Participant

Question

Spot Colors - Limitation Resolved In CC?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
August 18, 2021
3 replies
5117 views

Has the 27 spot color limitation been resolved on the latest Adobe CC versions? In the past anything over 27 colors would automatically be assigned CMYK values and not hold.

Print and prepress

rob day

Community Expert

Missed this post, but I’m not seeing the old limitation in InDesign 2020 or the latest AcrobatPro (the Dov link is from 2009). This InDesign file has 2340 Pantone Spots, and if I choose Separations in the Print Output dialog all the plates are listed:

The spot plates also export to a PDF/X-4, although the PDF with all 2340 spots crashes, if I try to show AcrobatPro’s Output Preview. Here’s 90 spots:

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

Did you try Overprint preview or hit Print to get the separations?

Both InDesign an Illustrator give warnings and Acrobat shows 28 spot colors in the Output preview, but converts one to CMYK.

rob day

Community Expert

Hi @Ton Frederiks yes I see that in InDesign—but all 2350 spots are listed as plates in the Print>Output>Separations list, so I do seem to have the option of printing batches of 27 plates directly from ID. I’m not sure if @erica40687420 is trying to print more than 27 plates or is wondering if a document can contain more than 27 Spot Swatches.

In the latest AcrobatProDC I am seeing all of the 94 plates in my 90 spot color export, and if I print separations to a Postscript printer I don’t get any warnings. Are you checking in the latest AcrobatProDC?

Here’s the 94 color PDF:

https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/05014c17-d204-4d06-7cf5-f27e740a62c9

Bob_Hallam

Legend

Hmmm, This seems a reasonable limitation to me. For what reason would require more than 27?

ICC programmer and developer, Photographer, artist and color management expert, Print standards and process expert.

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

To create a catalogue of spot colors?

NB, colourmanagement

Community Expert

BUT would that hypothetical catalogue with 27+ spot (special) colours actually be printed on a press with 27+ special colour units on it?

Of course it could be fed through a press with 3 specials loaded 10 times, but that seems unlikely?

However, maybe erica40687420 is working for Pantone

SO many designers forget that a real "spot colour" = a special colour on press. IMO, if that’s not what's happening and the "spots" used will me made out of CMYK process colours - then its better the user take control of that by working in the correct CMYK colourspace and using CMYK mixes to replace the desired "spots".

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
[please only use the blue reply button at the top of the page, this maintains the original thread title and chronological order of posts]

kglad

Community Expert

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded