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Create a spot color on the control panel

This topic contains the following instructions.

  • Create a new CMYK spot color

  • Create a new CIELAB spot color

  • Measure CIELAB spot color values

  • Add CMYK values to a spot color

  • Print a patch chart

What is a spot color

Spot colors realize a consistent color and are often used in logos and house style colors.

Below you find the instructions for creating a spot color on the control panel.

Go to the spot color editor

  1. Touch [System]  → [Color adjustment]  → [Edit spot color].

    Color adjustments
  2. To find a spot color, touch the [Search] button and enter a search string.

    [Search] button

Create a new [CMYK] spot color

  1. Press [Add].

  2. Enter a name for the spot color

    Add a spot color
  3. Use the [Input mode] setting to select [CMYK].

  4. Use the [Media family] drop-down list to select the media family - media print mode combination.

  5. Use the [Tint] setting to enter a tint value (%).

  6. Enter the C, M, Y, and K values in the [CMYK value] fields.

  7. Touch [OK].

    The spot color definition is stored in the custom spot color library.

Create a new [CIELAB] spot color

With the spot color measurement procedure, you measure three locations of a sample of the spot color. The printer calculates and returns the average Lab value and reports a E to indicate the differences. The reported E value is the largest difference between each individual measured value and the average of all measured values. A E larger than 3 means a large difference. In that case you are advised to measure the spot color again.

  1. Press [Add].

  2. Select [CIELAB].

    [CIELAB]
  3. Enter the [L*], [a*], and [b*] values in the [Lab] setting.

  4. Touch [OK].

    The spot color is stored in the custom spot color library.

Measure [CIELAB] spot color values

With the spot color measurement procedure, you measure three locations of a sample of the spot color. The printer calculates and returns the average Lab value and reports a E to indicate the differences. The reported E value is the largest difference between each individual measured value and the average of all measured values. A E larger than 3 means a large difference. In that case you are advised to measure the spot color again.

  1. Press [Add].

  2. Select [CIELAB].

    Measure Lab value
  3. Press [Start].

  4. Follow the wizard instructions how to measure the color.

    IMPORTANT

    If E is larger than 3, you are advised to measure the spot color again.

  5. Touch [OK].

    The spot color is stored in the custom spot color library.

Add [CMYK] values to a spot color

You can add [CMYK] values to a spot color to apply to a specific media family - media print mode combination.

  1. Select the spot color library and search the spot color.

    Search spot colors
  2. Select the spot color and touch [Edit].

  3. Press [Add].

    Edit spot color
  4. Use the [Media family] drop-down list to select the media family - media print mode combination.

    Select the media family
  5. Use the [Tint] setting to enter a tint value (%).

  6. Enter the C, M, Y, and K values in the [CMYK value] fields.

  7. Touch [OK].

  8. The new combination is listed.

    The [Old] color patch is the color rendering of the Lab definition. The [New] color patch shows the rendering of the CMYK values for the media family - media print mode combination.

    Old and new color patches
  9. Touch [OK].

Print a patch chart

To evaluate the CMYK values print a chart on media for the media family - media print mode combination.

Print patch chart
  1. Expand the [Patch chart] setting.

  2. Use the [Media] drop-down list to select the media for the media family - media print mode combination.

  3. Use the [Step size] setting to define the degree of patch variations.

  4. In the [Print patch chart] field, touch [Start].

More information