Convert to CMYK or Export PDF?

I am putting together a big catalog project. In previous projects I converted all images to cmyk before ripping the pdf for final press print. Since the pdf export can convert to cmyk can I leave everything as is (RGB) and do the convert on export or can this cause prepress issues?



rob
Convert to CMYK or Export PDF?
If color management is setup and synchronised, you can place RGB graphics while also exporting to a cmyk PDF.



Mike Witherell in Maryland
Convert to CMYK or Export PDF?
There shouldn't be any prepress issues, but there are potential quality considerations.



Converting to CMYK first allows you to tweak the color and do the sharpening after conversion. Doing the conversion during export means you have to sharpen first and accept the default color. In many cases this is not a big deal, but some folks, like me, are real control freaks. :)



The big downside to doing the conversion first is you are stuck with a single output destination. Leaving things as RGB allows you to convert to to a variety of press conditions on the fly from the same file.



Peter

acne cream