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Lavitas Macutis
Inspiring
December 15, 2021
Answered

Illustrator item in PANTONE P Process Black U shows as composite black in InDesign

  • December 15, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 2028 views

Dear Community,

 

I set up a simple item in Illustrator, colour: PANTONE P Process Black U. File format is .ai. Placed in InDesign, Separations show it as C60, M69, Y71, K73. Any idea why, and how to have it appear as PANTONE P Process Black U? 

 

Thanks

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer rob day

Is the color in Illustrator set as a Spot Color?

 

 

2 replies

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 16, 2021

As mentioned by others, there is no need to ever use Pantone Black in a document instead of using the Black swatch that already exists, and certainly not in a project that is intended to print in process.

Regardless, unless you are actually using the colours for a spot colour job, you should NOT used any of the libraries with U at the end. Why? The different between a C (Coated) colour and a U (uncoated) colour is ONLY how it appears on screen. Pantone's swatch libraries are based on the measured LAB values of an actual swatch of Pantone Black ink PRINTED on either a coated sheet or an uncoated sheet. e.g. your Pantone Black printed on an uncoated sheet will be a bit more washed out/greyer than the how it would appear on a coated sheet. (Actual Pantone Inks do NOT have different versions for C or U: there's only one Pantone Black.).

If you, however, use the Solid "U" swatches in a process job, your Colour Management settings will convert the LAB value in the Black U swatch and convert it to cmyk (based on your Color Settings) to visually match the printed, slightly washed out/greyish chip, and it will uses a 4 cmyk inks to do it. Even if you use the coated "Black C" swatch, it's measured LAB values are still slightly lighter than a dark Black than you'd expect.

Converely, Pantone created the Color Bridge Libraries, where they have created a set of swatches what would be the best process match in a typical cmyk printing workflow. The swatches for those also have a Coated and Uncoated version, If you chose pantone Black out of either of those, you'll notice both specifiy 0C 0M 0Y 100K

 

rob day
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 16, 2021

Hi Brad, In case you missed it, the output in this case is for screen printing, so @Lavitas Macutis does need a spot separation. The printer is requesting the separation color be Pantone and not process black.

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 16, 2021

Ah yes, I did miss that (so many threads!). Thx!

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
December 15, 2021

Is the color in Illustrator set as a Spot Color?

 

 

Lavitas Macutis
Inspiring
December 15, 2021

Hello Rob, thanks so much for your reply. It was not. I took that swatch from Windows > Swatch Libraries > Colour Books > Pantone+ CMYK Uncoated. This opens, as you of course know, a separate window of swatches that can be added to document swatches by simply clicking it. Only upon double clicking the swatch already added, I get the Swatch Options displayed in your first screen shot. Default settings are Process and RGB. Changing them to the settings you propose solved my problem fully. Very happy. Thanks again!!

rob day
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 15, 2021

Hi @Lavitas Macutis  Are you really printing a Black Spot color—adding an extra Black plate on an offset press? If that’s the case you would use the PANTONE + Solid Uncoated book. Those colors are setup as Lab defined Spot Colors

 

 

If your output is process CMYK there would be no need to use a Pantone Black, just use the default [Black] swatch with your AI doc Color Mode set as CMYK