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What is the difference between spot color and process color in Illustrator?

Last updated on September 24, 2022 @ 6:28 pm

Spot color refers to the colors you see in a specific location on the screen, while process color refers to the colors that are used throughout your Illustrator file. For example, when you create a new document in Illustrator, the default colors are process colors.

However, you can change the colors to be spot colors by selecting the “Spot Colors” command from the Tools palette.

PRO TIP: There is a difference between spot color and process color in Illustrator. Spot color is defined as a single color used in printing, while process color is made up of a combination of colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) used to produce a full-color image. If you are not sure which to use for your project, ask your printer or graphic designer for guidance.

Spot colors are great for using as a quick way to color specific areas in your Illustrator file, but they tend to be less accurate than process colors. For example, if you use a spot color to color a gradient, the gradient will appear to have a slightly off-color hue in some areas.

This is because spot colors are created by choosing a specific color from a predefined palette, while process colors are created by calculating the colors that will be used in your Illustrator file.

Overall, spot colors are great for creating quick and easy colors, but process colors are better for creating more accurate colors.

Dale Leydon

Dale Leydon

Sysadmin turned Javascript developer. Owner of 20+ apps graveyard, and a couple of successful ones.