Using pantones in CMYK work

[Patrick Shannon]

It's been a few years since I've done prepress, so I've had to blow the dust off my press experience as I've been designated as a prepress "proofer" for the print department.

Today I got a job in InDesign CS3 where he designer had used Pantone swatches instead of CMYK colors (it is being printed out in CMYK). From what I remember, I used to convert the colors to CMYK in those situations, although I don't think I had to do that a lot as I never, ever used pantones in my own work that was intended for CMYK.

But I come from a pickier era where I never sent in linked Photoshop files (eps files with clipping masks), for example. Do you think it's necessary to convert those pantones over to CMYK values in the document today? (PrintDriver, looking especially at you ;) )

[urstwile]

I would convert them. Not only would I convert them but I'd also double check that the conversion was in line with what they were supposed to be, as opposed to what the program converted them to. It's annoying that Photoshop, Illustrator and Photoshop will often convert the same Pantone to a different CMYK percentage, and then throw Quark in the mix, and you might also get something different on that score.

Bottom line, if I'm sending something out as CMYK, I don't want to see any plates other than 4 in my final files. And I'll hunt those puppies down until I'm satisfied.

[budafist]

There is a easy button - should you choose to go down that road. I use it all the time - we do a proof of course to make sure the client is happy with the conversion and then we match to the proof.

Just tick "Convert spots to process" in the Ink Manager.

Sometimes it seems like it is too easy though...

[urstwile]

Yup, there is the button, of course, Buda.

It hurts my due-diligence pride to use it however. So I avoid it. I'm kind of anal-retentive that way though. :)

[Patrick Shannon]

Haha, completely forgot to do separation print to check it (hits head), doy...that's how long I've been out of it.

Yeah, was worried I was being too anal retentive, but hey, better safe than sorry I guess.