CorelDraw: Named colours

[Robin Springall]

Anybody know how to create a named spot colour in CorelDraw 11?
Thanks

[Steve Rindsberg]

A twisted mind designed the palettes in Draw. I'm not certain you can create your own named colors; you can give your own pet names to colors drawn from other spot palettes (Pantone, for example) and these appear on the palette, but on separation, they revert to the original names the colors are based on. I worked out the format for the original palette files a long time ago, but it's changed since; still, you might be able to make a copy of the (eg) PMS palette file and edit it to suit. Worth the trouble? Dunno.

Would it work to choose an arbitrary spot color and instruct the press operator to substitute (your chosen ink) for (name of arbitrary color)?

[Craig]

Go to Tools - Pallet Editor and Add New Color, use the mixer to make the color and name it. Pretty simple, you can make a custom pallet for each job if needed.

[Robin Springall]

Doesn't work for spot colours, sorry to say.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Anybody know how to create a named spot colour in CorelDraw 11?
Thanks
What???

You mean to tell me that I haven't lost my mind after all?

I can't tell you what a disappointment this is.

[Craig]

Doesn't work for spot colours, sorry to say.

I just did it with CoralDraw 10 and 12, I assumed it would be the same for 11. You have to add a custom spot color pallet, then make, name and add the colors to the pallet. When I went to print seperations they were on there own spot plates, not CMYK (even though the color was C-0, M-60, Y-100, K-0). While I was at it I also colored shapes using the custom spot colors and Pantone colors, all seperated to their correct plates.

I would assume that there would not be a change in CD11 with this, but I don't have CD11 to try it. Hope this helps a little!

[Robin Springall]

Can you describe how you create a custom spot colour palette in v10 for me please?
Thanks!

[Craig]

Can you describe how you create a custom spot colour palette in v10 for me please?
Thanks!

Lets give it try,
Click on tools, Palette Editor
Open Custom Spot Color Palette
Click Add Color or Click on a color and Click Edit Color
Use to CMYK or RGB Mixers to make the color, Name it (lower right)
and Click the bottom left Add To Palette

When the palette is displayed on the right and you hover your mouse over a color it will show whatever name you gave it. It will also seperate as that named color.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Craig, Thanks! It works in 11, except that the assigned name doesn't take for some reason. Whatever I call the color, I end up with "Ink (1) (1)" If I go to add more colors afterward, Draw either complains that the color's already in the palette (it's not) or agrees to add it, and on inspection I find that it's given it a name of its own choosing and changed it to some wildly different color.

This particular corner of Draw seems to be crawling with many-leggers. <g>

[Craig]

I am assuming you have any service packs installed? You could try to start-up Draw while holding F8 to re-set the workspace, (make sure you have saved your workspace first) sometimes I'll get a corrupt workspace which makes strange things happen.

Are you able to edit the colors and change the names?

[Robin Springall]

... Use the CMYK or RGB Mixers to make the color, Name it (lower right) and Click the bottom left Add To Palette
When I name the colour, CorelDraw 11 tries to find the nearest named colour that already exists, so won't let me name a new spot colour. Creating a new named CMYK colour is easy. Am I doing it all wrong again?

[Steve Rindsberg]

I am assuming you have any service packs installed? You could try to start-up Draw while holding F8 to re-set the workspace, (make sure you have saved your workspace first) sometimes I'll get a corrupt workspace which makes strange things happen.

Are you able to edit the colors and change the names?
I haven't checked for updates, but I think 11.633 is the currently up to date version; that's what I have. Good idea re the F8 restart. OK ... going there now.

See if I'm missing anything silly here:

Tools, Palette Editor
Click New Palette, give it a name and save (why take chances with the slobbery old one I've been chewing on all this time, right?)
Click Add color
Pick Models, CMYK, slide around the red a bit and settle on a color
Type "PinkieThing" in the Name box (it's a light red<g>)
Click Add to Palette then Close.
It's added a color called Pink to the palette and chosen its own CMYK values for it, not mine.

Try it again with the original palette saved from UserCustomColors. Same same.

Grrr. Just checked and there's a SP2 update. I'll download that and see if it makes any diff.

So. While we're waiting ... how do you like 12? It's sitting in a box off to one side here. Worth installing d'ya think?

[Craig]

I went from 10 to 12 and can say thet we are not having any troubles what so ever. We run all our n-up impositions to plates from Draw, it is the most used program next to InDesign CS2.

From what I've read it sounds like you are doing everything the same as I did it here, let's hope SP2 will solve it.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Sigh. No luck with SP2. Still goofily broken.

In my case, it's no big deal. I don't do much of anything with spot color. Mostly a matter of curiosity.