CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 Guidebook

Chapter 6: Color Basics | 77

Spot colors

Often, spot colors are custom premixed inks
that require separate printing plates. Spot
colors are often used in addition to process
colors. For example, you can add a spot color
to a CMYK project if that color cannot be
reproduced by using CMYK values.

You can choose a spot color from any of the
spot-color palettes that appear in the Palette
libraries folder of the Color palette
manager docker. Examples of these spot-color
palettes are PANTONE®, HKS®, and TOYO.

The spot-color palettes are stored in the Spot folder of
the Color palette manager docker.

Tips on using process and spot colors

If you need help in deciding how to use spot
colors and process colors in your project,
consider the following:

• To minimize printing costs, use process
  colors for projects that contain multiple
  colors, and spot colors for projects that
  contain very few colors.

•If you need to print a specific color

accurately (for example, the color of a

corporate logo in a brochure), use a spot

color instead of a process color.

• Remember that although you can define
  process colors by using RGB values, the
  printed output will use CMYK inks.
  Because the colors are converted from RGB
  to CMYK before ink is applied to the paper,
  a shift in color may result.

Choosing colors

CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT provide

various tools and features to help you choose

the best colors for your projects. You can

choose colors from any of the palettes,

viewers, harmonies, and eyedropper tools that

are available with the following workspace

components:

• color palettes


• Object properties docker (CorelDRAW)


• Color styles docker (CorelDRAW)


• Uniform fill dialog box


• Color docker


• Color eyedropper tool (CorelDRAW)


• Eyedropper tool (Corel PHOTO-PAINT)

Color palettes

The default color palette in CorelDRAW or

Corel PHOTO-PAINT provides 99 color

swatches that are based on the color mode of

your document or image. Each color swatch in

turn provides numerous shades and tones

from which to choose.

To fill an object with color in CorelDRAW,

select the object, and click a color on the

color palette.