Using Pantone swatches in Illustrator.
Scenario: As a designer, you will be required to use Pantone colors to create spot-color documents for multi-color print projects.
About Pantone Colors
When producing spot color files (which use specified ink colors other than CMYK) each color is selected from the Pantone swatch library. Each Pantone ink color is numbered. The commercial printer uses a specified mixing formula for each Pantone color to ensure accurate color matching.
How to add Pantone swatches in Illustrator:
Step 1. Remove the default color from the Swatch window..
- With the
Illustrator document open, Choose Window>Swatches.
- The default settings for
the swatch window include color swatches that are composed of CMYK colors.
These color should be removed befor adding Pantone colors.
Note: Production designers always should remove unnecessary colors before sending out job files. - To remove unnecessary colors,
first choose Select All Unused from the swatch window options.
- With the swatches selected,
choose Delete Swatch from the swatch window options.
Usually some swatches remain undeleted.
To delete the remaining swatches, select each manuallyand click on the trash icon at the bottom righ corner of the window
- To add Pantone colors, choose
Window>Swatch Libraries>Color Books>. In the pop-up menu select the appropriate
Pantone swatch library.
color to add it to the swatch window.
