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1. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Petteri_Paananen Jan 13, 2010 9:49 PM (in response to Jono10)If I remember right, InDesign´s Pantone Solid to CMYK conversion is based on US SWOP conversion table. Bridge is based on european color conversion table, probably some ISO standardized profile. That´s why I always use CMYK values from Euro Bridge booklet, I never let Indesign convert Pantone Solid spot color to CMYK by changing color type from spot to process.
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2. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
P Spier Jan 14, 2010 4:14 AM (in response to Jono10)It could also be that the box to use standard LAB vlues for spot conversions is checked in the Ink Manager. This is usually the best approach since it allows ID to use valuse that are appropriate for the color space rather than rigidly adhereing to a single set of numbers for one condition.
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3. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Mr. Met Jan 14, 2010 5:42 AM (in response to P Spier)Should LAB always be checked for color conversions (assuming you haven't created a custom CMYK build). Does using LAB make conversion from spot to cmyk better?
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4. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
rob day Jan 14, 2010 6:28 AM (in response to Mr. Met)The ID CMYK definitions of Pantone solids are not conversions, they are (subjective) builds. You can see this in neutral colors—if you made a conversion from RGB or Lab of a color like Cool Gray 10, no profile would convert to 0|2|0|60. The build might give perfectly acceptable results, but it only works for one printing condition. And there is the subjectivity problem—did Joe from Pantone really nail it?
The conversion from Lab is potentially better, because the Lab values would come from a colorimeter—there's no judgement involved—but you need an accurate CMYK profile in place. If you make the conversion with US SWOP, then it only works if the printer is printing to the US SWOP profile.
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5. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
P Spier Jan 14, 2010 6:28 AM (in response to Mr. Met)When not using a custom build (one that the printer has supplied as the best match on his press) I use the LAB values so the conversion will map to the working space, which in my case is usually sheetfed coated, rather than the unknown profile in the table.
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6. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Jono10 Jan 14, 2010 3:28 PM (in response to Jono10)Thanks
I found an article in 'Indesign Mag' which states:
However, if you are specing spot colors, choose Ink Manager from InDesign’s Swatches panel menu and turn on the Use Standard Lab Values for Spots checkbox. That ensures highest-quality printing of spot colors when they do need to be converted to CMYK.
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7. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Jono10 Jan 14, 2010 3:58 PM (in response to Jono10)I also noticed that color bridge specifier labels its CMYK conversions of a Pantone color with the letters 'PC' which is available in Indesign as
'Pantone Color Bridge CMYK PC'
The difference in breakdowns between 'Pantone Color Bridge CMYK PC' and a Lab conversion are small. Not sure which is better or more acurate.
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8. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Jono10 Jan 14, 2010 4:33 PM (in response to Jono10)One last thing. If I use the 'Standard Lab values for spots' in Ink manager which gives me a better on screen reproduction of a color then I should do the same in Illustrator under 'Spot colour Options' in the swatches palette.
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9. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
P Spier Jan 14, 2010 4:48 PM (in response to Jono10)Are you converting the sopts to process and printing from Illustrator? Unless the answer is yes, there's no point.
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10. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
Jono10 Jan 14, 2010 5:14 PM (in response to P Spier)In this case I was using a spot color and importing the file into Indesign.
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11. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
rob day Jan 15, 2010 4:59 AM (in response to Jono10)That ensures highest-quality printing of spot colors when they do need to be converted to CMYK.
That's only true if an accurate press profile is specified as the destination when the conversion is made, which could happen anywhere in the workflow. Lab doesn't ensure anything.
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12. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
rob day Jan 15, 2010 5:11 AM (in response to Jono10)Jono10 wrote:
One last thing. If I use the 'Standard Lab values for spots' in Ink manager which gives me a better on screen reproduction of a color then I should do the same in Illustrator under 'Spot colour Options' in the swatches palette.
Lab might give you a better on screen preview of Pantone Solid inks (spot color, not CMYK), especially if the color is out of the CMYK gamut.
Lab doesn't necessarily give you a better preview of how the color would convert to process CMYK. If you want a preview of how a Lab color would convert to CMYK, you could check both Use Standard Lab... and All Spots To Process in Ink Manager.
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13. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
P Spier Jan 15, 2010 5:38 AM (in response to rob day)Previewing Spot colors is always a crapshoot, especially if you use tints.
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14. Re: CMYK Pantone breakdowns different Pantone Color Bridge
P Spier Jan 15, 2010 5:40 AM (in response to rob day)Hit submit too soon...
The only reliable way to judge spots is with a swatchbook printed on similar stock.




