How to import AD Graphics without conversion of cmyk values?

[elk]

When I import a designer Logo with 100k text into a publisher doc it is converted to mixed cmyk.

1. How can I avoid this or how to keep graphics original cmyk values?

2. And is there a documentation of color management in affinity anywhere covering print production?

Thanks for any help!

[walt.farrell]

Can you give more details for what you mean by "import a logo"?

For example, you could mean File > Place (and if so, what kind of file please, and is it linked or embedded), or you could be using copy/paste or drag/drop, or some method I haven't thought of.

[CLC]

Hi @elk, try to browse @James Ritson's Affinity Colour Management article.
It might help.

[lacerto]

In short:

1) This happens if the source document is in grayscale mode and the Publisher document is CMYK, or vice versa, or if both are CMYK, but have conflicting color profiles, and the document is exported into CMYK mode (PDF/X or PDF (Press Ready) presets).

2) It can also be illusory, if the export PDF is created by embedding the ICC color profile (= default e.g. when exporting with "Press ready" preset), and viewing the document with e.g. Adobe Acrobat Pro with the wrong simulation color profile. 

[elk]

Thanks all you, guys 🙂

@walt.farrell Yes, placed a cmyk logo from native .afdes with 3 colors: 1. 100k, 2. 15k and 3. 70y|100m in linked mode. Different color profiles btw. afdes & afpub. No pixels, only vectors. Original is .ai but I controlled every element.

@CLC Thanks for the link. I will have a deep look into it.

@Lagarto Thank you, too.

I have a simple solution now with no hassle: I just exported the logo from .afdes as uncompressed EPS.  This is imported without any conversion.

[lacerto]

12 hours ago, elk said:

I have a simple solution now with no hassle: I just exported the logo from .afdes as uncompressed EPS.  This is imported without any conversion.

This happens because when a placed source CMYK file does not have a color profile (as an EPS file would not), it will be assigned the current document CMYK color profile, so whatever CMYK values it has will get passed through. If it is a CMYK file that can have a color profile embedded (like .AI or .afdesign), it either needs to have a matching CMYK profile with the hosting document where it is placed, or no CMYK color profile at all (in which case the document CMYK color profile will be assigned). (This is different from e.g. InDesign, which by default discards CMYK profiles of placed files and just passes through their CMYK values.)

[walt.farrell]

7 hours ago, Lagarto said:

This happens because when a placed source CMYK file does not have a color profile (as an EPS file would not), it will be assigned the current document CMYK color profile, so whatever CMYK values it has will get passed through. If it is a CMYK file that can have a color profile embedded (like .AI or .afdesign), it either needs to have a matching CMYK profile with the hosting document where it is placed, or no CMYK color profile at all (in which case the document CMYK color profile will be assigned). (This is different from e.g. InDesign, which by default discards CMYK profiles of placed files and just passes through their CMYK values.)

So perhaps the answer is that the .afdesign document with the logo, and the document it is being placed into, have different CMYK color profiles. 

@elk: Can you check that for us?

[lacerto]

15 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

So perhaps the answer is that the .afdesign document with the logo, and the document it is being placed into, have different CMYK color profiles. 

@elk: Can you check that for us?

I guess this was already done:

16 hours ago, elk said:

Different color profiles btw. afdes & afpub.

"Different", in meaning RGB and Gray/CMYK, would not be a problem, but different, in meaning Gray and CMYK, or two different CMYKs, would.

...and the problem was fixed when placing an EPS (that does not have a color profile).