You can check or find Pantone codes in Adobe Illustrator using the built-in color libraries or by inspecting colors applied to objects in your document.
Here's a breakdown of how to do it:
One common way to check available Pantone colors is by browsing Illustrator's extensive color libraries, known as Color Books. This is useful when you need to select a specific Pantone color to apply to your artwork.
Based on the reference:
- Navigate to the Swatches panel. If you don't see it, go to
Window > Swatches. - Click on the Swatch Libraries Menu icon (usually located in the bottom-left corner of the Swatches panel).
- Go down to Color Books.
- Select the desired Pantone library, such as Pantone + CMYK Coated (as mentioned in the reference) or other options like Pantone + Solid Coated, Pantone + Solid Uncoated, etc. A new panel will open containing the colors from that library.
- You can then hover over the colors in this new panel to see their Pantone codes and names. Clicking on a color will add its swatch to your main Swatches panel.
Steps:
- Open Swatches Panel (
Window > Swatches) - Click Swatch Libraries Menu
- Navigate to
Color Books > [Select Pantone Library] - Hover over swatches to see codes
This method allows you to browse and select Pantone colors from official libraries provided by Adobe and Pantone.
How to Check the Pantone Code of an Existing Color
If you have an object in your artwork and want to know if its color is a Pantone color and what its code is, follow these steps:
- Select the object(s) whose color you want to check.
- Look at the Swatches panel. The fill or stroke swatch corresponding to the selected object's color should be highlighted.
- Identify the swatch type:
- Spot Color: A swatch representing a Pantone (or other library) color will typically have a small dot in one of its corners (usually the bottom-right). This indicates it is a spot color, intended to be printed as a separate, premixed ink.
- Process Color: Swatches without this dot (showing a grid of four squares or just a solid color) are process colors, made up of CMYK (or RGB) percentages. While they might visually match a Pantone color, they are not true Pantone spot colors in the document.
- If the highlighted swatch is a spot color (has the dot), its name displayed in the Swatches panel is usually the Pantone code (e.g., "PANTONE 185 C", "PANTONE 2935 U").
- For more details, you can double-click the spot color swatch in the Swatches panel. This opens the Swatch Options dialog box, which clearly shows the Swatch Name (the Pantone code), Color Type (should be Spot Color), and Color Mode (usually Lab or CMYK, but the type is key).
Table Summary:
| Method | Purpose | How to |
|---|---|---|
| Browse Color Books | Find/Select Pantone colors from libraries | Swatches Panel Menu > Color Books > Select Pantone Library > Browse |
| Check Existing Swatch | Identify applied color & get its code | Select object > Look at Swatches Panel > Identify Spot Color (dot) > Read Swatch Name |
| Double-Click Swatch | Confirm details of existing swatch | Double-click swatch in Swatches Panel > Check Swatch Name & Color Type |
By utilizing both the Color Books for finding and the Swatches panel for identifying existing colors, you can effectively manage and check Pantone codes within your Adobe Illustrator projects.
