

There are cases in which more than one spot color is used, or only spot colors are used, but be aware that using custom spot colors can significantly increase printing costs. Typically, when spot colors are used, the export file contains the four process colors (C,M,Y, and K) and a single spot color channel. Everything in this spot color channel will be printed with the special ink.
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When a special ink is defined, all of the elements in the map or layout that reference that special color are collected together in a single channel in the final export file (usually a PDF file). This custom ink may have a different appearance (such as metallic, luminescent, orĬlear coat) from standard ink, or it may be a very specific color that is difficult to achieve by mixing CMYK. This is an additional channel-physically a different ink used in the printer.


In some cases, you may need an additional, custom ink color. The CMYK model provides a wide array of colors, which are usually sufficient for most uses. When you send your work to a print service provider to be output on a larger offset printing press, typically the same four inks, CMYK, are used. These four ink colors collectively are called CMYK, or process colors. When you print a map or a layout on a standard office printer or plotter, the colors you see on the page are typically made up of a mixture of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dots of ink, in varying proportions.
