find the spot color

[calebm12]

so, i made the mistake of making some of my brochure with spot colors. so i selected cmyk alernatives and went through layer by layer replacing colors. however, in my swatch window when i go to "select unused colors" it is claiming i am still using the spot color somehwere in the document. i have gone through it several times and cant find it. is there a way to search for it and have the layer that contains it be highlighted or something??
c

[budafist]

If you are using Indesign, turn on separations preview
Window > Output > Separations preview
Change "view" from "off" to "separations"
Turn off the "eye" for all colours except for the spot colour in question.
Can you see anything on your document? Check all pages.
If your document is blank, you are probably safe.

[calebm12]

am using illy, but will try indesign now i guess

[hewligan]

Make sure all your layers are unlocked, and create a box with fill of the same spot colour you're trying to find.

Now do Select -> Same -> Fill colour, then delete.

Then create a box with a stroke colour of the spot you're using. Do Select -> Same -> Stroke Colour, then delete.

That should have killed it. Use select unused to check.

[Tsmalldon]

^^^^

I second this..........Works for me when fixing up old files someone else created incorrectly.

[calebm12]

perfect thanks

[PrintDriver]

Adobe likes to leave you guessing. First thing I do is Select>Object>Text Objects. That's how you find the little text start with the weird color. (another way is to view in Outline Mode but the little text start x's can be confused with object centers.)

Then I go through the swaps first by making sure everything is unlocked on ALL layers. Once you swap a color, do a Select Same and lock all pieces with that color. Keep doing this until your swaps are done. Then use command+A. You will either find some little bit of something in the odd color or you'll find that Illy has just wasted an hour of your time by not telling you that color is reeeeally not in use. Illy is stupid that way sometimes.

[Blanket_509]

Yeah sometimes it can be tricky to find a color that isn't even really there, or is hidden behind something. I was designing a full pg 4c print ad for a client recently and Indesign kept telling me that there was a spot red in the document. So I checked and rechecked only to find that whoever designed the client's logo had put a red circle BEHIND the logo, like they had tried something out and when the client didn't like it, instead of deleting it they just hid it by pushing it to the back. Man it took me 20 minutes to find that f'er.

[PrintDriver]

Had you done Hewligan's method, woulda taken 2 minutes. :D

[The_Black_Knight]

If you want to replace one named color with another named color, there's an even easier way than using the whole "Select Same..." method.

In the Illustrator swatches pallette, make sure that the color you want to keep appears before the color you want to get rid of. Then, select both swatches. Go to the flyout menu, and select "Merge Swatches."

Of course, if you're looking for unnamed colors to replace, then you have to use the "Select Same..." technique.

[panzer]

lol pd

nice explanation tho

[balou]

If you want to replace one named color with another named color, there's an even easier way than using the whole "Select Same..." method.

In the Illustrator swatches pallette, make sure that the color you want to keep appears before the color you want to get rid of. Then, select both swatches. Go to the flyout menu, and select "Merge Swatches."

Of course, if you're looking for unnamed colors to replace, then you have to use the "Select Same..." technique.

I learnded something new today! Thanks TBK

[The_Black_Knight]

I learnded something new today! Thanks TBKYou're welcome!

[The_Black_Knight]

I should note that both the "Select Same..." and "Merge Swatches" techniques have one caveat: if you have linked Photoshop files that contain spot channels, then InDesign and Illustrator won't replace them. You will then need to go into the Photoshop files and change the spot colors there.

[PrintDriver]

Illustrator has the Option Drag function too. Trouble is, it will change the color, but not the name. I highly recommend NOT using it.

[CkretAjint]

I had no idea about the merge function as well. And I am Illustrator junkie! :D

[The_Black_Knight]

I had no idea about the merge function as well. And I am Illustrator junkie! :DIt comes in very handy whenever I get those files from designers that include:

PMS300
300
300 CMYK
300 (cmyk)
PMS 300
PMS 300c
Pantone 300
Pantone 300 CVC
300 Logo
Pantone 300 UI can merge them all with the one color that I need them to be (Pantone 300 C) in a few seconds.

BTW, how do people actually send out files that are organized like this and actually expect them to print correctly? It's like begging the printer, "Please, please, make a mistake with my file, please!"

[Blanket_509]

Had you done Hewligan's method, woulda taken 2 minutes. :D

That's why this place is so great. I learn something new almost every time I check the forums!