Help on Seps please...

[msaputo]

Alright, I am doing some seps in illustrator right now. I created the seps through the Adobe pdf printer/ppd which exported it to a multi page pdf. I then exported each color to a seperate EPS file.

So when it does the seps, it leaves all the data from the original file on the document, only the specified color for that particular sep is black, the rest is filled with white. Basically what I want to do is cut the fat of each color file. I want the black as it looks on screen, but in vector paths with nothing else so I can create another document to layer my colors on and trap it. I can't find a way to do this without manually deleleting and using pathfinder and such, which will take WAY too long and be WAY too frustrating. I'd be better off trapping by hand on the outputs. I'm trying to make this as clear as I can....it's kind of confusing probably I know. Here are some pics to illustrate....the first is the preview mode with the black I want as it looks, the second is outline view as file really looks. If there was some kind of thing in illustrator that did "convert screen view to vector" would be the best way to describe what I'm trying to do.

Or am I a complete fool and there is a completely easier way to sep and trap illustrator files?

[loco]

Show me the file in a color version

You might be able to do it in layers


-loco