Spot Colors

In the Spot Colors panel, you have the option to include spot colors, which can encompass technical separations, metallic inks, white backing, as well as traditional spot colors like Pantones.

To add a Spot Color click "+" and a Custom Color window is displayed.

This will show the mapped in gamut color and the Delta E color difference. You can manually change the Lab value or the CMYK Sliders to change the color. (Or CMYKOV sliders if you have a suitable ECG profile).

To remove a color, click "-"and a warning is displayed as below:

Preferences

You can change your preferences under the File menu. Here you can choose whether to calculate Delta E using the CIE 1976 standard or the CIE 2000 standard. You can also choose your tolerance for the out of gamut warning to be triggered.

Other Actions

To import a .tcb or .cxf file with a list of spot colors, click "Import." A new dialog, "Import Spot Colors," will be displayed, allowing the user to browse for the .tcb or .cxf file and select the colors they want to add.

 import a .tcb or .cxf file with a list of spot colors, click "Import." A new dialog, "Import Spot Colors," will be displayed, allowing the user to browse for the .tcb or .cxf file and select the colors they want to add..:

Once imported, all the spots in the TCB or CXF file are listed as below.

Select the colors to be imported and click "Import".

All selected colors are imported and if a color is out of gamut then a warning triangle is displayed. If you place your cursor over the triangle the delta E or color difference value is displayed to show you how far out of gamut it is.

If you select a color and right click, you have the option to “Rename Color”, “Change Color”, “Convert to Process Color” or “Replace with In Gamut Color”.

To export a .tcb file, click on "Export TCB".

3D Gamut View: 

It allows the user to view the gamut of the ICC that is being used.

Click the checkbox of a color entry to show/hide the color in the 3D view; click the checkbox of "Spot Colors" to show/hide all spot colors in 3D view.

Ignored Spots:

1. Add a Spot Color to be Ignored:

   • Click the '+' button in the Ignored Spot Colors section.

2. Delete an Existing Spot Color:

   • Select the spot color you want to remove from the RIP.
   • Click the '-' button to delete the selected spot color.

This will affect how the new jobs are shown in the waiting queue, what spots are shown in the job editor and what spots are printed.

Spot Variations Chart

This Tool provides a systematic approach for printing technicians to edit spot colors efficiently. By following these steps, you can achieve accurate color adjustments and enhance the quality of your printed materials.

This involves printing a reference patch of the original spot color along with adjacent patches that incorporate variations in cyan and magenta (or yellow) process color inks to achieve the desired ink mix.

The workflow consists of printing the original spot color and then introducing a small amount of cyan, magenta, or yellow to create the desired ink mix. The technician can compare this patch with the reference they are attempting to match. Once satisfied with the match, they proceed to adjust the spot color to reflect the CMYK values corresponding to the created patch.

The user has the flexibility to add or subtract up to three inks from an extended gamut ink set, excluding black.

Select on a desired Spot and click on the icon for Spot Grid Table 

Choose any 3 colors from the list and a preview of the patches to be printed will be displayed, showing variations in color according to your selected parameters.

Increment: 

• Default 5% 
• Increment or decrement values -  0.1% (one decimal place) 

Click on Print and the PDF will be sent to the SPC's waiting queue.