Adobe PHOTOSHOP 5.0 User Manual page 335

Using clipping paths
When printing a Photoshop image or placing it in
another application, you may want only part of the
image to appear. For example, you may want to
print or show a foreground object and exclude its
rectangular background. A clipping path lets you
isolate the foreground object and make everything
outside the object transparent when the image is
printed or placed in another application. Use the
following methods to export and print files
containing clipping paths:
Image imported into Illustrator without clipping path,
and with clipping path
To save a path as a clipping path:
Draw and save a path or convert an existing
1
selection into a path. See Chapter 7, Selecting,
for information on creating selections and paths.
Choose Clipping Path from the Paths
2
palette menu.
For Path, choose the path you want to save.
3
For good results with most images, leave the
4
flatness value blank to print the image using the
printer's default value. If you experience printing
errors, enter a new flatness value.
Values can range from 0.2 to 100. In general, a
flatness setting from 8 to 10 is recommended for
high-resolution printing (1200 dpi to 2400 dpi),
a setting from 1 to 3 for low-resolution printing
(300 dpi to 600 dpi).
The PostScript interpreter creates curved
segments by linking a series of straight line
segments. The flatness setting for a clipping path
determines how closely the straight line segments
approximate the curve. The lower the flatness
value, the greater is the number of straight lines
used to draw the curve and the more accurate
the curve.
Flatness: 0.5 and 30
5 Click OK.
If you plan to print the file using process colors,
convert the file to CMYK mode. (See "Converting
to CMYK" on page 97.)
6 Save the file:
To print the file using a PostScript printer, save
•
in Photoshop EPS or DCS format as described in
"Saving files in Photoshop EPS or DCS format" on
page 315, and export to a page-layout application.
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