Using Help | Contents | Index Back 346
Adobe Illustrator Help Producing Color Separations
Using Help | Contents | Index Back 346
4 To change the on-screen appearance of the registration color from the default black,
use the Color palette.
Note: The color you specify will be used for representing registration-colored objects on
the screen. These objects will always print as gray on composites and as an equal tint of all
inks in separations.
Step 1: Calibrate your monitor and check colors in your
artwork
Printed colors may not match the colors that were displayed on your monitor. For
example, an object that looked red on-screen before may now look orange. At this point,
you need to correct any color problems in your artwork. You also should verify that your
monitor has been color-calibrated, as described in “
Producing Consistent Color” on
page 174.
If your artwork is color managed, you can preview how the color will appear when repro-
duced on a particular output device. (See “
Soft-proofing colors” on page 185.)
Types of colors you can use, and how they are separated
You can paint artwork with process colors, spot colors, or a combination of both. For infor-
mation on your color choices, see “
Adding, duplicating, and deleting swatches” on
page 162 and “Loading colors from other color systems” on page 166.
Printing gradients as separations
A gradient that contains process colors will be separated onto the process plates.
A gradient that contains two tints of the same spot color will be separated on a single spot
color plate. To create a gradient that separates on one piece of film between a spot color
and white, create a gradient fill between the spot color and a 0% tint of the color.
Note: If you create a gradient between two spot colors, you should assign different screen
angles to those spot colors in the Separation Setup dialog box. This is because if two spot
colors have the same screen angle, they will overprint each other. If you’re not sure what
the angles should be, consult your print shop. (See “
Specifying the halftone screen ruling”
on page 358.)
Step 2: Select overprint options for overlapping colors
If you have not changed the transparency of your artwork with the Transparency palette,
the fills and strokes in the artwork will appear opaque because the top color knocks out,
or cuts out, the area underneath. You can prevent knockout by using the Overprint option
in the Attributes palette to make the topmost overlapping printing ink appear transparent
in relation to the underlying ink.
Note: The degree of transparency in printing depends on the ink, paper, and printing
method used. Consult your print shop to determine how these variables will affect your
final artwork.
You can see the effects of overprinting by using the Overprint Preview command. When
the Overprint Preview mode is on, you can see an approximation of how overlapping
colors will print. (See “
Viewing how colors will overprint” on page 15.)
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