InDesign color palette in numerical order??

[Bobbigirl]

How can I make my InDesign color palette to appear in numerical order?

Also, why do I have 3 different versions of 1 color? From importing eps images? How can I avoid this?

[Broacher]

Q1: Ctrl (or Mac Cmnd) drag the swatch names to order them. Is there another more 'auto-sorting' way? Hmm.... gee, I don't know!

Q2: Yes, it is from importing EPS images. It's been a thorn in ID's otherwise stellar performance that removing placed, but unwanted spot colours is still not an easy task. And this happens even when you remove the EPS graphic that brought the spot colour into the document in the first place. Still, you can use the Ink Manager (accessible through the colour palette's little triangle) and assign aliases to the other copies of the color to a master color. Or, you can do the synchronization trick, which I understand has the potential to become a prepress pothole on some RIPs.

[Bobbigirl]

This is still something irritating the crap out of me. I thought I'd bring it up again and see if anyone has come across any solutions...

It just seems like it should be easier than what's suggested above -- not that I don't appreciate the wonderful feedback, broacher... :)

[Eggles1]

It just seems like it should be easier than what's suggested above -- not that I don't appreciate the wonderful feedback, broacher... :)

Check the spot colours associated with the EPSs before bringing them into ID?

[PrintDriver]

Which Illustrator did you create the eps in? Which version did you update the design in?

Best thing to do is update all your palette colors in the highest version of Illustrator before bringing the image into Indesign.

[Bobbigirl]

That would take A LOT of time to convert all of our icons to CMYK in Illustrator. And it makes sense to do that...

BUT... I really like working in ID... why, oh why, can't the swatch palette in ID be as easy to use as Quark's??? When you have PMS 186 in your Quark Swatch Palette, and you bring in an image that already has PMS 186, it doesn't create a new swatch!

Is this something ID is going to fix?

What about an easy way to get the colors in some sort of order -- besides having to manually go in and sort them?

Blah... am I just being really lazy, or is this something others are experiencing to be very annoying??

[Bobbigirl]

Which Illustrator did you create the eps in? Which version did you update the design in?

Best thing to do is update all your palette colors in the highest version of Illustrator before bringing the image into Indesign.

We are using CS in all versions. We aren't using CS2 yet.

Sorry, previous post is in response to Eggles1's post.

[jimking]

To help you organize your colors in Illy and indesign, go to your color swatch pallet, in the drop down menu "Select all unused" then remove or hit the trash can icon on the pallet.

[Bobbigirl]

That's something that I do often. I need to get my colors in numerical or some sort of order.

Why do the colors just go to the bottom of the swatches palette when added? I like how they automatically run in numerical/alphabetical order in Quark.

Is there a script or anything for ID so that this can be done?

[rickself]

Why do the colors just go to the bottom of the swatches palette when added? I like how they automatically run in numerical/alphabetical order in Quark.
In Quark, how do you reassign a name to a color that is already in the pallette? If you have Pantone 123 U and Pantone 123 CV, you can't change the name of either to the other name...you get the message that that color is already in use. At least in InDesign you can assign the alias name.

[PrintDriver]

Let's not argue about InD and Quark. Use one or the other.

When you import your eps, do you get a question box that says something like "Pantone xxx cvc matches Pantone xxx c. Do you want to replace..."?

Are you using icons created in version 9 or less but updated in 10 or CS? Are you using spot or process or a mix? I can get InD to see both CVC and C colors. If this is what you mean?

[rickself]

Sorry, PD, didn't mean it to come out as an argument. I guess I was just backing the point that you CAN assign the alias in ID as it works now.

[Bobbigirl]

Why would I have 123U and 123C in the same file, though?

Anyway...

Here's our process: We have a red shirt. We match the red of the shirt to a Pantone Process color. We then give that shirt a color dot in our catalog and fill it with that specific Pantone color. Let's say PMS186. When we add the color to the palette in Quark or ID, we select that specific spot color, then change it right away to a process color, but keep the name as PMS186 so it's easy to pick up for later jobs.

2 problems:

1. They just pile up at the end of the palette, so when I want to use that same color for a different shirt, for example, I have to scroll through a mess to find the right PMS color instead of just scrolling down a numerical list to 186.

2. When I bring in my eps images or any other block of color dots, ID adds an additional 186, and I find it frustrating to try and pick up a color when there's 10 copies of it.

[Bobbigirl]

When you import your eps, do you get a question box that says something like "Pantone xxx cvc matches Pantone xxx c. Do you want to replace..."?

Are you using icons created in version 9 or less but updated in 10 or CS? Are you using spot or process or a mix? I can get InD to see both CVC and C colors. If this is what you mean?

Yes, I do get the message that asks me if I'd like to replace, and it seems as though which ever option I choose (yes or no) the duplicate color still comes in.

The icons may be originally done in 10 and we now have CS. Could that be the problem?

I do see both C and CVC colors in both Quark and ID. It's just that... Ahh, forget it. I'll just deal with it. I'm just frustrated.

Simply put, I don't like InDesign's Swatch Palette. It's not very user-friendly. I just don't like having PMS 186 C, PMS 186 C2, PMS 186 C3, etc...

See image -- it was just something I didn't have to worry about, now it is.

I appreciate all the feedback you all gave. Thank you (really -- I'm not being sarcastic... I just HATE Mondays!)

[PrintDriver]

The funny thing about cvc colors is they are obsolete and could only come from v8 (or 9 on a PC unless someone knew how to load them in v10, which you can do). Their cmyk formulas are no longer valid. While some of them are the same, quite a few of them were changed by Pantone in 2000.

If you are having this separated, your printer will hate you, I think. If it's going to large format, you will probably get a different color for every cvc and c you have. It's quite irksome but we have to check for it in preflight.

I don't know how you are getting the 2's and 3's. I couldn't make my InD do that and I tried really hard. You on a PC by any chance?

[Bobbigirl]

No, and I honestly don't know how I'm getting those either.

But the way we bring in colors, I guess it wouldn't suprise me. We generally will copy over a copy block that has sometimes 15 different color dots grouped with it, so those colors come in with it.

Ah, it's a mess... fortunately, we do have a really good relationship with our printer, and we speak with them often about issues and such, and this one hasn't come up yet. I will be sure to talk to them about it. Maybe they have a suggestion, too.

Thanks for the input.