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I am using FM10, I need to change a few unque color definitions to the same pantone color, I was successful with the first one but got system messages about not being able to define more colors to that same pantone. I understand this is a program rule, but I am wondering if there is a way around it because I still need to define those other colors as the same pantone. I tried a work around that failed - defining the same properties of the pantone I wish to use with regard to cmyb values but the color was not the same as the coated pantone I was trying to emulate, is there a trick I am missing here? Thanks for any help you may provide.
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Disclaimer: I don't work in managed or CMYK color. We leave (sRGB) color in, but print in B&W bitmap.
I suspect that the thing that provides end-to-end color control with the Library colors is that they encode a <ColorLibraryInkName ...> which is passed into the PostScript output and also into any PDF output. The print shop or Pantone-aware RIP can see this name(tag), and knows how to render it. The encoded CMYK is probably ignored in that case (and may not match the initial Library settings in any case).
The actual CMYK values in the PS and PDF are usually trashed by the Windows GDI, which despite the fake CMYK available in Vista SP1 and later, is still an RGB engine.
If you save a document as a MIF, you can see the encodings using a plaintext editor.
In the <ColorCatalog section of a test MIF, a typical Pantone looks like:
<Color
<ColorTag `PANTONE 3308 CVC'>
<ColorCyan 99.998474>
<ColorMagenta 0.000000>
<ColorYellow 59.999084>
<ColorBlack 71.998596>
<ColorLibraryFamilyName `PANTONE\xa8 Coated'>
<ColorLibraryInkName `PANTONE 3308 CVC'>
> # end of Color
Now suppose we create what we think is the same CMYK color:
<Color
<ColorTag `CMYK-100-0-60-72'>
<ColorCyan 100.000000>
<ColorMagenta 0.000000>
<ColorYellow 60.000000>
<ColorBlack 72.000000>
> # end of Color
Notice two things:
There could be easily be a more elegant way to fix this, but for a single file, a simple MIF hack would be:
Another way to get all your CMYK content under a measure of color control is to do ALL the color content as imported EPS. Mr.Bill's GDI shredder passes it through unscathed. This means no Frame art and color text only with great annoyance.