converting CMYK colour to spot colour tints

[inferlogic]

Hi All,
I am a designer in the packaging field, I mainly use pantone spot colours with the occasional use of CMYK. I have recieved an artwork from a client with the main background being a pantone spot colour but he has a watermark on his design that is obviously a tint of the background colour, the problem is that the tint is in CMYK mode, how do i make it so that i convert that to the closest match in pantone with it being a tint rather than using a different pantone? I use adobe illustrator

thanks for any help.

[PrintDriver]

If you are using Illustrator, select the watermark and apply the pms color to it at the tint you want it to be. Use a copy of the original as a go-by. It probably won't be exact.
Am I not getting your question?

[SpugNothuson]

If you're sure that the watermark was originally a tint of the Pantone the way I use to bring it back to that at the correct tint percentage is to convert the Solid Pantone into CMYK and examine its values.

e.g. Pantone 313 breaks down to 100/0/8/13

If the tint you're trying to bring back to a pantone tint has 40% Cyan in it, I make it 40% of Pantone 313.

That make sense?

[panzer]

what your asking for i cant think can be done your asking for a tint of a pantone but you dont want that pantone to have a different pantone number
nor do you want its cmyk equilivent :(
you have to go with the tint made from the pantone, im afraid m8 i think thats what your asking anyway i could be wrong i usually am

what about lowering the opacity ??

will this give you the right tint ???

[panzer]

cos this is what we used to do on the litho jobs
to keep the colours down we would use lower opacity
(tranpsparency )

[inferlogic]

in my job we are limited to how many pantone colours we use. so for example I am designing a bag with pantone violet background, and on this background is a lilac pale logo. i know that the logo is a tint of the pantone but it only has CMYK properties, is there a way so illustrator can make it the closest shade by tinting the logo in pantone violet, instead of guessing the tint and having a shade of lilac thats totaly different from what the client wants?

thanks

[SpugNothuson]

Sounds like you need to use my original idea. Post #3.

To find out what tint of Pantone the CMYK section was, also change a section of Solid Pantone into CMYK. Then using maths, figure out what the tint's percentage is. Use the highest percentage of the value to figure this out.

e.g.1 Solid Pantone 313 converted into CMYK gives C100 M0 Y8 K13.
Cyan is the highest value. What is the value of Cyan in the CMYK tint (the one you're trying to bring back to a Pantone)? Say it is C20. Make it a 20% tint of Pantone 313. Job done to the best guestimation you'll get.

e.g.2 Solid Pantone 3424 converted into CMYK gives C43 M0 Y24 K0.
Cyan is the highest value. What is the value of Cyan in the CMYK tint (the one you're trying to bring back to a Pantone)? Say it is C10. Now what is the percentage value of 10 inrelation to 43? Here comes the maths, take 100 divide that by the solid value 43 now times that by the tint value 10. The answer is the percentage value you need to give the tint when recoulered into the Pantone Colour 3424.
To shorten it is (100/solid value)*tint value

[inferlogic]

Makes sence to me and you made very clear examples. I understand 100% thanks Spugnothuson for taking the time to reply.

[SpugNothuson]

No problem.

It's not always perfect but its the best guestimation you'll get. :)

[panzer]

if you want a lighter tint say of pantone relflex blue you would lower the opacity ????????

[SpugNothuson]

if you want a lighter tint say of pantone relflex blue you would lower the opacity ????????

I would personally lower the tint value. When you start to lower the opacity for such changes you bring transparency into the document. I only use transparency effects when it is essential.

[PrintDriver]

Right.
A tint is still a "solid" color.
Opacity allows anything below to show through.