InDesign CS5 Help - Adobe

USING INDESIGN
Color
Edit a swatch
You can change individual attributes of a swatch by using the Swatch Options dialog box. Additional options are
available when editing mixed ink swatches and mixed ink groups.
1 In the Swatches panel, select a swatch, and do one of the following:
Double-click the swatch.
Choose Swatch Options in the Swatches panel menu.
2 Adjust settings as desired, and click OK.
Control swatch names
By default, the name of a process color swatch is derived from the values of the color’s components. For example, if
you create a red process color using 10% cyan, 75% magenta, 100% yellow, and 0% black, its swatch will be named
C=10 M=75 Y=100 K=0 by default. This makes it easier to identify the composition of process colors.
By default, the name of a process color swatch automatically updates when you change its CMYK values; you can
switch this option off or on for individual swatches as needed. As with any swatch you define, you can change the name
of a process color swatch at any time.
1 Double-click a process color in the Swatches panel.
2 Do one of the following, and click OK:
To let InDesign rename the swatch when you adjust its CMYK percentages, make sure that the Name With Color
Value option is selected.
To rename a swatch when you adjust its CMYK values, make sure that the Name With Color Value option is
deselected.
Note: The new swatch is automatically renamed New Color Swatch (this has a number following it if more than one New
Color Swatch exists) when this option is deselected. You can change this name manually.
Delete individual swatches
When you delete a swatch that has been applied to an object in the document, InDesign prompts you for a replacement
swatch. You can designate an existing or unnamed swatch. If you delete a swatch used as the basis of a tint or mixed
ink, you will be prompted to choose a replacement.
1 Select one or more swatches.
2 Do one of the following:
Choose Delete Swatch in the Swatches panel menu.
Click the Delete icon at the bottom of the Swatches panel.
Note: You cannot delete spot colors that are used by placed graphics in the document. To delete these colors, you must
first delete the graphic. However, in rare cases the spot color cannot be removed even though the graphic has been
removed. In such instances, use File > Export to create an InDesign Markup (IDML) file. Then re-open that file in
InDesign.
3 InDesign asks you how to replace the swatch you’re deleting. Do one of the following, and click OK:
To replace all instances of the swatch with another swatch, click Defined Swatch, and choose a swatch in the menu.
To replace all instances of the swatch with an equivalent unnamed color, click Unnamed Swatch.
Last updated 11/16/2011
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