An anonymous reader writes: I made the switch to Linux several years ago and, for me, it's great. However, when it comes to creating printed materials for clients, I still outsource to a local artist who uses Photoshop or Illustrator. This has been fine but now I need to create some CMYK eps or pdf files that are suitable for real-world printing. The files will not be printed in house. Instead, they are sent out to some print company who will run the job and mail the finished product. Obviously I will get a physical proof before running a 10K piece order but I want to minimize changes later by using the tools correctly the first time around.
Searching the Net leads me to believe that doing anything in Scribus or GIMP for CMYK is going to be a challenge. Are there any professionals out there using only FOSS tools to create CMYK-ready eps/pdf files for offsite printing? If so, what advice can you offer to help me go about this the right way and minimize post-proof changes. My largest concerns are color shift, sharpness (high dpi?), and edge bleeds (is 1/8th inch enough?).
Thank you Slashdotters!
