins
Make sure the file is marked as executable.
Anonymous # 28. October 2009, 09:54
Thanks,
I was thinking about it. Problem resolved months ago. :)
Anonymous # 29. October 2009, 11:08
I am using Gentoo. I just successfully created my first TIFF PDF with seperate+ and CMYK Tiff 2 PDF great tool. I myselve would not have needed it, because my part is screendesign, but I was asked by a friend using WINDOWS XP.
Is ist already possible to Install CMYK Tiff 2 PDF on Windows?
area42 # 31. October 2009, 18:42