Frustration picking Pantone color in InDesign "New Color Swatch" box

FileJockey

Well-known member
Trying to enter a Pantone number into the New Color Swatch dialog box, InDesign tries to force me to pick a different color, adding digits to my entry. Typing 451, for instance, becomes 4515. No amount of deleting that extra digit has any effect. InD just won't find my color. The swatches are also insanely organized now (as are the swatches in the Pantone books themselves), so it is almost impossible to home in on the color by scrolling through the list. Bug or a "feature." Discuss.
 
Perhaps try adding PANTONE and a space before the number?

What more can be said on the issue of the printed books or software design around the new library files?

Individual software companies should be able to program around the deficiencies of the imposed/licensed system from Pantone.


Stephen Marsh
 
Half the time, I find it easier to fire up Illustrator - create the swatch - make a box - copy and paste into InDesign.
It will bring the Pantone swatch with it.

MSD
 
Trying to enter a Pantone number into the New Color Swatch dialog box, InDesign tries to force me to pick a different color, adding digits to my entry. Typing 451, for instance, becomes 4515. No amount of deleting that extra digit has any effect. InD just won't find my color. The swatches are also insanely organized now (as are the swatches in the Pantone books themselves), so it is almost impossible to home in on the color by scrolling through the list. Bug or a "feature." Discuss.

assuming you are using CS6...and you have an older version of CS available--open the 'older' apps folder--find the color libraries--then copy them your CS6's color libraries folder--then you have all your old favorites available
 
assuming you are using CS6...and you have an older version of CS available--open the 'older' apps folder--find the color libraries--then copy them your CS6's color libraries folder--then you have all your old favorites available

But, the color definitions have changed, and some of them significantly.

Go into Illustrator CS6/CC.
Load the PANTONE library you want.
under the Swatch Pallet options (upper right) go to Sort by Name.
Export as an ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) file.
Load that swatch set into InDesign.
 
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Ok, this should work for most, if not all people using the Pantone Plus system in Indesign cs6

Type a space after the number.
For example, for Pantone 543, type:
5-4-3-space
Because each number is listed as ### C or #### C, if your 4th character is a space, it’ll search for that.
 

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