Changing colors globally

[artstrike]

Is there any way to do this easily, maintaining tint values?
I need to change my PMSs from solid to PMS process... argh.
Sorry to be such a nudge....

Matt

[Ekwoman]

You can change the swatches to process just when printing by going into the Ink Manager in the Output panel of the Print Dialog (File > Print > Output > Ink Manager...down near the bottom of the dialog box). You can change inks individually by clicking the little icon with the CMYK colors in it to the left of the ink's name so it is a circle in a square (a spot), or check All Spots to Process at the bottom of the window to change ALL spot colors.

If you want to change colors to process in the document, simply Command-click (Ctrl-Click on a PC) each color's name you want to change in the Swatches palette, then choose Swatch Options from the palette menu. Change the Color Type pull-down menu to Spot. All the tints based on those colors will update to CMYK as well.

Of course, when you create new PMS colors, you can choose to make them process right then, by choosing the same pull-down menu option (Spot).

Hope that helps!

[artstrike]

Thanks Ekwoman...
I am thinking more in terms of what Illustrator allows you to do: select the same color, tint, stroke, etc and change the color that way. For instance: if I have a 14 page document, and on 5 of those 14 pages I used PMS Rubine, and now I want/need to change it to pure magenta - is there a way to do it in one command, instead of goiong into each page, selecting the element that uses Rubine and changing them one at a time? I prolly shoulda used a image style box...
Anyway, sorry if this is all discombobulated, I am fried from no sleep and lotsa work...

[Ekwoman]

The "solid to process" threw me off base (I was thinking convert to process). Yes, you can do that, but you'll lose the original color. So if your color is a solid PMS and you want to change it to, as you mentioned, just magenta...you can do one of two things: either select the "old" color and delete it from the swatches palette and replace it with another defined swatch OR double-click on the swatch in the swatches palette and simply re-define the color. If you have a solid PMS color (PMS 266 C for example) and you double-click on its name, change your color mode to CMYK, switch the color type to Process in the pull-down menu, then insert values (you could make that color 100% magenta). Either way, you're getting rid of the original color. I guess if you needed it back, you could just re-create it. Make sense? I, too, am brain-fried!

You can even map several colors to one new color if you want (for example, getting rid of 3 PMS colors and mapping them to one CMYK build). Select the CMYK build you want to remain first, then Command-click (Ctrl-click on a PC) each of the colors you want to map to the CMYK build (these colors you're selecting WILL disappear). After you've chosen all of them, choose Merge Swatches from the Swatches palette menu. Okay...now everyone's brain is fried...let me know if you need clarification...I'll see what I can do:D

Erica Gamet