11 - How to Set Up Color Swatches & Use Pantone in Adobe Illustrator for Print Consistency
Swatches are the best way to manage color in your design and can save you a lot of headaches when it comes to printing. In Episode 11 of the Coaster Factory Design Series, we walk you through setting up color swatches in Adobe Illustrator.
💡 Why do swatches matter? The real power is control: change a color in one place, and every single element updates automatically. Swatches prevent your artwork from having slightly different shades of the same color.
🎨 Process vs. spot colors explained: We explain the difference between Process colors (printed with the standard four inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black ) and Spot colors (special, pre-mixed inks for exact brand colors ). We cover why Pantone is the most widely used system for managing spot colors , acting like a recipe for printers. Crucially: Unless your job is run with spot inks, your Pantone colors will be converted to a CMYK version matched as closely as possible.
✅ Our Advice: Always use swatches when building designs. Understand how the background tint of the substrate (like your coaster material) always affects the final color. Trust your printer to adjust for the ink, stock, and press to get the closest possible match in the real world.
🔗 Connect with Coaster Factory: Ready to print? Get a quote for your custom coasters: https://www.coasterfactory.com/reques...
Watch another helpful design-tip video in the series: • 06 - Image Resolution Explained: Includes ...
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