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spot_color_chart_creator [2026/10/25 02:27] – Markup fix for the DokuWiki upgrade (spaces inside bold/italic) 0.0.0.0spot_color_chart_creator [2026/10/25 02:53] (current) – Help pages updated for PowerScripts 3.8 (help pages session) remoteuser
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 +====== Spot Color Chart Creator ======
  
 +Make a printed reference chart of any colour book (Pantone or your own), or of the swatches in your document, on your own printer. Each patch is labelled with exactly the information you want: name, formulas, Lab values, Delta E and more. Great for showing customers what your printer can really do, and for checking spot colour replacement in your RIP.
  
 +[[https://o2creative.co.nz/shop/Spot_Color_Chart_Creator_PowerScript_for_Adobe_Illustrator|See it in the shop]] · Version 2.3.6 · Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later
  
-==== About ==== +{{:spotchart.png?600|Pages of a PANTONE+ Solid Coated chart}}
-This PowerScript allows you to generate reference color charts from Illustrator Color books or from imported color books and CGATS data+
  
-{{::spotchart.png?600|}}+===== Where to find it =====
  
 +Open the PowerScripts panel (**Window > Extensions > PowerScripts**) and choose **Spot Color Chart Creator** from the **Color Charts** scripts. The script has three tabs: **Create**, **Color Options** and **Layout**.
  
-==== Create Tab ==== +===== Quick start =====
-{{::spotcolorchartcreator.2.1.0.png|}}+
  
-  * **Document Color** The color space for the color chart document +  - On **Create**, choose **Document Color: CMYK** (or **RGB**) and the colour book, for example **PANTONE+ Solid Coated**. 
-  * **Create Spot Colors** When ticked Lab colours will be added to the Document as SPOT colours  +  - Leave **First pages only** ticked and press **Create Chart**. Check the layout. 
-  * **Create Process color patch next to spot** When ticked a spot colour swatch will have a process colour converting half of the swatch, This allows you to see how your print process displays the process color vs the spot colour. Useful for checking spot color replacements on RIP's +  - Untick **First pages only** and press **Create Chart** again for the full chart. 
-  * **Mark out of Gamut Process Colors** When a process colour (Lab/RGB) is converted to CMYK the difference in colour (DeltaE) is computed. When this exceeds the limit set in the Color Options tab, a small white square is placed in the corner of the swatch (creating a notch) to indicate the process color in the document is out of gamut. +  - Print it with the colour settings you use for jobs.
-  * **Load Swatches** Pressing the button will use the current document's colors in the color book list. You can also select to just load the selected swatches. +
-  * **First pages only (use for testing layout)** When ticked only generates the first page - use to speed up the process of testing the layout +
-  * **ColourBook** Choose the colour book +
-    * The .abc files found in the found in the application Swatches Folder (On the Mac this is in the application folder under /Presets.localized/{Language}/Swatches/ folder, on the PC in the application folder under /Presets/{Language}/Swatches/  +
-    * You can also use the {{::import_button.png|}} to import CGATS or Adobe Color Book (*.acb) files +
-  * **Labels** This is a table of the labels which will be included under each swatch, Note that the first Label can be a different size to the other labels +
-    * **Label Type Column: NOTE Its important to set the decimals column to the number of decimals required for each label**  +
-      * **Name** The Name of the colour -For colour books the Prefix and Suffix are removed. In the Layout Tab you can also specify text to remove from the name +
-      * **Process Color Formula** The process colour formula of the colour i.e RGB: 255, 60, 128 +
-      * **Spot Color Formula** The defined colour of the spot BEFORE its converted to , Usually Lab or it can by RGB/CMYK/XYZ  +
-      * **Source Column Formula**  The colour of the source colum used - RGB/CMYK/Lch/Lab/XYZ/Spectral  +
-      * **Source Lab** (Prefix 'sLabD50') for XYZ/Lab and Spectral colours, this is the Lab value before being convrted to the output space. //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **Output Lab** (Prefix 'oLabD50') for all colours this is the Lab value avter being converted to the document CMYK or RGB output space. //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **Source Lch** (Prefix 'sLchD50') for XYZ/Lab and Spectral colours, this is the Lch value before being convrted to the output space. //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **Output Lch** (Prefix 'oLchD50') for all colours this is the Lch value after being converted to the document CMYK or RGB output space . //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **Delta LCH** The individual Delta-L , Delta-C, Delta-H  . //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **Delta Lab**  The individual Delta-L , Delta-a, Delta-b  . //Ignored for RGB/CMYK source colours// +
-      * **DeltaE 1976**  DeltaE based on the Source Lab vs the Output Lab +
-      * **DeltaE 1994**  DeltaE based on the Source Lab vs the Output Lab +
-      * **DeltaE CMC**  DeltaE based on the Source Lab vs the Output Lab +
-      * **DeltaE 2000**  DeltaE based on the Source Lab vs the Output Lab +
-      * **Spectral > XYZ**  The Spectral data converted to XYZ based on the Observer and Illuminant +
-      * **Spectral > Lab**  The Spectral data converted to Lab based on the Observer and Illuminant +
-      * **Spectral Plot**  Displays a graph showing the spectral data under the color swatch +
-    * **Decimals** - Sets the number of decimal places to display for each label line +
  
-==== Example ==== +===== Options =====
-{{:chart-sample.png?400}}+
  
 +==== Create ====
  
 +{{:spot_color_chart_creator:create_tab.png?380|The Create tab}}
  
-==== Color Options Tab ==== +  * **Document Color**: the colour mode of the chart document. 
-  * **Color Engine** +  * **Create Spot Colors**: add the colour book's colours to the chart as spot colours. 
-    * **PowerCMS** Use the built-in custom PowerScripts CMS +    * **Create Process color patch next to spot**: half of each patch is the spot colour, the other half its process conversion. You see how your printer prints both, which is useful for checking spot colour replacement in your RIP. 
-    * **AdobeCMS** Use the Adobe CMS +  * **Mark out of Gamut Process Colors**: when a colour converted to CMYK or RGB is further from the original than the **deltaE Limit** (on **Color Options**), a small white square is notched out of the patch's corner, so you know your printer can't quite make it. 
-  * **Black Point Compensation** +  * **First pages only (Use for testing layout)**: make only the first page, to check the layout quickly. 
-    * **Illustrator Settings** Use Illustrators default settings as set in Illustrators color preferences +  * **Load Swatches** and **Load Selected Swatches**: use your document's swatches (all, or the selected ones) instead of a colour book. 
-    * **On** BPC On +  * **Colour book**: the book to chart. It lists the books in Illustrator's swatch library folder. The button next to it ({{:import_button.png|}}) opens your own colour book (.acb or .ase) or CGATS data file. 
-    * **Off** BPC Off +  * **Labels**: the lines of text under each patch, in order (drag to reorder). The first line can have its own font size. For each line choose the **Label Type**, and set **Decimals** to the number of decimal places you want:
-  * **deltaE Limit** The DeltaE limit for display the out of gamut warning, If the DeltaE exceeds this value swatches will be marked with a white square notched out from one corner of the swatch +
-  * **Compare** Select the DeltaE formula to use form calculating the out of gamut DeltaE +
-  * **deltaE Box Size** the size in mm to notch out of the color swatch+
  
-==== Layout Tab ==== +^ Label Type ^ What it shows ^ 
-  * **Direction** Set how the colors should be laid out, down the column then across the row or vice versa +| **Name** | The colour's name (the colour book's prefix and suffix are left off, and the **Remove Name Text** on **Layout**) | 
-  * **Swatch Width** width in mm of the color swatch +| **Process Color Formula** | The patch's CMYK or RGB formula, for example RGB: 255, 60, 128 | 
-  * **Swatch Height** height in mm of the color swatch +| **Spot Color Formula** | The spot colour's own definition before conversion, usually Lab | 
-  * **Swatch Spacing** The horizontal gutter/space between swatches +| **Source Column Formula** | The formula from the source data (RGB, CMYK, LCh, Lab, XYZ or spectral) | 
-  * **Label Vertical Spacing** The space between each label line, this is like the label line-height +| **Source Lab**, **Source Lch** | For Lab, XYZ and spectral colours, the colour before conversion | 
-  * **Label Text Offset** A vertical offset so you can adjust the vertical position of the label text +| **Output Lab**, **Output Lch** | The colour after conversion to the document's CMYK or RGB | 
-  * **Name Font Size** The font size for the **Name the name is the first label item displayed** +| **Delta LCH**, **Delta Lab** | The separate differences in L, C, H (or L, a, b) between source and output | 
-  * **Formula Font Size** The font size for all other labels after the first label +| **DeltaE 1976**, **1994**, **CMC**, **2000** | The colour difference between source and output | 
-  * **Page Border** The border size for the page  +| **Spectral > XYZ**, **Spectral > Lab** | Spectral data converted with the illuminant and observer you chose | 
-  * **Page Spacing** The distance between artboards +| **Spectral Plot** | A small graph of the spectral data under the patch |
-  * **Swatch rows** The number of colours in a vertical rows before moving to the next column  +
-  * **Swatch Columns** The number of columns before moving to the next block of swatch rows +
-  * **Rows per Page** The number of blocks of swatch rows to be displayed before create a new page/artboard +
-  * **Swatch Row Gutter** The space between swatch rows +
-  * **Header height** +
-  * **Header Text Offset** An offset to vertically adjust the position of the header text +
-  * **Header Font Size**  +
-  * **Footer Height**  +
-  * **Footer Text Offset**  An offset to vertically adjust the position of the footer text +
-  * **Footer Font Size**  +
-  * **Remove Name Text** This text will be removed from the NAME label, useful for removing 'PANTONE' from every color name to make the labels shorter.+
  
-==== Importing CGATS Data and Using Spectral Data ==== +The source and output values are left out for colours that are already CMYK or RGB.
-{{::colorchart-cgats.png|}} \\ +
-When you import CGATS files you have the option of using spectral data+
  
-  * **Source** Select the source column from the CGATS file +{{:chart-sample.png?400|An example patch with labels}}
-  * **Illuminant** Select the Illuminant to apply to the spectral data +
-  * **Observer** Choose the standard observer. +
-  * **Graph**  +
-    * Light Grey line - The Illuminant +
-    * Black Line - The spectral data of the color +
-    * XYZ/Lab - Below the chart the XYZ and Lab values computed from the illuminant and observer.+
  
 +==== Color Options ====
  
-===== Release Notes =====+{{:spot_color_chart_creator:color_options_tab.png?380|The Color Options tab}}
  
-  * **2.2.0** +  * **Color Engine**: **PowerCMS** (the PowerScripts colour engine) or **AdobeCMS** (Illustrator's). 
-    * Added ability to manually set the colour library folder.+  * **Black Point Comp**: use **Illustrator Settings**, or turn black point compensation **On** or **Off**. 
 +  * **deltaE Limit**: above this difference, a patch is marked out of gamut. 
 +  * **Compare**: the Delta E formula for the out-of-gamut check. 
 +  * **deltaE Box Size**: the size of the out-of-gamut notch, in mm. 
 +  * **Location of Color Books**: use your own folder of colour books. Leave it blank for Illustrator's.
  
-  * **2.1.0** +==== Layout ==== 
-    * Requires PowerScripts 3.4.3 + 
-    * Removed the old method of using document swatches, you now load Document swatches into the Color list using buttons.+{{:spot_color_chart_creator:layout_tab.png?380|The Layout tab}} 
 + 
 +  * **Direction**: fill down each column first, or across each row first. 
 +  * **Swatch Width**, **Swatch Height**, **Swatch Spacing**: the patches and the gap between them. 
 +  * **Label Vertical Spacing**: the line height of the labels. **Label Text Offset** moves them up or down. 
 +  * **Name Font Size**: the first label line. **Formula Font Size**: all the others. 
 +  * **Page Border**, **Page Spacing**: the page margin, and the gap between pages. 
 +  * **Swatch Rows**, **Swatch Columns**: the size of each block of patches. 
 +  * **Rows per Page**, **Swatch Row Gutter**: how many blocks on a page, and the gap between them. 
 +  * **Header** and **Footer**: their height, text offset and font size. 
 +  * **Remove Name Text**: text to leave out of every name, for example ''PANTONE'' to keep labels short. 
 + 
 +===== How to... ===== 
 + 
 +==== Chart from spectral (CGATS) data ==== 
 + 
 +{{:colorchart-cgats.png|Importing CGATS data}} 
 + 
 +Import a CGATS file with the button next to the colour book list. With spectral data you choose: 
 + 
 +  * **Source**: the column of the file to use. 
 +  * **Illuminant** and **Observer**: how the spectral data is turned into colour. 
 +  * **Graph**: the grey line is the illuminant, the black line the colour's spectral data, with the XYZ and Lab values worked out below. 
 + 
 +==== Check your RIP's spot colour replacement ==== 
 + 
 +  - Tick **Create Spot Colors** and **Create Process color patch next to spot**. 
 +  - Make the chart and print it through your RIP with spot colour replacement on. 
 +  - Where the two halves of a patch differ, the RIP's replacement and Illustrator's conversion disagree. 
 + 
 +===== Tips ===== 
 + 
 +  * Use **First pages only** while you set up the layout: a full Pantone book is many pages. 
 +  * Save your favourite label sets as presets (see [[using_presets|Using Presets]]). 
 + 
 +===== Good to know ===== 
 + 
 +  * Colours depend on your colour settings (**Edit > Color Settings**) and the colour engine you choose. 
 +  * The footer of each page records the colour mode, profile and settings used. 
 + 
 +===== What's new ===== 
 + 
 +  * **2.3.6**: General bug fixes and reliability. Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later. 
 +  * **2.3.5** 
 +    * Fixed: Mark out of Gamut Process Colors no longer marks colours that print fine. 
 +    * Fixed: with your own colour books folder, the colour book you pick stays picked. 
 +    * Improved: general bug fixes, reliability and speed. 
 +  * **2.3.3**: Updated for PowerScripts 3.8.32. 
 +  * Older changes: [[releasenotes|PowerScripts Release Notes]]
  
-  * **2.0.4** 
-    * Requires PowerScripts 3.4.2 
-    * Updates for CC2018 compatibility 
-    * Fixed label dropdowns not working the first time 
spot_color_chart_creator.txt · Last modified: by remoteuser