Spot - CMYK

Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place or skimming over it, but I need a hand with converting a SPOT swatch to CMYK in CS4. This issue is only happening in InDesign and Illustrator, across several installs and also for a customer (which is how I discovered it). Normally, I pick the swatch from the library, edit it and changeit from SPOT to PROCESS. Right way to do it and pretty easy, right? Well here's what happens:
Pantone 440c - Dark Burgundy
InDesign CMYK values: 82/76/100/30 (prints/displays Dark Green, not even close)
Illustrator CMYK values: 82/76/100/30 (prints/displays Dark Green, not even close)
Photoshop CMYK values: 65/67/65/68 (prints/displays Dark Burgundy, I like this conversion)
Bridge Color Settings: Syncronized (not that it should matter)
It looks like 438 and 439 may also have the same problem. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

As Eugene has said, ignore what your apps are saying for spot to cmyk conversion, for a good one you need to set your own standard and use that.
For example we have a customer who uses Pantone 302 blue as their corporate colour. We have come up with a separation of C 100 M 60 Y 30 K 25 that works very well for printing CMYK on coated stocks. How would we get all the CS to make sure they used that colour? We couldn't! So we just have notes where necessary and make our own appropriately named swatch and use that.

Similar Messages

Why does spot CMYK paste as spot book colour? CS5

open pre-existing doc with CMYK spot colour defined named as PANTONE 280 C
copy element
paste into new document
Both existing doc and new doc have identical colour proof set-up
new doc has empty colour palette
When pasted into new doc, CMYK spot becomes Book Colour Spot
Same element with colour defined as a CMYK Process swatch is unchanged
Book Colour Swatch has colour shift (on-screen)
Once processed in ONYX rip this colour has huge shift in colour.
Any ideas as to how to fix this?
(so result is pasted as CMYK spot without transformation)
Adrian

original doc
Pantone 280 C is spot CMYK
$ 72 0 18
Pasted element in new document
Now a spot book colour with lab colour definition
I don't mind the different colour space definitions, but the arbitary change to Book colour means our RIP software deals with the colour differently.
I'd like to know why this is happening, to either make a change in our RIP or to change our workflow
This is CS5 not CS6...

Exchange RGB swatches with CMYK swatches

Using ASE color swatches I am trying to figure out how to change the swatches in an existing document. Here is the scenario:
We have created 2 custom ASE swatch panels, one Spot RGB and the other Spot CMYK. Both panels have the colors named the same. When I open an existing document that uses the CMYK swatches and try to load the RGB swatches using the Load Swatches pull down in the Swatches panel, InDesign will only update the unused colors. And it will not load the other RGB colors as copies. I have tried to start with the ASE RGB swatches pre-loaded into InDesign, but when I open the document, all those colors are replaced with the swatches used in the CMYK document. So, I cannot delete the swatch and replace it with the copy. Does anyone know how I can get around this problem? We want to be able to use different colors for web and print and we want to have a way to be consistent across documents and Adobe applications.
Adobe InDesign CC
Mac Os X 10.8.4
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Keep the document in color mode CMYK.
Open the RGB image in photoshop, and convert to CMYK.
Sample in Photoshop the color you need and write that down.
Go to Illustrator and create a swatch with the color you wrote down.
You cannot accurately sample colors from placed photos in Illustrator . Illustrator takes what is sent to the screen in RGB, and then converts that to your color mode. Do NOT use SHIFT eyedropper, though the color looks good your color will not match the CMYK values in your photo.
Illustrator will not change your cmyk document color mode colors to RGB because you sampled with eyedropper. You most likely changed the mode of the color panel to RGB. The color panel should always match the color mode of your document, the panel is misleading otherwise.

CS5 Illustrator Pantone+Solid Coated library issue

Hello everyone,
I have a problem with CS5 Pantone+Solid Coated library.
In CS4 this library contained Spot CMYK colors.
In CS5 these colors are Spot LAB and darker.
Does anyone has the same problem?
Thanks

When I pick some PMS Coated color, in Color Panel last simbol is LAB.
In Color Swatches I can change one by one colors to CMYK mode, but they are the same dark.
The root issue is when I open Panton+Solid Coated menu - the colors are presented in LAB mode and they are darker then usial.
In CS4 this library was presented in CMYK mode and colors were right.
In CS5 these right colors are in Panton Solid to Process menu and if I create new artwork I pick colors from here.
But when I open old file (where colors are Pantone Solid Coated from CS4) they pick the colors from CS5 Panton Colid Coated menu and changed to darker colors.

Do you have to outline fonts - PDF

Hi all,
I normally outline my fonts to avoid any hassles but I have created a design that has very thin type and when I outline it makes it too fat - bleh!
So I would like to know if it is ok just to save as a PDF WITHOUT outlining the fonts if you are sending a file off to magazine, newspaper, printer and that they will not have a problem with missing fonts etc.
Thanks!

ScottWeichert wrote:
Live fonts do contain hinting which is sent to the RIP. Outlines don't contain any hinting. Hinting is exceptionally helpful at smaller type sizes. Outlines are really not the same as live type.
Every glyph in a font is a drawn character. Hinting smoothes display appearance. It could play a role in a RIP for a digital press, which relies on composite output and no separate plates for each ink. These devices treat fonts differently from dumb art, to compensate for a lower resolution output.
Let's assume that hinting for a particular glyph alters the shape of the glyph at different type sizes. To test, put the glyph on the artboard at 100 pt, and again at 2 pt. Duplicate the glyphs to a layer on top and outline. Verify that the shape of the outlines match the live font (coloring the outline something different helps).
To see if hinting affects the shape,the small shape must be enlarged proportionally to the larger glyph size, or the larger glyph shrunk proportionally to the smaller size.
Doing this, you may find that the two shapes match, or perhaps they don't. But it doesn't matter either way. When you outline fonts on output, the font doesn't get outlined, then resized - it just gets outlined. And the outline should be true to the vector shape of the glyph, no matter what the size is.
There are many arguments for and against outlining fonts. Here are both perspectives:
Advantages of live fonts in PDF output:
1. The PDF looks worlds better on screen. This is an extremely important point. The live font looking proper means less questions and concerns, less banter is time saved.
2. The font being in the PDF means that changes to the PDF are possible. Many printers prefer the fonts to be embedded whole instead of subset, and certainly not outlined. This can be a time saver. It can come down to the printer having to do one of three things - make a simple text change, try to match an outlined font to make the change, or wait on a new file. If the printer has the embedded font, the job can go to press faster.
3. File size of PDF is smaller, making file transfer faster. It can be the difference between email or FTP in some cases.
4. If something goes awry with the font in output, a simple preflight of the PDF can detect the problem. If the fonts are all outlined, you can't preflight the fonts, there aren't any - you have to hope Illy did a good job making the outlines.
5. If the designer chooses to outline the native art, he has to save a duplicate copy. If he uses the flattener to outline fonts, he's increasing his output time. Preserving live text, you avoid these issues.
Advantages of outlined fonts in PDF output:
1. Fonts are the bane of the printing industry. There are thousands upon thousands of fonts, some are good quality, some are garbage. There are many varieties of font formats. Together this adds up to a LOT of variables, and a lot of different ways text can get hosed. When you outline, the font variable is eliminated in one fell swoop.
2. Some people - printers and designers alike - subscribe to the "bullet proof PDF" solution. Such a PDF is one that is completely normalized. It goes well beyond flattening transparency, or RGB and Spot – CMYK. It includes what AI calls expansion of art. All text is outlined. All strokes become fills. Any effects, patterns and symbols are converted to dumb art. Sometimes even gradients and blends are converted into images. Overprints can also be flattened (although AI cannot do this). The result is a PDF which is a complete mess from an editing standpoint, but less likely to wig out a RIP.
3. Even if the designer does not outline, there is a good chance the printer will. He will probably not do it in Illustrator, more than likely text outlining would be an automated part of a separate workflow system. For example in the packaging industry, PDF files are often imported into Art Pro, with vectorize text enabled. So in that case, a designer who outlines his text beforehand might be choosing Illustrator's outline capability, instead of relying on the printer's outline capability.
4. If the printer uses a vector trapping engine, any traps around text will be vector art, not fonts. Sometimes fonts mixed with vector traps can be problematic. Again if the printer feels like fonts are an issue, he's probably outlining the text before trapping.
5. File integrity is an issue for some designers. Maybe they're afraid that a competing designer might snag a PDF. If the fonts are all outlined, figuring out the fonts is certainly possible, but it's harder than simply pulling up the font list in Acrobat.
6. Some printers demand PDFs with all transparency flattened. If live fonts are retained in flattened PDFs, you can end up with live glyphs that are clipping masks for images. Such a configuration is similar to a live font in Photoshop output. Anyone who deals with fonts in Photoshop output knows that the construction is pretty hopeless (Photoshop can't even embed a complete font). It is best not to have live text playing the role of a clipping mask for contone data.
Anyway, there are two sides to the argument. One thing is certain – whether the text gets outlined or not – once it's RIPped, it's nothing but pixels. A live glyph vs. a vector shape should end up having the same pixel configuration on the plate.

CMYK layers showing up when spot color illos placed in InDesign CS3

When I place an Illustrator CS3 (13.0.2) illustration into InDesign CS3 (5.0.3), Preflight tells me that CMYK colors are being used, even though the imported illustration has only 2 Pantone spot colors matching those used in the InDesign document (the 2 spot colors show up in Preflight as well). I double-checked to make sure they were spot colors, not CMYK. When I go to Separations Preview, my 2 spot color show up but nothing shows on the CMYK layers. I deleted all unused color swatches in my InDesign file (and the Illustrator file), and when I delete the illustration Preflight just shows the 2 PMS spot color that I'm using in the document. I'm using Mac OS 10.5.4 on a brand-new Quad-Core Xeon, if that matters.
I've tried saving the illustration as both AI and EPS, and using CMYK and RGB color modes. I deleted all unused color swatches from both Illustrator and InDesign. For another test, I created a fresh Illustrator file that just had a box in 1 spot color and placed it in a fresh InDesign file, and again Preflight said that CMYK was being used. Besides the usual work-around of telling my service bureau to not output the CMYK film, does anyone have any idea of how to correct this? I've encountered it several times. (BTW, my service bureau didn't know what the problem is).
This is my first visit and post here, so if I have violated some forum etiquette, please forgive me.
James

Save a PDF and place that.
Bob

How can I convert CMYK PDF file to Spot Color from a standard Spot Library?

Hi,
I have PDF file that is in CMYK colors. Can I use Adobe Pro X to convert the document to Spot Color from a established spot library like the PANTONE PC? Is there a plugin to do it?
Amit.

In method HMAC, you have towards the bottom
catch(Exception e) {}please change this to
catch(Exception e)
e.printStackTrace();
}Note that using the sun.* classes, including the sun.misc.BASE64Encoder class, requires elevated privileges (see http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=483223&messageID=2255882).
It is not difficult to write your own encoder/decoder class, or borrow one from someone else. Just google on "java base64 encoder".

Convert CMYK to Spot Color or 2 Color in Adobe Acrobat 9 Standard

I have a file that is in a CMYK color format. The original document was created is MS Word. The file is currently CMYK but the printer I am sending it to needs either Spot Color or 2 color. Can I conver CMYK to either of these in Acrobat 9 standard?

I have a similar problem which i did not have before...and it exists only in some powerpoint files which i want to print as a pdf file...and i get the same message as above.
the log says the bellow details...what's the problem and how can i resolve it? thanks.
%%[ ProductName: Distiller ]%%
%%[Page: 1]%%
%%[Page: 2]%%
Cambria not found, using Courier.
%%[ Error: invalidfont; OffendingCommand: show ]%%
Stack:
%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro is showing CMYK in spot color document

Hi,
I created a PDF using Adobe Illustrator CS4, and although I am only using 2 spot colors, both, Illustrator and Acrobat are showing CMYK plates in the Separations Preview and Output Preview. When I turn off the Spot plates, there is nothing in the document. Could you please help me figure out why is this happenning?
Thanks

Acrobat will always show the CMYK framework - even if there's no CMYK in there. You'll also notice that if the file contained RGB, calRGB, LAB etc - it also shows in the Output Preview as CMYK since it's in simulation mode (enough of that for now)!
You might want to use the SHOW feature in Output Preview or even use a preflight profile to double check ...
Cheers,
Jon

Adobe Illustrator is showing CMYK in spot color document

Hi,
I created a PDF using Adobe Illustrator CS4, and although I am only using 2 spot colors, both, Illustrator and Acrobat are showing CMYK plates in the Separations Preview and Output Preview. When I turn off the Spot plates, there is nothing in the document. Could you please help me figure out why is this happenning?
Thanks

Every file has CMYK plates in Illustrator or Acrobat. I think you are over-thinking things.
The important issue is:
Are there any items actually on the plates??
Just because there are plates, does not mean those plates contain artwork. Both Illustrator and Acrobat Pro will always indicate CMYK plates, but if there is no CMYK data, they won't print.

Convert CMYK+SPOT (only selected bands) to RGB

Hello,
My context:
I am dealing with multi-band TIFF files - CMYK + one or more SPOT colors.
I am able to read the multi-band TIFF file using JAI and read the number of bands correctly.
Also, I can read the value for any band for any pixel.
For the SPOT colors I have Pantone CMYK equivalents.
The bands are 8 bit in size.
My problem:
I need to be able to show/hide one or more bands and display the result.
Is there a (mathematical) formula for converting CMYK+SPOT color bands to the RGB color space?
A simple example:
(CMYK scale 0-100)
All bands: C, M, Y, K, SPOT1 (C=100,M=100,Y=0,K=0), SPOT2(C=100,M=0,Y=100,K=0)
Bands selected: C, M, SPOT1
PixelX values: C = 50, M = 10, SPOT1=80
Can we calculate PixelX's RGB values to display on screen?
Is there any documentation I can read anywhere on the subject?
Thanks in advance,
Georgi

While I have never tried it, you might find this interesting: [cmyk to rgb|http://bytes.com/topic/java/answers/16180-rgb-cmyk].

Convert from spot color to custom CMYK value in Applescript

I thought this would be very simple and it's not apparently. I am trying to convert a spot color into a custom CMYK value. Basically:
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
          set theList to every path item of current document
          repeat with k from 1 to count of theList
                    if fill color of item k of theList = {name:"Dark Green"} then
                              set fill color of item k of theList to {cyan:0.0, magenta:100.0, yellow:0.0, black:0.0}
                    end if
          end repeat
end tell
But this script obviously doesn't work. From what I can tell, the fill color simply returns the tint of the item, not the name of it. I can't find anything that returns the name of a spot color so I can set the correct corresponding color. In the above example, I made the color obviously changed so I could visually see the result.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm a first time poster here.
Thanks!

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
          tell current document
                    set theList to every path item
                    set sw to every swatch
                    repeat with i from 1 to count of sw
                              set swname to name of item i of sw
                              if swname = "Dark Green" then
                                        set swco to color of item i of sw
                                        repeat with k from (count of theList) to 1 by -1
                                                  set co to fill color of item k of theList
                                                  if swco = co then
                                                            set fill color of item k of theList to {cyan:0.0, magenta:100.0, yellow:0.0, black:0.0}
                                                  end if
                                        end repeat
                              end if
                    end repeat
          end tell
end tell

Converting CMYK colors to spot color?

My publisher/printer requests a "hi-res pdf" as camera ready copy for a book I'm writing which will be printed in 2 colors (black and a spot color shade of blue). The pages have images from various sources and text with CMYK approximations of that blue which I'd like to convert to the spot color. Is there a convenient way to do this sort of operation through "preflight" or convert colors - so the final document has only K of CMYK and the spot color?

Yes, see my reply here.

Converting CMYK to Spot Color (InDesign/Illustrator)

I have come across a client that have sent files built in process or CMYK. We want to make it a 2 color job (2 spot colors) but they have not chosen colors. What is the most effective way to determine the spot color that matches the CMYK procees within InDesign/Ilustrator. If it easier to do on one of the 2 programs I am completely open to using either.

You can do it with Photoshop. Click the Foreground color picker, enter the CMYK values, choose Color Libraries, select the Pantone book you want to reference, and the closest ink will be displayed. Keep in mind that the appearance of CMYK depends on the document's color profile or the Color Settings' CMYK Working space if nothing is open. So, for example US Sheetfed Coated will likely return a different Pantone color than US SWOP Coated.

Why does spot EPS not output when converted to CMYK or grayscale?

Apologies if this is a known issue but I can't find it anywhere... I'm using AI CS3 (13.0.2) on an Intel iMac/Os 10.5.4 and I can't figure out why a white logo made from text outlines outputs fine to PDF if I use a spot color but if I change it to grayscale or CMYK, part of the logo doesn't output at all.
The part which self-destructs is a supplied roundel of Caflisch text which has been converted to outlines (unfortunately I don't have the font on my system to do any deep testing). Another part of the supplied logo is a line drawing which outputs fine in any color mode.
So I'm really looking for something to explain why the text part of this roundel outputs fine as a spot color but disappears from view when converted to CMYK or grayscale. I have been placing the file in a Quark 7.1 document and then exporting to PDF but I see the same problem when using the Flattener Preview.
Thanks for any help.
Simon

Sorry for talking to myself like this -- been doing it for years...
Finally found out what was wrong: the submitting designer had set the white coloured text objects to overprint. When I set them to knock out all was well.
Kudos to Acrobat Pro Preflight for pinpointing the problem.
Simon

Spot - CMYK

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