Spot + process colour combo in Illustrator CS

[htarasil]

I would like to know how should one make a new swatch in Illustrator, with say 80% of a specified Spot colour and 20% of a process colour.

This process is very well defined in Quark Xpress, as a multi ink window in colour options. Is there something similar in Illustrator which I have failed to grab?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[AdobeAce]

Hi htarasil,

It's actually easy in both Illustrator and InDesign. Select an object and make it the Spot Color you'd like to use.

With this object still selected, go to your Color palette and drag the Tint Slider to the left until you have the percent you desire. (Or just type in the percentage into the palette.)

Click and Drag the color square which shows the Tinted Color from Color palette to the Swatches palette. (That's right! Click and drag from one palette to the other.) Release your mouse over the Swatches palette and the Tint will show up as a Swatch. You can also Click and drag colors in the Swatches palette to move the up or down in the listing.

Hope this Helps!

[htarasil]

the solution given is just how to make a tint of a spot colour. The question is how can I define a new colour by making a new colour which is 30% of a spot colour + 20% of cyan.

In quark you have a multi ink option where one can define 30% of a spot + 20% of cyan. Is there a method to achieve something similar here too.

thanks

[AdobeAce]

I would like to know how should one make a new swatch in Illustrator, with say 80% of a specified Spot colour and 20% of a process colour.

This process is very well defined in Quark Xpress, as a multi ink window in colour options. Is there something similar in Illustrator which I have failed to grab?



Hi htarasil,

Sorry! I guess I misread your question.

In Illustrator, I know of no feature like this for Swatches. But you should be able to accomplish the same effect by putting one Tinted object over the top of the other and Overprinting the Top shape.

Select your Top object, and in the Attributes palette, check the box next to Overprint Fill or Stroke or Both.

In InDesign, it's a whole different story. Not only does the feature exist, it's better than Quark.

With your Spot color already in your Swatches palette, click the Options (Arrow) menu of the palette. Choose New Mixed Ink Swatch.

In the dialog window that opens, select the Swatche colors to be "mixed." And type in your percentages.

Click OK to add just this one Mixed Color. Or click Add if you'd like to create more than one Mixed Ink color.

You can also create an entire Mixed Ink Group combining several tints of your colors.

Hope this helps!

[htarasil]

Dear Adobeace

Thanks for your suggestion. In fact thats what we have been doing (setting one colour to overprint), but then viewing the final printable colour on screen is not possible.

Therefore what we do currently is put the tint of pantone on one layer and tint of process on another and set the process layer to 'multiply mode'. This allows the designer to see the desired result on screen. However this causes probelms in ripping at the process house.

I guess while designing we do the multiply mode but before issuing the file to the process house we should the same the layer to normal and set the colour to overprint!.

thanks alot for your support.

htarasil

[AdobeAce]

...but then viewing the final printable colour on screen is not possible.

Hi htarasil,

In Illustrator CS & CS2, go to the View menu > Overprint Preview.

Hope this helps!

:)