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Color libraries installed with InDesign

InDesign installs color libraries for the color matching systems described below. You can install additional color libraries and load swatches from them in InDesign.

DIC Color

Provides 1280 CMYK spot colors from the DIC Process Color Note. Colors may be matched against the DIC Color Guide, published by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc. For more information, contact Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan.

Focoltone

Consists of 763 CMYK colors. You can use Focoltone colors to help avoid prepress trapping and registration problems by viewing the Focoltone charts that show the overprints that make up the colors.

A swatch book with specifications for process and spot colors, overprint charts, and a chip book for marking up layouts are available from Focoltone. For more information, contact Focoltone International, Ltd., in Stafford, United Kingdom.

HKS

Use when your job specifies colors from the HKS color system, which is used in Europe.

PANTONE®

PANTONE® Colors are the worldwide standards for spot color reproduction. In 2000, a major revision was made to the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® Color guides. 147 new solid colors and seven additional metallic colors have been added to the System to now include a total of 1,114 colors. PANTONE Color guides and chip books are now printed on coated, uncoated, and matte paper stocks to ensure accurate visualization of the printed result and better on-press control.

You can print a solid PANTONE Color in CMYK. To compare a solid PANTONE Color to its closest process color match, use the PANTONE solid to process guide. The CMYK screen tint percentages are printed under each color. The guide is now printed on a brighter coated stock and includes comparisons of the 147 new solid colors to CMYK.

PANTONE process guides let you choose from over 3,000 process combinations now printed on coated and uncoated stocks. Displayed in chromatic order in fan-guide format, it's easy to select colors and specify CMYK screen values.

For more information, contact Pantone, Inc., in Carlstadt, New Jersey, U.S.A.

System (Windows)

Includes 256 colors of the Windows default 8‑bit panel, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB colors.

System (Mac OS)

Includes 256 colors of the Mac OS default 8‑bit panel, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB colors.

Toyo Color Finder 1050

Consists of more than 1,000 colors based on the most common printing inks used in Japan. The TOYO Color Finder 1050 Book contains printed samples of Toyo colors and is available from printers and graphic arts supply stores. For more information, contact Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd., in Tokyo, Japan.

Trumatch

Provides predictable CMYK color matching with over 2000 achievable, computer-generated colors. Trumatch colors cover the visible spectrum of the CMYK gamut in even steps. The Trumatch Color Finder displays up to 40 tints and shades of each hue, each originally created in four-color process and each reproducible in four colors on electronic imagesetters. In addition, four-color grays using different hues are included. For more information, contact Trumatch Inc., in New York, New York, U.S.A.

Web

Includes the 216 RGB web‑safe colors most often used by web browsers to display 8‑bit images. This library helps you create artwork for the web using colors that display consistently across Windows and Macintosh systems.

Comments

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Comments

No screen name said on Nov 17, 2007 at 7:47 AM :

Where are the Pantone Swatch libraries in InDesign CS3...? They've
always been in Windows >Swatch Libraries. They're not there. There not
in the Swatch menu. There's NOTHING in your documentation that says
where/how to load them.

Bob - Adobe Writer said on Nov 19, 2007 at 3:25 PM :

The PANTONE swatches should be installed by default. Follow the instructions in the topic before this one, "Load swatches from predefined custom color libraries." In the New Color Swatch dialog box, are you able to see PANTONE colors in the Color Mode drop-down list?

No screen name said on Nov 19, 2007 at 3:40 PM :

This is in response to Bob...

I have a "Load Swatches" option within the Swatch Palette Menu--which
sends me to look for a file. I don't see the "Load swatches from predefined
custom color libraries" option you mention. Is it in the swatch palette? On
the "Windows" pulldown? Or somewhere else...? I'm in InDesign 5.0.

Bob - Adobe Writer said on Nov 19, 2007 at 3:48 PM :

The "Load swatches from predefined ..." is the name of the help topic you need to look at to see whether your PANTONE colors appear. Try this:

1. Choose New Color Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.
2. In the New Color Swatch dialog, click the Color Mode drop-down list. Do you see PANTONE colors? If not, we're troubleshoot it further.

No screen name said on Jan 28, 2008 at 10:00 AM :

I'm having a frustrating issue where select Pantone colors disappear from both layout and pdf export. This is occurring when I replace 294 CVU with 294 U. When I do, suddenly all text and shape objects disappear when you view them in "overprint" mode (which accurately demonstrates that they will also disappear from file exports); and when I change that color value within Photoshop duotone .eps files, the revised duotone images disappear completely from all InDesign view modes.

Any clue as to what's happening here? A co-worker opening the files using the same installation on a different system (XP; I'm using Vista) has the same issue.

Is it a corrupt color? Other uncoated colors are working fine!

sammydyer said on Mar 6, 2008 at 3:10 AM :

i also want to import swatches but i want to have the whole single swatch library so i can pick colours as i see them rather than going through the panel to pick individual colours
sam

No screen name said on May 14, 2008 at 6:08 AM :

Here is cool trick: if you want to work with the Pantone Solid Coated colors (for example) with no document opened, go in Swatch menu>NewColor Swatch select Color Mode> Pantone Solide Coated and then select all colors and clik Add button. Now your swatch palette will have those colors everytime you open InDesign. Of course, you can do that for every color mode you want.

Susan_in_sj said on May 15, 2008 at 2:30 PM :

I agree with other users that it is helpful to have an entire Pantone library
available in one palette to select from (as you can in Illustrator). Also, I think
the interface for accessing the swatch libraries is cumbersome.

No screen name said on Aug 15, 2008 at 4:11 PM :

I am preparing a newsletter in InDesign CS3 and used last year's as a template. It is a 2-color job, with black and a spot color. I would like to change the spot color and substitute another. Is this possible to do without going in to style sheets and changing everything manually? There are lots of duotones too.

I could not find anything on this in help.

Bob - Adobe Writer said on Aug 15, 2008 at 5:47 PM :

When you delete a spot color, you're prompted to replace it with a different color. Make sure you back up your document first and create the new spot color before you delete the old one.

No screen name said on Aug 26, 2008 at 11:39 AM :

When converting Pantone spot colors to RGB or CMYK in InDesign, I've noticed that the color values are different than those specified for color mode conversion in Pantone's "Color Bridge". Why is this? Can this be fixed and/or is this going to have a material effect on my work?

marcie1978 said on Oct 31, 2008 at 1:42 AM :

you have to follow the instructions found on this document:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=332999