Preflight shows CMYK when only spot colors are in swatches

[fritz_hansen@adobeforums.com]

I read some messages in the InDesign Macintosh archive that went part of the way toward clearing up this issue for me. It seems that PLACED graphics may insert process colors, even though they contain no process colors, but the same graphics if PASTED will not. I tried this, and the preflight changed from 4 process and the correct spot colors to 1 process and the spot colors. The only graphic is an Illustrator EPS that has no color at all (a reversed logo--actually, it has a white fill, but that is analagous to "paper" isn't it? It isn't an ink color). My question is: if the preflight shows process colors when no process colors are actually applied to anything in the layout, will it produce any plates for the process colors? Do I need to tell my printer that there are no process colors, or will the file automatically produce just the spot plates?

[Jay_Chevako@adobeforums.com]

In illustrator make your "white" bits 0% of your spot color.
Jay

[fritz_hansen@adobeforums.com]

So if you have a logo that is used in many different publications with different background colors, you have to make a different file for each, based on the spot color it will be reversed out of? Seems a bit cumbersome.

[Jay_Chevako@adobeforums.com]

Not particularly. How many spot colors are you going to be printing?

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

Illustrator files are either CMYK or RGB. There is no choice for spot or
gray as far as color space of the document. Anytime you place a CMYK color
space Illustrator file (even if there are only spots) it will bring in the
empty channels. A nuisance, but just they way it is. (maybe addressed in
future version? donno) Your printer's prepress dept should be smart enough
not to output empty plates, but it would not hurt to alert them. The package
function gives you a neat little instructions file which can be used for
such instructions.

Larry

[fritz_hansen@adobeforums.com]

I see your point about why it will bring in those channels. Makes sense.

I have always wondered how often prepress people read those instruction files.

[rob_day@adobeforums.com]

Anytime you place a CMYK color space Illustrator file (even if there are
only spots) it will bring in the
empty channels.





Jay's right. As long as there are no CMYK objects in any placed AI file—and the White swatch is CMYK—you won't get the CMYK channels in preflight.

you have to make a different file for each, based on the spot color it
will be reversed out of?




The white logo could be assigned 0% of a spot color with a generic name (something like MyLogoColor), then when it's place in ID that color could be aliased to the actual spot color via Ink Manager.

Rob