Graphic designers often assign specific spot colors–which are simply colored ink–to shapes and layers in the process of creating illustrations in Adobe Illustrator CS4. These colors may look different from one computer screen to another, but their unique values ensure consistent appearance when printing illustrations with an offset or digital printing press. While assigning spot colors in Illustrator is relatively simple and straightforward, separating out spot colors when preparing a file for print involves several less obvious steps.
1. Open your Illustrator CS4 file. Select “File” at the top of the screen, then click “Print.” Locate the field near the top of the dialog box labeled “Printer.” Click the drop-down menu and choose the “Adobe PDF” option.
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Step 2
Locate the section in the Print dialog box labeled “Media.” Click the Size drop-down menu and select the “Custom” media size. Make room for printer’s marks by increasing the width and height by half an inch (roughly 100 pixels) in the corresponding fields below.
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Step 3
Locate the submenu on the left-hand side of the Print dialog box. Select the menu option labeled “Marks and Bleed.” Check the box labeled “All Printer’s Marks.” This allows your separations to be registered and labeled.
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Step 4
Select the “Output” option in the Print dialog box submenu. Locate the drop-down menu labeled “Mode” and select “Separations.” The spot colors you created for your illustration appear in the Document Ink Options box below with a printer icon next to their names.
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Step 5
Click the “Print” button at the bottom of the Print dialog box. Each page of your PDF contains an individual spot color for your illustration, registered and labeled for printing.