Neverside

What is Spot Color Transparency Alert message

I?ve created artwork in illustrator using a pantone color which includes gradients and opacity differences as well as 2 linked TIFF files. When I try to save it I get the following message:

?When spot colors are used with transparency, changing them to process colors outside of Illustrator can generate unexpected results"

My choices are then to ?proceed? or ?don?t save?.

I?m not all that familiar with the colors so I?m wondering what it is that I have done to create this error. How can I fix it if it may not print exactly as I intend?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

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I believe that it has to do with the printing process.

Pantone colors are used to make sure that the printer gets the color right.

In this case, using transparency with pantone makes it look slightly different from the intended color, so if sent to a printer it might not be able to read it properly, printing the color with full opacity or not printing it at all.

If you are going to send it for printing, then you should use a lighter version of the pantone, without transparency.

If its not for printing purposes, I don't understand why you used pantone in the first place.

Thanks Malephika!

I am sending this to be printed.

I guess without knowing too much information about color, I had thought that using different opacities of a pantone color to create different looks would reduce the cost (only using one color) and that it was acceptable.

Is there anything I can do to ensure the printer is able to print the different opacities?

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That depends on the printer (some accept it, others more or less, others don't even know what is happening in your file).

If you are using pantone than you are probably going to have it printed outside (otherwise you could just use cmyk for your own printer), which means that the best thing to do is to call the place and ask them what you can and cannot use in your file. Those people are most likely to know the answer, as not everyone work with this type of printer anyway.

I'm sorry I cannot be of any more help.

i worked at a print shop for a while and have never seen transparencies in spot colors. i only change the opacity. transparency and opacity serve two different functions.

transparency is used if you have a graphic that you want to be able to see underneath another one (like the msn butterfly). but that area where they meet creates another color. one that is not available in the original pantone formula. this is why it doesn't work for printing. if it absolutely has to be transparent, you're better off using cmyk.

opacity is used to create gradients of a spot color or screens.

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