How to overprint a spot color in Illustrator

Using spot colors to overprint is critical for our digital foil process.

Please use the following steps:

To set up an overprint spot color in Adobe Illustrator, you can follow these steps:

1. Create or Select the Spot Color:

   • If you're creating a new spot color, open the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) and click the New Swatch icon.
   • Choose "Spot Color" as the Color Type and select the desired color mode (CMYK or RGB).
   • If you're using an existing spot color, make sure it's already in your Swatches panel.

2. Apply the Spot Color:

   • Select the object or text you want to apply the spot color to.
   • Click on the spot color in the Swatches panel to apply it.

3. Set the Overprint:

   • Open the Attributes panel (Window > Attributes).
   • Check the "Overprint Fill" or "Overprint Stroke" option, depending on whether you want the fill or stroke of the object to overprint.
   • Alternatively, you can set overprint in the Color panel. Click on the object with the spot color, then click on the "Attributes" button in the Color panel and check the "Overprint Fill" or "Overprint Stroke" option.

4. Preview the Overprint:

   • To see how the overprint will look, you can use the Overprint Preview mode (View > Overprint Preview). This mode shows you how colors will interact when printed.

5. Adjust Overprint Settings:

   • If needed, you can adjust the overprint settings in the Attributes or Color panel. For example, you can set the overprint to apply only to certain layers or objects.

6. Save and Export:

   • Once you're satisfied with the overprint settings, save your file. When you export the file for printing, make sure to select the appropriate settings to preserve the overprint effect.