Finding Process (CMYK, non-spot) colors in a file.

[aDreamingTwig]

So here's the thing...

1.) Scanned image of artwork

2.) Opened in Photoshop and played with levels and posterized it to 6 colors. Looks great.

3.) Convert art to CMYK

4.) Used eyedropper to get the CMYK for each color and made a swatch for each in AI and saved the 6 swatches in a group.

5.) Placed art in AI and used Image trace, set it to limited colors and picked the document library and the color set I made.

6.) Expanded art, and the colors were there, but they broke the link to a spot color and were just CMYK... Ok.

7.) Made 6 boxes off to the side, and used the eyedropper to pick each of the 6 colors so I had a line of boxes with CMYKs color...

8.) Click and box, hit Select > Same Fill Color and then re-assigned the spot colors.. and Hid the selection. I went through each square, selecting Like and reassigning colors.

9.) Seemed to work.

Then I save the thing as a press-ready PDF and when I go into Acrobat and pre-flight the art, it's showing my spot colors AND CMYK plates.

<:\      <--- Confused look here.

10.) Go back in AI, do the Select > Same Fill Color again and hide things, and when I'm done, theres nothing on the artboard.

Note: All the spot colors I assigned are set as Spots, not Process.

So I'm stumped. Anyone know of anyway to tell AI to show me anything thats NOT assigned a spot color? I used the Separations Preview and the CMYK shows nothing. It's all Spot Colors.

Is it AI or Acrobat?

-Me.

[Test Screen Name]

Do you by any chance use names like Cyan with a setting as spot plate?

[aDreamingTwig]

No... here's a screenshot of the Swatches in Ai... And the separations window in Acrobat (ignore the pen marks).

[Test Screen Name]

(Corrected) So is your concern simply that Acrobat lists the process plates? This seems normal. Or does info move to those plates?

[aDreamingTwig]

I had made some art for a cover just before this one and I used the same spot for Guides plus 4 new ones I made (custom spots, not from any books) and it turned out fine... no CMYK on the thing.

It just don't know what is causing those plates to be enabled.

I wish there was something in Illustrator that would select anything made of CMYK art. Maybe there's a script out there? I'll have to look around the forums/web.

It's odd.

[aDreamingTwig]

And the art is for a foil stamped leather book cover, so there are no halftone screens involved.

My thought now, is to just let the press know NOT to print the CMYK plates. Only the the 6 plates for the cover (the ones I numbered in the image above).

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Is there anything on those CMYK plates?

As Test Screen Name already pointed out: they are always there.

You could instruct the printing company to ignore them, just to make sure.

It's important to always talk to your providers.

[Nena_itns]

This isn't resolved! I have the same problem. The print shop says there are CMYK colors in the design but separations in Illustrator don't show anything when I turn off all my SPOT colors. The layers with CMYK are under the SPOT colors are they're not showing

[Ton Frederiks]

Monika's answer is correct. Talk to your printer.

The CMYK plates are always there, but when empty, they should be automatically disabled.

If there are unwanted CMYK objects, remove them.