Pantone Colors and How to Assign them In Illustrator

Pantone Colors and How to Assign them In Illustrator

This is a video on how to assign Pantone colors in illustrator as well as when to use Pantone and spot colors in files.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWoFtidcsVc

Here's the timestamps for the video:
0:30​ Weaknesses of CMYK values
1:00​ Why we cannot standardize CMYK values in print
1:20​ Example of CMYK color challenge
2:00​ CMYK values are good starting point, but that's it. The color shifts too much on any printing device.
2:40​ What Nonstop Printing needs to do to hit critical colors.
4:20​ It takes 20-40 minutes for us to line out each spot color in a file. Only use this method when color is critical. It does cost more.
5:20​ Your pantone color selection should NOT be chosen by looking at a screen. Use a certified Pantone Coated (for coated papers) and Pantone Uncoated (for uncoated papers) to make final color decisions.
5:35​ How people from across the world can get on the same page about specific colors. Both should have a pantone swatch book.

File Setup
6:05​ How do you turn a color into a spot color?
6:20​ Discussion around separations preview.
6:45​ How to access the pantone color book within Illustrator (In inDesign https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesi...%E2%80%8B)
7:10​ Discussion about pantone solid vs pantone uncoated.
7:45​ Great example of the 2 pantone books you need for print. 
8:25​ Why a U or a C is needed after the pantone color number.
8:55​ How to choose and move the color to use.
9:15​ In file, difference between pantone vs cmyk color.
9:35​ Why we have more control over the color when spot colors are assigned. It takes time, so only do this when color is critical. It does cost more.
10:30​ Common mistakes when working with spot colors. Assigning different colors to to stroke and the fill.

    • Related Articles

    • How to set up Silver, Raised Spot UV, and Digital Foil Files using Spot Colors

      Read This First Do I always have to set up spot colors in order to print a specialty element? Nope! If you're only printing a specialty element with no other print on the document, then you can just send us a file in black and white. Whatever is ...
    • Foil Colors for Traditional Foil Stamping

      Notes: Foil colors are very difficult to capture since the color changes as you change the angle of the foil. Only use this as a rough reference. If the foil color is critical, we recommend going to our office to check out the color in person. ...
    • How to Outline Text in Illustrator and InDesign

      In Illustrator, right click on the text box and click on "create outlines". In Indesign, select the text to outline. On the menu bar click "Type", then click "Create Outlines". What is outlining text? Outlining text is created by converting text made ...
    • How to set up your file for Raised Spot UV in InDesign and Illustrator

      Quick answer for Design Professionals In InDesign or Illustrator, set up a spot color and name it "Varnish". Go to attributes and make sure to select the objects as "Overprint Fill" or "Overprint Stroke". You can download our official color swatches ...
    • How to Assign an ICC Profile in Photoshop

      When should I "Assign" a color? This is a great tool to give you a better idea of the color that Nonstop Printing can target. It's also a decent starting point to increase color gamut if you're starting from sRGB. For RGB images we target either sRGB ...