Cannot Delete/replace color swatch

[landscape_snarkitect]

Hi,

I created specific color swatches for a file and someone copied in a bunch of close but not the same colors from another file. I want to delete all the non-standard swatches and replace them with the exact swatches used throughout the document.

There is one named swatch that appears to be a RGB color. It will not allow me to delete from either the trash can icon or in the drop down (option is grayed out). How do I unlock/replace this so people aren't using this one? That one is the most important one to delete because it won't print the correct color.

Thanks!

[Geоrge]

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/i-can-t-edit-delete-spot-color-swatch/m-p/827613....

[landscape_snarkitect]

Thank you! This makes sense. Why would a spot color appear as RGB? Isn't it essentially a pantone color?

Also, how do I know when the colors should be CMYK or spot/pantone colors? I worked on a project recently where the CMYK colors printed very close to what was on the screen and it looked great. Is it really just recommended for when you are using different printers, etc for branding? Or should you always use pantone colors anytime you know something will be printed?

[rob day]

Why would a spot color appear as RGB? Isn't it essentially a pantone color?

A spot color is a color that would run as a solid ink on an extra plate—typically on an offset press. Because it will output to an additional printing plate its color mode definition doesn’t matter, in InDesign a Spot color can be defined as Lab, RGB, or CMYK. Pantone defines its Solid Ink Spot colors as Lab.

Here my Swatches panel has 3 Spot swatches defined as RGB, Lab, and CMYK. The Color Mode icons are in the last column in the panel, and the Spot/Process icon is in the 2nd to last column. The Spot I named MyRGBSpotColor has come in with a linked PDF, and can’t be deleted without removing the link first.

The reason the spot’s color definition doesn’t matter is because when it is output as a spot color the plate that will be inked is black and white. Here’s the RGB spot plate’s Separation Preview:

For branding using Pantone swatches as the source reference color, this link might help:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/branding-color-guide/td-p/10818696

[Eugene Tyson]

You can also use ink aliases in InDesign.

https://creativepro.com/alias-one-color-swatch-to-another/