Ground Controls->Non_PDF->Colors->Usage


Non-CMYK/PantoneĀ® - This GC will trigger if a color is detected that is either non-CMYK (like RGB or LaB) or the color is not a Pantone color. Pantone colors regardless of whether they are Spot of Process display a model of PAN in the Overview Window under the Model column.


Unused Spot Colors -  This GC will trigger if a spot color is in the jobs color palette, but is not detected as being used in any objects such as, shapes, fonts, images etc., in the document.


Uses Spot Color - This GC will trigger if a spot color is in the jobs color palette, and is detected as being used in any objects such as, shapes, fonts, images etc., in the document. This is a flag that the actual print job will contain additional plates, usually more that 4 (CMYK).


Unnamed Colors - This GC will trigger if FlightCheck has detected unnamed colors in the job. Unnamed colors are created by mixing a color and then applying the color directly to an object such as a shape or text, without adding the color to your color palette. Several software packages have a feature that allows you to name unnamed colors.


Non-Default Trap -  This is a Quark centric Ground Control. Quark allows users to define non-default trapping for a specific color. This is found under the Edit->Colors... menu by selecting a color and clicking on the Edit Trap button. If the user has modified the default trap value for a specific color this GC will trigger.  Even if the color is not used in the document, but resides in the color palette, this Ground Control will trigger, but the color will not show as used.  When this Ground Control is triggered, an icon will appear in the non-automatic

default trapping column in the Colors area. **Insert picture of icon here and refer to Icon Legend PDF entry M on the Colors page


Bitmap Frames - Certain programs (mainly Quark and PageMaker) allow the user to apply built in frame styles to boxes. These frames are bitmap frames and depending on your print workflow and RIP configuration may print very pixilated. This GC triggers if a bitmap frame has been applied to a box or shape.


Mismatched Colors - This GC will trigger if an EPSF file contains a color whose color values (CMYK component values) do not match a color of the same name already in the documents color palette. This is an issue when spot colors with the same names are used in document and in imported EPSF files, but each application defines the CMYK components of those spot colors with different values.  This becomes important for spot colors as you may get two plates from a RIP for what you thought was a single spot color. For Process colors, this may cause items you were expecting to be the same color to be different colors on the final printed piece.


Mismatched Spot/Process - This GC will trigger when an imported or placed EPSF file uses a color that is also in the applications color palette and the two colors do not match type, i.e., one is a process and one is a spot color. For example, you may have an EPSF file with Pantone 185 red as a spot color and then place this EPSF into an InDesign document. In the InDesign document you have Pantone 185 Red, but you have converted it to a process color. These two reds will actually be on different plates upon output from the RIP, as the Pantone 185 Red as a spot will create a fifth plate, whereas the Pantone 185 Red converted to process will be composed on CMYK inks.  The two Reds will look different when printed and may have enough of a difference in visual color to cause an issue with the job.


Similar name spot color - This GC will trigger if 2 spot colors have very similar names. This situation can occur when spot colors are selected from different libraries. For example, PANTONE Rubine Red M and PANTONE Rubine Red U. One color is from the Solid Uncoated PANTONE Library (U), and one is from the PANTONE Solid Matte library (M). Each color will typically produce a separate printing plate, whereas you may want just a single plate for Rubine Red.


Blend/gradient - This GC will trigger if a color is detected as being used in a blend or gradient. Blends are a Quark based term and Gradients are an Adobe based term, typically Illustrator and InDesign.


Patterns - Certain programs come with pre-defined fill patterns that can be applied to shapes. In certain workflows these patterns may cause problems on final output. The two most common problems being 1) The pattern prints pixilated because it is a bitmap pattern or 2) The pattern is a postscript pattern and can slow down the RIP and take a long time to process.


Hairlines -  This GC allows you to set a threshold of how fine of a hairline you are willing to accept. For example, if you enter a value of .25 points and turn on this GC, any hairline that is less than or equal too .25 points will trigger this GC. This means that a hairline of .24 or .249 points will trigger this GC, a hairline of .25 point will trigger this GC, but a hairline of .251 or .26 points will not trigger this GC. FlightCheck currently can check up to three digits to the right of the decimal place.


Transparencies - This GC will trigger if a transparency has been detected in an object used in the document. This GC will also trigger if in InDesign you create a drop shadow that is not 100% opaque. Currently this only flags color filled boxes with transparency, it does not detect text or images with transparency applied.


C+M+Y+K Too High - This GC will trigger if the sum of the CMYK values for a particular color exceed the value you specify. Colors that have excessive amounts of ink in them can cause drying or even paper tearing problems when the job is being printed. ** On the Overview Windows the default filter is to show Used Colors, whereas in the Results Window there are no filters applied. Thus you can see a discrepancy between the color names listed in the Overview and Results Windows.


C+M+Y+K Too  Low - This GC will trigger if the sum of the CMYK values for a particular color are less than the value you specify. Colors that have very little amounts of ink in them can literally disappear at print time if the plate cannot hold a very small dot, or the plate becomes worn on the press over time. ** The same limitation listed for C+M+Y+K Too High also applies to C+M+Y+K Too Low.


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