Manually printing vector separations one color at a time is wasting valuable time and resources. Making use of spot colors streamlines the process, improves your workflow, and gives back that wasted time.
What Are Spot Colors?
Spot colors are utilized in most modern graphics apps, including the more popular Corel, Adobe, Affinity programs. It’s best to check the manual or online sources for the specific graphics app being used, as they may not support spot colors. These color swatches can be accessed via color libraries in your graphics apps or by manually converting the colors from a Process color to a Spot color. This creates a 100% solid/opaque color swatch rather than using the standard Process color swatches, which could be made up of multiple color values to achieve a specific color. This software method of separating has been in use since 1988.
Why Are They Useful?
Spot colors eliminate the need to manually separate artwork by color and save time by doing so. By assigning spot colors to each element, you can keep all separations on the same page, streamlining the separation process. This reduces manual work, improves workflow, and simplifies printing with software like AccuRIP Emerald.
You can tint colors to trigger halftones, giving flexibility while maintaining color integrity. AccuRIP’s Proof Positive window lets users preview the file before printing, making it easier to adjust halftones.
Steps To Convert Spot Colors
Converting colors to a spot color can be quick and easy. It’s best to check the manual or online sources for the specific graphics app being used, as they may have a different process for doing so. For two commonly used apps, Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW, here’s how to convert a color to a 100% spot color.
Adobe Illustrator:
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Open the Swatches Panel (Window > Swatches).
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Select your object and click the color in the swatch.
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Double-click the color to open the Swatch Options.
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Change the Color Type to Spot Color, then click OK.
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Assign the spot color to other objects as needed.
CorelDRAW:
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Open the Color Palette (View > Toolbars > Color Palette).
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Select the object to convert.
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Double-click the color in the palette to open the Palette Editor.
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Change Treat As from Process to Spot and click OK.
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Assign the spot color to other areas as needed.
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In the Print window, go to the Color tab, select Separations
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In the SEPARATIONS tab, select the spot colors that need to be printed
TIP: When using this method of separating, when placing registration marks on the file, color the marks using a Registration swatch/color, and they will appear on ALL separations once printed. For more info on registration marks and their use, see this article here: What is a Registration Mark and How to Set It Up?
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