Help with Spot Colour Ps PSD Files being recognised by Id

[garethrdwilliams]

Hello,

In Photoshop I've been making a pen outline of a shape and amending the colour to a spot colour for use in InDesign. As the image is a shape, my options of exporting are either as as PNG or Photoshop PSD file. I've figured out that PNG files are RGB and not CMYK so they're out, but the PNG file retains the CMYK colour space whilst keeping the image as just a shape.

I've figured out (I think)  how to adjust the colour to a spot colour and have made that 100% magenta.

In InDesign I've also followed the instructions from the printer on how to amend text, by going to TYPE and then CREATE OUTLINES and amending to a spot colour type from the swatch box (100% Magenta) and then outputting as an overprint.

Uploading the page to the printer online, their software recognises the text and amends the text from 100% magenta to the foil colour I've asked for, so far so good, but the shape I made in Photoshop is still 100% magenta and not amended to the foil colour.

I'm getting confused as both are 100% magenta, look identical in colour on the PDF and, to the best of my knowledge, are both set as a spot colour, but only the text is working.

I'd be really appreciative if anyone knows how to get it working as I'm tearing my hair out here and my uni deadline is looming to have it all ready!

Thanks in advance.

[Scott Falkner]

Have you tried using Photoshop PDF? Also, I would immediately start looking for a new printer if my printer required me to outline type in InDesign.

[Willi Adelberger]

Never Outline text in InDesign. This has nothing to do with colors, it is more a symptom of an incompetent printer. Take another one.

[Peter Spier]

Gentlemen...

This is a special case situation -- the job requires a foil stamp die, and I believe this is a legitimate reason to outline type.

As far as the spot color problem, I suspect the OP{ needs to actually create a spot color channel for the artwork on Photoshop, but we don't really have enough information about that file.

[Willi Adelberger]

If it is legitimate, it should be done in Acrobat Pro and not in InDesign.

[Peter Spier]

Not so. You don't want to outline all text, just the text to be stamped (or die cut). This really is just a shortcut for drawing the letters as shapes by hand.

Speaking of which, if the Photoshop file is a shape, would it maybe be easier to just draw it in InDesign over the placed image?

[rob day]

In Photoshop I've been making a pen outline of a shape and amending the colour to a spot colour for use in InDesign. As the image is a shape, my options of exporting are either as as PNG or Photoshop PSD file

HI @garethrdwilliams , PNGs are always RGB only and can not contain Spot Channels, so you will have to Save As PSD. Is the shape defined as a Photoshop Spot Channel? Can you show us a capture of your Photoshop Channel panel or share the PSD file? 

[garethrdwilliams]

Thanks, this is the PSD file of the outline.

This is the printers website which outlines the way to upload:

https://mixam.co.uk/support/foil

Also attached is the InDesign file.

[Peter Spier]

I supect all you need to do here is rename the spot channel in the .psd you uploaded to "Foil" to match the other spot color you defined in InDesign and remove the path from the Magenta channel so only the spot channel contains data.

[rob day]

As Peter suggests, you don’t want the shape in the CMYK channels, it should only be in the Spot Channel and the ink name should match the name you are using for the Spot in InDesign. You don’t even need the PSD color mode to be CMYK, it could be an empty transparent Grayscale like this:

Then in InDesign you’ll have a single extra Spot plate named Foil:

Note that the PSD Spot Channel is not Overprinting, so if you need it to Overprint, Peter’s first suggestion of pasting the path into InDesign and applying the Foil Spot color to the stroke would allow you to set the InDesign defined stroke to Overprint.

Another option would be to save the PSD as a Black & White Bitmap mode (with no Spot Channel) and apply the spot color to the Bitmap in InDesign—InDesign lets you Overprint a Bitmap. See attached