How to set a spot-colour aim without a drawdown
Without a drawdown, the L*a*b* in a colour library is only a start, not an acceptance target. Measure a physical swatch the customer already confirmed. If there is no physical swatch, use the first sheet both sides signed. A fan deck chip and an instrument reading are not the same number. Do not write the Pantone name itself as the target.
Without a drawdown, the Lab* in a colour library is only a start, not an acceptance target. Measure a physical swatch the customer already confirmed. If there is no physical swatch, use the first sheet both sides signed. A fan deck chip and an instrument reading are not the same number. Do not write the Pantone name itself as the target.
Do not mix these three
The colour number is a name. The library is that name’s Lab* on one lighting and one paper. A drawdown or a signed sheet is the colour this lot of paper and this lot of ink must chase. No drawdown means that middle step is missing; put back a physical swatch or the first signed sheet. If the customer never saw that first sheet, it is only your own start. You cannot later say it is what the customer wanted.
When you measure a physical swatch, use the M condition, backing, and instrument later production will use. Different conditions skew the target from the first reading.
What to use as the target
| What you have | Target | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-confirmed physical swatch | Measure its Lab* | Write only the colour number |
| No swatch, a signed sheet | Use the signed sheet | Rewrite the signed sheet with the library |
| Nothing | Do not pretend you already have a target | Accept against the library on screen |
When you record, write
- The target Lab*, the conditions, and which sheet it came from.
- The colour number only as a name beside it.
- After sign-off, production matches the signed sheet, not the library.
