Explain color modes (CMYK and Process) in Quark 4

[andybean]

This has always confused me...

We often use PMS 272--a shade of purple. When I set up this color in Quark 4.11, I go to Edit > Colors > New, then choose Pantone Coated (for a coated print job). I type "272" in the Pantone field. It pulls up 272, which on my Mac looks blue, not purple. If I then switch the Model from Pantone Coated to CMYK, it becomes the purple shade it's supposed to be. But why should I have to do this? Shouldn't the Pantone Coated color match more closely than a CMYK color? It makes no sense to me. I have to work in CMYK in order to see how things will look, then switch it back to Pantone Coated before outputting in order not to screw up the printer. Is this right? Any thoughts from more experienced and wiser designers would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[rickwells]

Yeah this is a pain. I don't know why the colours are not shown more acurately - someone might tell us.
I would normally set up both colours in the colour pallette, using the CMYK until job finished. Then I'd highlight the items and click on the Pantone colour to change everything. Rather than go to the drop down menu to add or edit colours, I hold down Command key and click on any colour in the pallette. This brings up the colour editing box. You must have one item highlighted otherwise the colour pallette is 'greyed out'.
Hardly any quicker actually !!
(AppleMac user)

 

[duncdude]

You say you often use PMS 272 - is this a proper print job or to a colour laser or inkjet printer?

Duncan

 

[andybean]

This is a proper print job, if by that you mean we're sending it to a press. I don't worry about it as much when I send it to our local printer who does the 2 color work for us. He knows that if it's not black, it's PMS 272. But I'm sending a file to a new printer now (in China--so no press check), and it's going to print 4 colors plus PMS. I don't want this to accidentally print as a process color, but I also don't want the printer to think that our PMS is supposed to come out blue, when it isn't. I'll make sure to let them know that the specified color is correct no matter what they see on screen, but I wondered if there was some way to eliminate the discrepancy.

Andy