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ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS2
User Guide
Using and creating swatches
About swatches
Swatches are named colors, tints, gradients, and patterns. The swatches associated with a document appear in the
Swatches palette. In addition, you can open libraries of swatches from other Illustrator documents and various color
systems. Swatch libraries appear in separate palettes and are not saved with the document.
The Swatches palette and swatch library palettes can contain the following types of swatches:
Process colors A process color is printed using a combination of the four standard process inks: cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black. By default, Illustrator defines new swatches as process colors. (See “About process colors” on
page 190.)
Global process colors A global color is automatically updated throughout your artwork when you edit it. All spot
colors are global; however, process colors can be either global or local. You can identify global color swatches by the
global color icon (when the palette is in list view) or a triangle in the lower corner (when the palette is in
thumbnail view).
Spot colors A spot color is a premixed ink that is used instead of, or in addition to, CMYK process inks. You can
identify spot-color swatches by the spot-color icon (when the palette is in list view) or a dot in the lower corner
(when the palette is in thumbnail view). (See “About spot colors” on page 191.)
Tints A tint is a global process color or spot color with a modified intensity. Tints of the same color are linked
together, so that if you edit a tint swatch, all associated tint swatches (and the objects painted with those swatches)
are also changed. Tint swatches are identified by a percentage (when the palette is in list view).
Gradients A gradient is a graduated blend between two or more colors or tints of the same color. Gradient colors
can be assigned as CMYK process colors, RGB colors, or a spot color.
Patterns Patterns are repeating (tiled) paths, compound paths, or text with solid fills or no fill, or are designed from
scratch with any of the tools in Illustrator.
None The None swatch removes the stroke or fill from an object. You can’t edit or remove this swatch.
Registration The registration swatch is a built-in swatch that causes objects filled or stroked with it to print on
every separation from a PostScript printer. For example, registration marks use the Registration color so that
printing plates can be aligned precisely on a press. You can’t remove this swatch.
Note: If you use the Registration color for type, and then you separate the file and print it, the type may not register
properly and the black ink may appear muddy. To avoid this, use black ink instead for type.
About swatch libraries
Swatch libraries are collections of preset colors, including PANTONE®, HKS, Trumatch, FOCOLTONE, DIC, TOYO,
and web colors. To open a swatch library, select it from the Window > Swatch Libraries submenu or the Open Swatch
Library submenu in the Swatches palette menu.
When you open a swatch library, it appears in a new palette (not the Swatches palette). You select, sort, and view
swatches in a swatch library the same as you do in the Swatches palette. However, you can’t add swatches to, delete
swatches from, or edit the swatches in swatch libraries.
To make a swatch library appear each time Illustrator is started, select Persistent from the swatch library’s palette
menu.
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