I Think I'm So Close

[cornfed]

Ok, bear with me here! I was poking around the intertubes yesterday and found this script.
http://blog.gilbertconsulting.com/2007/04/adobe-swatch-exchange-ase-files.html

It's the swatch-switch script. Here's the text describing this script from the site.

InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop CS2 and CS3 all support the exchange of colors via ASE files. In other words, you can easily use colors you've created in Illustrator in an InDesign project, or colors you've created in Photoshop in an Illustrator project, or vice versa. Here's how:
1. In any of these three applications, select the colors in the Swatches palette that you want to exchange.
2. In the Swatches palette or Swatches panel menu of InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop, choose the following:
InDesign CS2: Save Swatches for Exchange
InDesign CS3: Save Swatches
Illustrator CS2: Save Swatches for Exchange
Illustrator CS3: Save Swatch Library as ASE
Photoshop CS2/CS3: Save Swatches for ExchangeThis will create a small .ASE file that you can store wherever is convenient. Then, to use these colors in another InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop project:
1. Choose one of the following from the Swatches palette or Swatches panel menu in InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop:
InDesign CS2/CS3: Load Swatches
Illustrator CS2/CS3: Open Swatch Library: Other Library
Photoshop CS2/CS3: Load Swatches2. Navigate to where you previously saved the ASE file, and select it. The colors you saved in the ASE file will be loaded into your swatches palette, ready for you to use.
Swatches in any color model (CMYK, RGB, PANTONE, etc.) can be saved and exchanged between projects in this manner. Tints of colors and gradient or pattern swatches cannot be saved as ASE files.

This script comes in handy for me because at the last minute, just before we go to press, we'll have to change a lot of ads so that they land on a spot red page rather than a full color page. If someone buys an ad and specifies a blue color, they may not get that blue color if their ad lands on a spot red page. I've gotten the script to work and am terribly impressed.

Here's where I feel I'm so close. If I have to change an ad to red, then the colors change just fine in Indesign using this script. However, I want the illustrator art to change as well. One thing I did was name all the colors in my test ad the same thing as the colors in illustrator. My hope was that once I swapped out the .ase files and replaced my colors in Indesign, then because the colors had the same name in illustrator, it would replace those too. But, that didn't happen. So, I tried to sort of work backwards by building my .ase file out of illustrator and loading it into indesign. While that works, it means that the artwork has to be the color the ad will end up being - in this test case, either blue or red. I also tried to load the script in Illustrator, but it didn't work. Can't blame a girl for trying. So, my question is: Does anyone know of a way that I can streamline this process so that all I have to do is switch out the .ase files in Indesign? One option that I thought of was to have multiple colors of the art - in this case, lets say a logo - set to a variety of swatch options in illustrator and then choose whichever color I wanted from that file to be in the ad. Then, based on the color of the logo, load the corresponding .ase file in InDesign. But, that means I have to have multiple color versions of the same art and thats not always practical. Anyone have a better way? I feel I'm so close and perhaps am just missing one or two steps.

[cornfed]

I do hereby solemnly swear to continue to bump this thread until the miracle person that knows what I'm doing wrong stumbles upon it.

[Sweet Tee]

I would help you out Cornfed, but since I sit next to you, I kind am stumped too :o

It'll be great when it's figured out though, it's such a pain changing colors on ads last minute! Thanks for trying to better the process!

[Disallowed]

Just out of curiosity - Is this a genuine SPOT colour (red or blue ink), or a CMYK spot colour (C+M=blue M+Y=red)?

I know and can understand what you're saying, but I can't help you with the transferring/changes in InDesign and Illustrator.
However, SURELY somebody at the next step of production (editorial/production pre-press) can make those changes (B to R or CM to MY) using their software just before the RIP process is initiated on the formes?

How long does it take you following the kind of processes you've outlined above? Before the plates are made, in pre-press, it should take about 20-30 seconds per forme to change spot colours.



(Sorry I don't have the answer you want, but I thought I'd still throw in my 2cents worth anyway!) ;)

[cornfed]

I'm referring to them as spot colors, but they are using the magenta or yellow plate for the spot plate. So, yes its a genuine spot color ink, but it's plate is generated off of a cmyk file with nothing on the cyan plate.

Given that the only spot color we run is red, if an ad is going to run red, then it has to have either 100m or 100y or a tint of either. So, prepress can't change the ads. If an ad doesn't get switched to a spot red, then it is actually a cmyk file - if a customer has purchased a one color ad, that color can be any combination of cmyk. However, if they don't purchase a guarantee on their color, then they are at risk for being bumped to a spot red page and their color is red. So, changing out an ad isn't as simple as it would seem! You're looking at having to manually change out colors, manually change out art, etc. The process doesn't take that long but when 15 ads are going to red, then it becomes a long time! I would love to streamline this process. I don't know why. I'm not even the one that has to change out the majority of these ads. I just like to work at a well oiled machine and have all processes streamlined. I don't know why. It's just how I am.